The West Chicago Garden Club

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,

By Karen King

Intermingling, the act of combining different flower shapes, adds diversity for plants and insects alike, according to Kathryn Deery, Head Horticulturalist of Lurie Garden in Chicago. She advises planting grasses along with flowers helps diversify root types, improving soil structure for all. For example, coneflowers have long linear roots as opposed to grasses fibrous roots. 

Plant densely, using groundcover plants to cover soil until other plants mature.

Consider “temporal sequencing”. What blooms, when?

Repeating plant designs, “block planting,” throughout the space, gives continuity and cohesion and is visually restful. The “thriller, chiller, spiller” method is not just for pots. It can be the foundation for the block planting repeated throughout the space.

These design principles are evident even at this time of year at the Kruse Garden. The bones of this garden are so well thought out, even before the growing season gets going full speed, a walk through is enjoyable.

Everyone is welcome to visit and walk through Kruse Garden or come on gardening work days: Wednesdays at 9am, and 2nd Saturday of the month from 9-11:30am.

Get ideas you can use in your own garden, get to know other WCGC members, and help maintain the beautiful garden at the Kruse House.

By Barbara Darrah

It’s February and little is happening at Kruse House. We live in the north and January and February are gray months. After the fun and excitement of the Christmas lights have dimmed, we are back to the dullness of a sleeping nature. It is only in the pleasure of watching the silhouettes of our magnificent oaks and hickories edge out against the orange and purple sunsets that I truly find the woods once again “lovely, dark and deep”.

Yet, I am writing this as millions of snowflakes are filling the skies and covering all the debris with a radiant coating of white. This is the best part of this season – waking up to a crystal fairyland of ice and snow. Once again, Kruse House and its garden are a quiet, pale oasis in the midst of the commercial bustle around them. I am proud that our garden club continues to help maintain this reminder of a gentler, kinder small town America.

Come and enjoy the serenity. The Kruse House Garden (527 Main Street, West Chicago) is open every day from dawn to dusk.