The annual Chicago Flower and Garden Show will be held March 10 to 18 at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Show times are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. As always, the show will inspire, educate and motivate visitors of all ages by offering can-do, practical tips and ideas for beautifying and enhancing their gardens, patios, porches, decks, lawns and landscapes.

This year’s show offers much more to do, see, learn and experience than ever before. With the theme Hort Couture, more than 25 featured display gardens take their cues on style and beauty from the incredible designs, colors, textures and fabrics found in high-fashion couture garments. Visitors of all ages experience can-do takeaways and discover the latest color combinations in hundreds of floral varieties.

“Homeowners can talk directly with industry professionals about how to beautify their gardens and care for plants, and then take this information and apply it to their home gardens,” says Tony Abruscato, president of Flower Show Productions, which presents the show.

While many more details will be coming soon, a glimpse of the 25 featured gardens reveals the unique experience of the upcoming show:

• The entrance garden sets the tone for Hort Couture with a magnificently stylized sculpture from Jenny Pickford, an English rising star who designs and fashions unique sculptures, water features and architectural ironworks. This garden features living walls that seclude the rest of the show until the visitor emerges into its colorful “wow.”

• An interactive replica of the White House Vegetable Garden.

• The Days of Our Lives Horton Garden features and props direct from the set. Cast members return, too, for an interactive panel and fashion show.

• See a replica of Oprah’s Oak, which will be planted in the Navy Pier Gateway Garden on Arbor Day 2012.

• Rooftop and elevated gardens are unique to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show in 2012! This is a not-to-be missed high-rise display garden for Midwestern design inspiration.

• Two tulip gardens contain at least 50 varieties. Immerse your senses surrounded by eye-candy color and spring-time perfume!

• The popular kids’ garden, presented by Illinois Master Gardeners, returns with the always-favorite Bug Zoo, learn-and-do potting parties and more.

• Delicious Dream presents eco-friendly products from Israel and the multiple climates found there.

Brand-new and newly-redesigned elements include:

• Chicago’s Largest Seed Exchange

• Photography master classes among dozens of seminars and illustrated talks

• Garden Gourmet: with new cameras and video screens to help visitors learn how to cook organically with root vegetables and herbs

• The Delta Institute displays reclaimed material that’s made into functional furniture - all part of a competition among this green organization’s apprentices.

• Twenty-two percent more vendors displaying their wares, including the latest garden tools and accents.

With a legacy in Chicago that can be traced to 1847, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show welcomes upwards of 60,000 visitors to Navy Pier annually. Discounted tickets are available when ordering online now at www.chicago flower.com/individuals.php. Weekday admission is $15 when tickets are purchased online; $17 at the box office. Weekend admission is $17 and $19 respectively. Tickets for children ages 4 through 12 are $5. Discounted parking at Navy Pier, and group rates and tours also are offered. The Flower & Garden Show gratefully acknowledges our sponsors, listed at www.chicago flower.com/sponsors.php.