By Marjorie Sherman
The Hyde Park Garden Fair is Chicago’s oldest community garden sale. It started in 1959 when a group of gardeners in Hyde Park, a neighborhood in the south side of Chicago, were frustrated that they had to drive all over Illinois to buy the plants they wanted for their gardens. After a lot of discussion they decided to start a garden club, “The Hyde Park Garden Fair”. They asked their friends if they would also like to participate and very quickly they had many enthusiastic members. Today we are a group of about 40.
The members are divided into different groups such as Annuals, Perennials, Vegetables, House Plants, Shrubs, Water Plants, Hanging Baskets, Ground Covers, Native Plants, etc. Each group goes to greenhouses near and far to choose their plants to sell which are then delivered to the site of the sale the day before the actual sale. All the members are at the place of the sale by 7:00 am when the first truck is expected. We all work together emptying the trucks and getting the plants in order. It is quite a job!
We have two sales each year, one in May where you can buy flowers, shrubs, vegetables, water plants, house plants and much more. The other sale is in September where you can buy mums and bulbs and more. We also have many knowledgeable members who can help you choose the best plants for your own garden. Please ask questions if you need advice.
Any plants that have not been sold during the sale are distributed to local non-profit organizations.
The upcoming sale will be held in the CVS shopping at 1228 E. 53rd Street in Hyde Park. The hours will be from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Friday, May 16, 2025 and from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday, May 17, 2025, rain or shine!
Hope to see you there!”
