Orchid Fever: a Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy by Eric Hansen might be the place to start. Hansen does a great job exploring the local and international world of orchid hunters and scientists who are working to save endangered orchids. Each chapter is a different element of the tale of how these plants have grabbed a hold of man's desires.
Next, go to the classic tale of The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. This book started as a series of essays in the New Yorker, and takes us from eccentric orchid growers in Florida, to treasure hunters who seek new and rare orchids. A delightful story of the community of orchid lovers.
After visiting the Botanic Garden, you may be inspired to try to care for your own orchids. A good title to start with is Orchids Are Easy: a Beginner's Guide to Their Care and Cultivation by Tom Gilland. And there are many other orchid care titles and identifying guides available to check out.
If you can't make it for the Orchid Show, try one of the other greenhouses in the Chicago area. The Garfield Park Conservatory has a lovely collection of ferns and other fauna, and the Lincoln Park Conservatory has an orchid house as well. Or you can wait for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show coming up on March 14, 2015 to catch a whiff a spring.
Or if it is only orchids that you crave, try visiting Orchids by Hausermann. It is a family run greenhouse in Addison, IL. Their experts will show you the orchid grower's perspective.
Enjoy getting a taste of spring.
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