All roads lead to flowers

Visit a Tru Blooms Chicago garden near you. See them all. Each is marked by a sign that identifies the grower of Tru Blooms Chicago program participant.

Garden and Mission Partners

• Cantigny Park A 500-acre public park and recreation area left by Colonel Robert R. McCormick in Wheaton, IL, Cantigny garden areas include formal gardens, an idea garden, and a greenhouse. The 12,000 square feet Rose Garden delivers luscious blooms and fragrances from more than 1,200 roses in excess of 55-varieties and 16-different classifications of roses. Using aromatic extraction, the roses in the garden are used in Tru Blooms perfume.

• Chicago Botanic Garden located in Glencoe, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 26 distinct gardens and four natural areas. It is one of only seventeen gardens certified by the American Association of Museums as a “ living museum” in recognition of its 2.6 million plant collection. On-site signage about the Tru Blooms project lets visitors know about this unique public/private partnership. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s gift shop sells the fragrance. In addition, the museum operates Windy City Harvest, Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center (VRIC) and Green Youth Farm, which manage Tru Blooms Chicago gardens throughout the City.

• Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is the largest municipal park manager in the nation and owner of more than 8100 acres of green space. The park district provides a half-acre of land for the growing of Tru Blooms flowers in Grant Park at the corner of South Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway, near Buckingham Fountain. The Park District also manages Garfield Park Conservatory, another garden partner of Tru Blooms, on the west side of the city.

• Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance inspires and educates through innovative programs and special events in the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the nation’s largest and finest historic conservatories. The alliance manages a Tru Blooms garden at the conservatory.

• Green Youth Farm is the Chicago Botanic Garden’s leadership development program for at-risk teens.  The program offers learning and employment opportunities for high school students, adult learners and transitional job holders. Participants plant, maintain and harvest Tru Blooms gardens.

• Growing Home provides job training to Chicagoans who have difficulties gaining employment on three USDA-Certified Organic farms on Chicago’s southside. Growing Home manages a Tru Blooms garden in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

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  Growing Power manages the Tru Blooms Grant Park farm.  The organization’s mission is to transform communities by supporting people from diverse backgrounds and the environments in which they live through the development of Community Food Systems. These systems provide high-quality, safe, healthy, affordable food for all residents in the community. Growing Power develops Community Food Centers, as a key component of Community Food Systems, through training, active demonstration, outreach, and technical assistance.

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  NeighborSpace is Chicago’s only non-profit land trust dedicated to community gardens, providing long-term protection for more than 80 vegetable, flower and prairie gardens across the City. Each year the network of protected open spaces grows as new community-created gardens are preserved. The organization shoulders the responsibilities of property ownership – such as providing basic insurance, access to water, and links to support networks – so that community groups can focus on gardening. NeighborSpace-protected gardens give young and old alike an opportunity to get their hands in the earth and enjoy nature, right in their own neighborhoods.  NeighborSpace helps make Tru Blooms Chicago a neighborhood program by coordinating volunteer gardeners (paid a small stipend by Tru Blooms Chicago) to maintain flowers along the roadside and sidewalks of their existing neighborhood gardens throughout the city.

• Uncommon Ground operates two independent restaurants featuring contemporary comfort cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal, regional, organic ingredients. The bar features house-infused organic cocktails, a wide selection of local craft beers and an eclectic American wine list. Uncommon Ground grows lavender in reclaimed whiskey barrels for Tru Blooms at its Edgewater location along with its rooftop farm.

• Whitney Young High School Chicago Public School District:  Whitney Young High School students in Mr. Katz’s biology classes learn biology the way it was meant to be taught.  As part of their Mycelia Project, students are challenged to make positive impacts on their community that will benefit the environment by creating a more symbiotic relationship between the two.  Students are graded on their ability to incorporate ten pillars into their projects including ecology, food, water, energy, health, sustainability, waste, gardening, community, and education.  Whitney Young students manage a Tru Blooms garden on the schools STEM and Social Justice Outdoor Classroom as well as throughout Chicago’s green-scapes where students responsibly care for their own Tru Blooms gardens on urban farms, community spaces, and student businesses.

• Windy City Harvest is the Chicago Botanic Garden’s sustainable agriculture training program that provides a certificate in urban agriculture and sustainable horticulture, as well as workforce training and transitional employment, for hard-to-employ adults including the formerly incarcerated. Participants plant, maintain and harvest Tru Blooms gardens at Windy City Harvest garden locations.  The Windy City Harvest certificate program is delivered by the Chicago Botanic Garden in partnership with Richard J. Daley College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. Participants acquire hands-on experience with sustainable vegetable production and learn essential business skills, including planning, pricing, sales, and marketing.  After satisfactory completion of the curriculum and training requirements, students achieve certification in sustainable urban horticulture and urban agriculture. The certificate from the Richard J. Daley College readies participants for permanent employment in the new “green collar” jobs sector.

Supporters and Promotional Partners

•  Chicago Cultural Mile A trip to the Windy City is not complete without a visit to the engaging attractions, museums, concert halls, theaters and public art along Chicago’s famed Cultural Mile.   Home to our garden in Grant Park, the Chicago Cultural Mile is a promotional partner of the Tru Blooms initiative.

• Department of Housing and Economic Development provides funding for social enterprises that train new employees to be urban farmers for Tru Blooms Chicago. The department provides introductions to non-governmental organizations hiring Workforce Investment Act applicants.

• Department of Sustainable Development representing the Mayor’s Office, spearheads the involvement of City of Chicago departments and offices with Tru Blooms.

• Department of Zoning and Land Use provides Tru Blooms Chicago organizers with introductions to owners of usable land and neighborhood gardeners.

Fragrance Partners

• Essential Oil Company works directly with farmers and distillers of essential oils worldwide. Since 1977, the company has supplied quality massage oils, perfume oils and fragrance oils and sold distilling equipment and supplies. The Essential Oil Company distills the flowers to extract the essential oils for Tru Blooms perfume.

• Tru Fragrance Tru Fragrance creates custom fragrances and scented brand extensions in the bath, body and skincare categories for niche and specialty retailers worldwide. Formerly Romane Fragrances, the company brings 42 years of experience to the fragrance development space. Leveraging a distinctive business model, Tru Fragrance manufactures, launches and markets private label fragrances by working with retail and brand partners from conception through launch, bringing to market unique products that strengthen brand loyalty among consumers while helping retailers boost their transaction size and bottom line. Tru is proud to be underwriting the Tru Blooms Chicago initiative and giving back to our local community.

• Ungerer and Company Founded in 1893, Ungerer is a privately held, family owned and operated company, specializing in fragrances, flavors, and essential oils. The company’s heritage is based on an entrepreneurial spirit combined with an ability to maintain long-standing business relationships. The company’s mission is to combine the artisanship of perfumery and flavors with the technology of science, to create breakthrough fragrances and flavors. Ungerer conducts the aromatic extraction of the flowers for Tru Blooms and is honored to help support local job creation, urban beautification and urban farming in the Chicagoland area.