Cascading pink chrysanthemums drape the bridge outside the Chicago Botanic Garden's Visitor Center in Glencoe, with the Garden's signature fall display returning Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The Garden announced on X that the display features Chrysanthemum 'Pink Fleece,' a variety it called bright and cheerful. Visitors walking the bridge pass beneath a canopy of cascading mums overhead.

The display arrives as the 385-acre garden along Lake Cook Road shifts into its busiest stretch of fall programming. No end date has been announced. Garden mums bloom from late summer through hard frost, according to the Garden's Plant Evaluation Program. That program notes chrysanthemums have been cultivated in China and Japan for centuries, first as medicinal herbs and later for their flowers.

The mums also carry a practical lesson for home gardeners. In an Aug. 28 post, the Garden noted that while mums are often treated as fall annuals in Chicagoland, many varieties are hardy perennials that return year after year.

Cynthia Anderson, a Master Gardener and educator at the Chicago Botanic Garden, put the Garden's role in perspective when she spoke to the Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield on Aug. 25. "We are indeed lucky to have the CBG our backyard," Anderson said, speaking broadly about the Garden as a community resource.

What to know before you go

The Garden's public hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with members-only access from 8 to 10 a.m. Hours may change as the season progresses. Check chicagobotanic.org for updates.

Thursday, Oct. 1, is a Free Admission Day for Illinois residents. Preregistration is required for nonmembers, and parking fees still apply.

The Garden's Fall Bulb Sale runs Friday through Friday, Oct. 2–4, at Burnstein Hall. Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns begins Wednesday, Oct. 7, with sessions Oct. 7–11, 14–18 and 21–25 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.