The West Chicago Garden Club

By Ruth Kyme

Dave Andrusyk is the Fullersburg Woods campus coordinator at the Forest Preserve District and has worked for the District since 1998. He spent five years working in Natural Resource Management, doing restoration work in the preserves. Dave later taught school, scout and general public programs in the District’s forest preserves. His knowledge of native gardening stems from years of field experience with the Forest Preserve District and working on native plots at his home.

In his presentation, Natural-Areas Restoration:  What We Manage and Why We Do It, Dave will explain how and why the Forest Preserve District  manages habitats, plants, and animals in the DuPage forest preserves. We will learn about this organization’s philosophy about managing habitats and find out more about restoration projects completed in your favorite preserves.  You will also discover volunteer opportunities available to help in the restoration process.

Meeting Location: St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program

By Barbara Darrah

I am writing this article with a bit of hesitancy because since July 18 when my husband Dick had knee replacement surgery, I became his “designated driver” and have spent my Wednesday mornings ferrying him to his therapy sessions. I am sure that the crew members managed very well without me but I have missed our gardening together.

This has been a very strange and exhausting summer for all of our gardening as well. These super hot and humid days seem to just suck our energy out of us. Many plants seem to have outdone their normal growth patterns. The clover and creeping Charlie have made a concerted effort to take over our lawns and in the flower beds that I hoped were weedless, there are three and four foot invaders towering over the blossoms. The Joe Pyeweed has flopped completely over and deadheading seems endless. We are all working overtime along with the industrious Kruse crew.

I hope you have taken advantage of the Tuesday Open House at the garden. If you still haven’t had a chance to tour the house, do try to do so. Most house museums showcase the large, expensive houses of the upper classes. Thanks to the Kruse sisters’ gift to the community, we have the unique opportunity to visit an early twentieth century remarkably complete example of the small town home that your midwestern great, great grandparents probably lived in. And the docents seem to ensure that there is always something new to see every time that you visit. Thanks to our garden club volunteers, you also get to see a charming garden as well.

We welcome you to visit Kruse House Gardens and if you are interested in working in the gardens we are there Wednesdays, 9:00 to 11:30am.

Tags: Kruse Garden