The West Chicago Garden Club

By Billie Childress

These folks are fun and great gardeners! I look forward to Wednesday mornings in the Kruse House Museum Gardens. Please consider joining us. The participation is totally flexible. Sometimes only 4-5 of us are there but every person makes a difference. You will fit right in and a couple hours of your time will be greatly appreciated. We work every Wednesday morning at 9am. Just show up with minimal tools (we have extras in shed as needed). Contact Billie 630-862-1213 with any questions.

WE ARE READY: Garden Club is meeting in the Kruse Gardens in June. You are gonna love the gardens! And we hope you’ll return often with friends, family and neighbors to share this garden with others. Sharing this garden is really what we’re all about. It’s a locus of beauty, inspiration, education, contemplation and so much more.

NEW STUFF: We have added a trellis, mailbox, and some rock borders. And of course we are always tucking in new plants. It’s tough to get a new plant established because we’re not there all the time to keep an eye on them and it’s a big garden.

Looking forward to seeing you in the garden!

By Keith Letsche

After delays by April’s cold and rainy weather, the Kruse House garden crew has been working diligently in May to get the garden in shape. The past two Wednesdays were spent trimming and removing dead branches and plant stalks and giving the garden a thorough weeding. Also last Wednesday, the front beds were planted for the summer with marigolds and alyssum. Next week the pansies and johnny-jump-ups in the front and side urns will be traded for clusters of summer flowers. Joining the Kruse House crew since last report is Christina Covarrubias. Not only will she be digging in the garden with the rest of the crew, but will be acting as the liaison between the Garden Club and the Historical Society and planning garden tours and other events to draw more people to the garden.

Although April’s lush rows of grape hyacinths are now gone, clumps of irises and other later spring plants are blooming in the front bed on the east side. In the backyard the branches of the redbud are coated with rosy blooms, one of the real treats of spring. And a new lattice screen, built by Kerry Perry and a friend of hers, has been erected in front of the condominium transformer at the end of the driveway. We are fast moving toward June when the garden will be at its height.

If you are interested in volunteering, our Kruse Gardeners are out in the garden (527 Main Street) every Wednesday morning (weather permitting). All are welcome!

By Barbara Darrah

It’s April, known as both the sweetest and the cruelest month.

Last week, she danced in, made a brief pirouette and flitted out again.

Barbara’s Daffodils, Virginia Bluebells & scilla

Last week, my garden was a sea of daffodils, Virginia bluebells and scilla. This morning, they were barely peeking up through a light layer of snow.  But this is no surprise here in Northern Illinois and we know that she will be back, glistening in the sunlight and bursting with color.

In March, the intrepid volunteers at Kruse House came out, when the weather allowed us, to prune and clean up beds without much to show except piles of branches and brush .Last week, however, to our great happiness, we uncovered daffodil, bluebells, scilla, may apples, magnolia blossoms and a beautiful and bountiful scattering of grape hyacinths throughout the western side of the garden.  I have never seen so many massed in such a glorious spread of purple. [my favorite color]. Then, came the cold and snow. 

Nevertheless, we know that it will warm up again, the snow will melt quickly and April will leap out again to fill our gardens with abundant and glowing color.

“April, April, laugh thy girlish laughter, and the moment after, weep they girlish tears.” [Angus Wilson]

If you are interested in volunteering, our Kruse Gardeners are out in the garden (527 Main Street) every Wednesday morning (weather permitting).  All are welcome!