You are invited to celebrate with us in the ten year birthday celebration
Cantigny Park is a nationally recognized display garden that continues to grow through the generosity of its supporters. The Hosta Garden began in 2011 through a partnership between Cantigny Park and the Northern Illinois Hosta Society (NIHS), inspired by a vision to create a garden worthy of designation as an American Hosta Society (AHS) National Hosta Display Garden. What started with just 50 donated hostas has flourished into a diverse and educational collection representing the dedication of NIHS members, Cantigny staff, commercial growers, and hybridizers. In 2016, the garden achieved AHS National Display Garden status—one of only 25 in the country and the one serving the nation’s largest metropolitan area.
Today, the collection includes more than 350 hosta varieties, along with a rich assortment of companion plants that demonstrate how hostas can be used creatively in landscapes. As the garden approaches its 10th anniversary this year 2026 as an AHS Display Garden, we invite you to help us celebrate this milestone by contributing to its continued growth. Anniversaries are occasions for gifts, and your support can make a lasting impact.
NIHS members and friends can participate by donating hostas from their own gardens, purchasing one or two plants from a favorite nursery, selecting hostas through the NIHS gift link, or contributing plants as they downsize or transition from gardening. Donations of partial or complete hosta collections are also welcomed and will be thoughtfully integrated into the garden. Your donations willbe recognized on a donor list that we will begin for this celebrtaion.
Your generosity helps ensure that the Cantigny Park Hosta Garden continues to educate, inspire, and delight visitors—showcasing hostas as specimens, mass plantings, borders, raised beds, rock features, and soon, container displays. With your support, we can continue expanding this nationally recognized garden and sharing the beauty and versatility of hostas with the public for years to come.