Plantasia is the one time every year when the greenhouse turns into a house party. Held at Garfield Park Conservatory Sept. 10-11, it’s a two-day celebration of ambient and electronic music set among palm trees and succulents that some believe is just as much for people as it is for the plants.
“I do believe plants have certain receptors to vibration,” said performer Makaya McCraven, “and communication through vibration and connection is part of the intangibles of sound and music.”
The local jazz luminary will headline the final day of Plantasia, which is now in its eighth year. But the roots of the event and this intersection between music and horticulture actually go back decades to an album celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
In 1976, composer Mort Garson wanted to test a growing theory that suggested plants needed more than good soil and water to grow — they needed good music too. Armed with a Moog synthesizer and a range of test subjects in his house, Garson got to work and created the album, “Mother Earth’s Plantasia: Warm earth music for plants…and the people that love them.”
It really should’ve been a blip of an album; at first, the only copies available came with the purchase of a houseplant at the Mother Earth store in Los Angeles. But over time, as the record gained considerable respect as a pioneer in the electronic space, it became a cult classic that was increasingly hard to find.
That was until 2018, when the indie label Sacred Bones in Brooklyn, New York, got the rights to reissue Garson’s masterpiece — and when news reached the Empty Bottle Presents team, they knew they had to do something.
“Coincidentally, we had just been in touch with the Conservatory about doing events there … and when we heard about Sacred Bones making the album available on vinyl again, I reached out and was like, ‘hey, we have access to this incredible space. Wouldn’t it be rad to do a version of the record with live performances in this beautiful setting?’” recalls Brent Heyl, director of music at 16” on Center, the parent group behind the Bottle, Salt Shed, Thalia Hall and SPACE.
While the first year of Plantasia was wholly devoted to recreating Garson’s soundscape, the program has since expanded to welcome ambient and experimental artists of all flavors performing original works. Music acts are co-curated by Sacred Bones, which continues to be involved in the event, and a part of the proceeds also benefits the Garson estate in homage to its namesake.
This year’s edition features Thursday night headliner Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical, who just released a collaborative new album this summer. “They’re two artists that have incredible history with us, and it will be cool to see what they have going on together,” Heyl said. And tapping McCraven to close out night two, Heyl added, was meant to be “such a nice way to showcase him in the city where he’s from.”
Other highlights across the two days include a rare appearance from Italian composer Gigi Masin, a four-hour set from Japanese electronic whiz Chee Shimizu in the conservatory’s Fern Room and Welsh guitarist Gwenifer Raymond.
“She might not be people’s first thought for a Plantasia set because she’s a shredding acoustic guitar player, but it’s really beautiful stuff,” Heyl said. “I think she will offer a nice break in the sonic flow from electronics.”
In addition to the music acts, there’s also a public tape swap in the Children’s Garden hosted by StretchMetal and DJ sets from the staff of Bucktown’s Torn Light Records. “They have the deepest collection of leftfield jazz, experimental and ambient music. Their collection of cassette tapes and books is like few I’ve ever seen, and they seem really tapped into what it is that we’re presenting here,” Heyl said. And for anyone who wants to remember the event for posterity, a 2026 poster will be for sale, designed by A. Savage, the lead singer of Parquet Courts who has performed at Plantasia in the past.
Someone who is new to the event this year, however, is McCraven, who is also keen to explore how a unique space, like a conservatory, can shape music performances. It’s a relationship he focused on for his latest release, 2025’s “Off the Record,” a compilation of four individual EPs driven by moments of improvisation in distinct settings. Among them was the time he was artist-in-residence at Winter Jazz Fest in 2025 and an appearance at Brooklyn’s Public Records that same year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his album “In The Moment” as well as McCraven’s Tuesday night residency at The Hideout in 2017.
“I wanted to keep the integrity of each space we were in, and the cast of people I created with in those spaces,” says McCraven. “The environment and being in the moment are important to color everything I do. … There are possibilities in each and every room.”
Empty Bottle Presents has a similar philosophy when considering spaces where performances are held. Talent bookers have looked beyond the confines of traditional venues to hold shows, whether it’s the Garfield Park Conservatory or spots like Bohemian National Cemetery and the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago.
“We want to give people a different way to experience music,” Heyl said. “I love our venues, and I think they each have a purpose for a very specific type of experience. But if you go to a lot of shows, you can kind of feel like you’re just returning to the same place over and over again. Being able to present these bands in new settings makes you appreciate them in different ways.”
Of the whole EBP portfolio, Heyl particularly loves Plantasia for a reason Garson would appreciate, too.
“It’s surrounded by so much nature … and it’s nice to just feel the vibrations of the sounds and connection to the world. If you let yourself drift away, it’s a beautiful thing.”