The Chicago Horticultural Society has been promoting gardens and gardening since 1890. The Society's flower shows, victory gardens, horticultural lectures and more have touched generations of Chicagoans. Our mission encompasses three important components: collections, education and research. The Chicago Botanic Garden is 385 acres of natural beauty with 23 gardens and native habitat areas. The second most visited public garden in the United States, it has more than 1.9 million plants of 8,800 taxa, the largest collection in the Upper Midwest.