The West Chicago Garden Club

By Amanda & Brandon Skinner

“That Beautiful Garden!” The Kruse House is one of the first things I noticed from our home’s rear windows when viewing our home years ago. When I get to enjoy many different aspects of the Kruse Garden, I see so many community members taking advantage of the space. I notice people walking while playing with their dogs, friends, kids and grandchildren. It is a wonderful sight! I love to see adults with children looking at everything the garden has to offer, such as plants, animals, flowers, butterflies and birds. I always hope the children are learning wonderful things about nature. I hope you all take time to enjoy what is around you. I see many people take pictures of the plants, probably the tag as well. Hopefully, they will plant the same in their yards. Seeing what plants work perfectly in your neighborhood shows a beginner what could work for them too! I see many families use the garden for activities of all types. Recently one of our neighbors took a perfect opportunity for a photo shoot. They used many different features of the garden. I know the photographer’s pictures will be amazing family memories. (Picture used with permission)

On a sad note – Snowdrop, one of our sweet Kruse House kitties has passed away. Snowdrop was buried June 11. I will miss her waiting for me on my assigned mornings to feed the cats along with occasionally seeing her in my backyard. I hope Stripey will start making herself more visible.

We’ve been busy at the Kruse Garden the past few weeks doing the Spring clean up; weeding, dividing, removing (editing), planting, trimming and cutting back. The evidence, the growing mountain of yard waste in the driveway. Hopefully, it will be removed soon.

It’s wonderful to see some new faces showing up to help make the garden more beautiful. It’s always great to get some new garden perspective, and additional hands to accomplish all to the tasks.

I took a brief Mother’s Day stroll through the garden to admire the hard work that has gone into the garden and to just enjoy and see what’s in bloom. When you are there working you get so focused on the job at hand that you don’t always see the overall beauty of the garden. The lilacs are blooming; most
coming to the end of their peak. They are still so fragrant and beautiful. You can find the lilacs along the driveway and along the fence. I didn’t realize how many Camassia’s we have coming up and how spread throughout the garden they are. They combine so well with the dwarf yellow iris, allium and brunnera to name a few. Camassia is a perennial herbaceous plant the grows from a bulb and can grow 24-48 inches tall.

The bridal veil shrub is still blooming in the front of the house and along the fence line, not my personal favorite shrub but seems very fitting in the historic home. The containers throughout the garden are awaiting the addition of the summer annuals. The Nepeta or catmint is starting to bloom. I found some trillium in bloom, celandine poppies, columbine, sweet woodruff, brunnera and many others. I encourage you to take a walk through the Kruse Garden and enjoy! The peonies are getting ready to pop!

As a reminder everyone is welcome to join the gardening fun at the Kruse Garden on Wednesday’s 9am to 11:30; bring your gloves and your favorite gardening tool.

Trees! Trees! Trees!

By Christina Covarrubias

The talk around the Kruse Garden this past winter has been trees. A failing Douglas Fir, that may or may not have been originally planted by the Kruse family, met its demise with a scheduled removal on the very last day of winter. 

When the big day arrived Kerry Perry kindly snapped photos of the tree removal so we all could see the action. An additional tree was trimmed with a moon-landing-like lift. Finally, a damaged pear tree was assessed and predicted to fall with the next big wind storm -which happened to occur that night. Does anyone recall the weather on the first day of Spring with high winds and snow? See photos of the rotted and fallen pear tree. 
Among other lovely tree specimens such as a gingko, weeping evergreen, Dawn redwood, serviceberry, redbud, oak, one pear tree remains circa Bertha and Celia Kruse era.  Picking out new trees, new species, perhaps a native or tree that borders a state further south (as our climate shifts) will be the silver lining to losing our trees.

See our Newsletter for more photos,