The West Chicago Garden Club

The Kruse House Gardeners have completed the last work day, officially closing out the 2023 gardening season at Kruse. It was a year of significant accomplishments with the refining of the bed front east side, the reworking of the bed at the end of the driveway, and the addition of many new plantings.

We leave you with these parting images of the garden in rapid transition: the fall asters and sedum in full bloom, the begonias and other spring potting plants reinvigorated by the cool fall days before the coming of a hard frost, and the cone flowers’ and other summer perennials’ withered blooms pointing ominously to the end of the season–all against a backdrop of colorful falling leaves. Enjoy!

(For more photos, see our October newsletter)

by Barbara Darrah

“Try to remember a kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow”
(Song by The Brothers Four)

I think of September as the most ambiguous month of the year. I never know whether to be happy or sad. Summer still lingers, but Autumn is in the air. Our gardens are still green but there are touches of gold everywhere. At Kruse the gardens are still blooming gloriously as you may have seen at the Ice Cream Social. Still, there is that overall feeling of a declining summer holding its breath as Autumn creeps in. I love the crispness of a September day, but I hate watching August’s grandeur fade away.

During our most recent workday at Kruse, we weeded and deadheaded, hoping to hang on to that last bit of blossom, but spent the break talking about what we would be doing next year, already transplanting and dividing in preparation. I will miss our “group gardening” in the coming months, but I must admit that the chance to step back and take it easy sounds very enticing indeed about now.

“Try to remember a kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow.”

The Kruse Garden is splendid! It’s at its peak. Several varieties of hydrangea, false sunflowers, phlox, and more perennials are in full bloom. Annuals such as ornamental cabbage, coreopsis, and snapdragons are spectacular.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend Twilight Tuesday at Kruse, visit the garden now. The three-quarter acre property is located at 527 Main Street, West Chicago. Enjoy!