Aug 20 2026
News from Kruse: August 2026
By Christine Gisela
Don’t be fooled to think that Fall is here just because stores have ghosts and goblins and Halloween candy everywhere. Summer is still going strong and the Kruse House gardens have an abundance of blooming annuals and perennials to prove it. The containers by the front door have a beautiful display of annuals with color in hues of pink to purple and dapples of variegated green.
Our winter sown hollyhocks on the side of the house are growing strong amid the marigolds and cosmos.
The marigolds, alyssum, and zinnias by the front sign couldn’t be happier. The newly planted Tulip tree is
doing well, setting it’s root system for the upcoming dormant season. The back garden continues to display an array of color from the phlox, black eyed Susan, and coneflowers. These perennials are also in bloom in the bed by the comment box along with some moon flowers and zinnia.
A few weeks ago, we removed the two cotoneasters in the front bed by the driveway. It’s much more open now and a perfect spot to showcase the newly planted Limelight Hydrangea and perennials.
Stop by and take a peek, the plants will be so excited to see you, to show off their beauty and splendor.
All are welcome to join the Kruse Crew any Wednesday 9-11:30. Come check out the garden anytime.
o install a couple of imaginative compost bins, one made of dog play fences and garden fence panels; the other a donated compost bin from Kerry! We will continue to find other means to collect and compost our garden trimmings to showcase how these methods can be applied to other people’s yards.
What do we, the Kruse Crew, do in July? We deadhead, cut back plants to encourage a second flush of blooms, check what plants need to be divided in the fall, what plants need to be moved because they’ve been crowded out, admire the color combinations of the pots, eat cake and cookies during breaks, or just enjoy how the garden is coming about!
Talk about application! We want to focus our attention this month on the educational side of volunteering. We continue to learn not just from our monthly speakers, visits to other’s gardens on our Twilight Tuesdays, field trips to different nurseries but also from *each other*! Kruse house is the application side of all this knowledge, not just to showcase the Museum but to showcase plants, techniques, color combinations, and color successions that you might be apprehensive in starting in your own home.
In volunteering, we learn firsthand what the most aggressive weeds are, what to plant in the front of the garden, the back of the garden, what colors go well, when to divide plants, winter-sowing, composting, etc! We experience firsthand successes and failures! So, if you want to get your hands dirty, join us for a couple of hours, maybe weekly, maybe once or twice a month, a couple times in the summer, we don’t ask for much! You might gain a new plant, some seeds, or a tremendous knowledge of gardening! If you have questions or are interested in volunteering, please talk to Christina, Kerry, Dee, Jean Ann, Chris, Barbara, Mary A, Judy, or Marilyn at the President’s picnic.
Another in bloom is the Asclepius Syriaca/Common Milkweed which is an essential plant for the butterfly garden. Their leaves are the only food source for the larvae of the monarch butterfly. I was reading that they suggest trimming 1/3 of your milkweed in mid June as stems begin to flower. Cut another third in
The Annabelle Hydrangeas are blooming and looking fabulous. They are considered a smooth hydrangea. We prune them down in early Spring. The penstemon, yarrow and rose campion all are blooming. I think you all should stop by and see for yourself as to what’s blooming, because it too much to describe. The Kruse Crew did some winter sowing and the seedlings are starting to take off and we await their blooms. We started a hollyhock bed, mostly started from seed along the east side of the house looking forward to see that mature. Hopefully, we will see a bloom this year.
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