Grant Park, IL
This is the motherlode! Yes, Sunrise is 1.5 hours away from Lafayette in Grant Park, IL. But it’s eight acres under glass with annual flats selling for $11. Read that sentence again! It’s true! If you’re going to make one Botaniquest out of town, this is it. The selection is phenomenal with up-to-date varieties every year. Annuals (flats, 4″ pots for $2.39, hanging baskets and more), perennials, water plants, veggies and herbs are unbelievably priced. The woody plants are logically arranged and feature a wide selection but are priced more traditionally. Add nice staff, a pristine growing operation, an enormous array of pots, some seeds, garden tools and ornaments and you’ve got yourself a whale of a road trip. They are closed on Sundays. It’s a bit nutty on Saturdays. Take a day off, bring one friend (no room for more), line the car with plastic and check the balance on your bank account! Then let the shopping begin. There aren’t great lunch choices in this area although you can buy hotdogs in the greenhouse! Stop in Kankakee on your way home. Ahhh. Sunrise is such a happy place.
While you’re in the area, make sure you stop at Wagner’s just down the road where flats are $12. I’ll post more about it in its own entry.
