Roadside Sale

This week, my mother, her caregiver and I spent three afternoons making dried floral arrangements for the Chicago Botanic Garden Roadside Flower show. This is a big fundraiser for the Botanic Garden, and all the proceeds go to fund a specific project chosen by the botanists and other leaders at the garden.
All the dried material was either raised or gathered by the volunteers, all the containers donated by garden members, and the flowers and other materials were arranged by volunteers. Nothing goes to waste, Flowers with very short stems are are used to make candle rings. Flowers with no stems are used in potpourri. The left over dried material and containers are sold to the public at the sale. Last year, every arrangement was sold, and the sale made over $17,000. Not bad for a three day sale.
If you want to purchase a beautiful dried floral arrangement--or just look at a lot of well designed, and well arranged dried arrangements, with fresh material, grown locally, come to the sale. It is at the Chicago Botanic Garden, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept 14, 15 and 16th in Burstein Hall. Burnstein Hall is in the Regenstein Education Building. For those of you who haven't been to the Garden recently, the education building has been remodeled, with a beautiful Bonsai display in the courtyards. Burnstein Hall is the old snack shop.