ILCA Landcape Design Tour 2022 —
Summer in the City
ILCA visits some of the most stunning
Nina A. Koziol
By about June, everyone in the green industry is probably wondering, “When can I slip away, even if it’s just for a day?” Nearly 100 attendees at ILCA’s Summer Design Tour were able to slip away to Chicago’s lake front on June 16 — even though they might have felt a bit guilty. “I shouldn’t be here, I’m so busy,” said Agnes Pradel Stafford, owner of Pradel Garden Design in Chicago. “I live in the city but I never get to come downtown and leisurely see all these beautiful gardens.” She was just one of many attendees who felt inspired and renewed by the day-long tours. Planning for the design tour began in 2019, but the pandemic put things on hold. It was worth the wait. The tour of eight iconic public gardens along Chicago’s lake front focused on
the design, plants, installation and maintenance of these special places. Several “interpreters” were on hand to talk about each of the gardens, and a walking tour app allowed participants to listen to stories about each site. “This event was four years in the making,” said Scott Grams, ILCA’s executive director. “We were so excited to pull this off. There’s so much to see here.”
Executive Director Scott Grams
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The Landscape Contractor August 2022
Where to begin
The day kicked off with breakfast under the tent at the Harris Rooftop. From there, participants strolled through Lakeshore East Park, Maggie Daley Park, Lurie Garden, the Art Institute’s Sculpture and Dan Kiley Gardens, Grant Park Rose Garden, the Art Institute’s Arch