The West Chicago Garden Club

Huge success! That is our view of the August 1st Secret Garden and Posey Mosey event. We estimate that 300 guests enjoyed the gardens and goodies. Thank you to all who baked and volunteered your time. There were many things to be done but your generosity and talents really made a difference! Please take a bow for ‘job well done’. Thanks again, you are a wonderful group to work with.

Well, August weather certainly delivered the ‘dog days of summer’! It was so hot some days that working outside was next to impossible. Just the kind of conditions that make you ponder the meaning of ‘dog days’. Here is what wikianswers.com has to say.

‘The dog days were the days when the Dog Star, Sirius, rose just before sunrise. Ancient Romans believed that the hot days of late summer were caused by the Dog Star, and thought that dogs went mad during this time (also that wine spoiled, people became hysterical, and seas boiled!). So a dog day afternoon would be the afternoon of one of the very hot, sticky days at the end of summer”. The specific days that were traditionally referred to as the Dog Days of Summer were from July 3 to August 11.

But never mind the weather, the garden has many pleasures to share in August. The Japanese anemones are delightful. We don’t have any at the Kruse Garden yet, but the plan is to install several varieties this fall. Honorine Jobert, introduced in1858 from France has single delicate white flowers. That is Angie’s favorite, but September Charm, a 1932 introduction with single rose-pink blossoms is a charmer as well. Japanese anemones are sturdy plants, (no staking), and sport good looking glossy dark green foliage. They are vigorous but not invasive and will dependably bloom from August until frost.

They are a couple of shrubs in the garden that got a lot of attention at the ‘open garden’ event. The Smokebushs, especially, drew a lot questions and we repeatedly explained the process of hard pruning each year. Yup, Tom pruned them to a couple feet this spring and the new growth is a riot of spectacular reddish-purple foliage. You don’t need flowers with foliage like that! The paniculata Hydrangeas donated 2008 by The Growing Place and Platt Hill Nursery also were noticeable to our visitors. They have settled in nicely and the showy conical flower heads produce a beautiful display July through August! They are a valuable addition to the garden!

Speaking of pruning…..we are convinced that we need to prune, prune and prune some more! We are all familiar with deadheading, shaping, and pinching our perennials, but cutting back select perennials by 1/3 or ½ has many benefits. Important results include height control, stagger or delay bloom time, and regeneration. Try it! It really works well! Tracy Di-Sabato Aust’s The Well-Tended Perennial Garden is an excellent resource to learn more!