The West Chicago Garden Club

Did those gorgeous pink tulips in the front-dooryard garden almost knock your socks off as you drove by the Kruse House?  The name is Pink Impression (Darwin Hybrid)… a coveted award winning tulip with huge soft pink flowers that mature to deep rose. We certainly enjoyed its debut in the garden.  However, the real stars of the tulip show are the clumps of the old ones that were recovered as one leaf loners from amidst the grass. We can still spot a few of those old tulip leaves in the grass and Tom may just try his hand at excavating those treasures. We accidently placed some of the new Purple Sensation alliums next to a lavender-white-streaked tulip in the back garden. What a pretty vignette that produced! Last year the short purple iris was divided and now graces 3 more locations. Its rich color is a delight as it carries the eye around the garden complimenting the bright mixture of tulips.  Continue Reading »

Has the spring cleanup in the Kruse Garden ever been complete by April 4? 

We set the bar pretty high by getting it done that early this year!  Maybe back in the day when the Kruse family lovingly tended the garden it got that kind of attention but in recent times it has often not been top on the mile high stack of the spring  ‘to do’ list.  Angie and Tom spent several mornings over there snipping and raking and the grand finale featured the Votava’s lawn crew with blowers, lots of energy and strength, and a truck to haul away loads of junk…and there was a lot!  We couldn’t have done it without them!  

The gardens look terrific!  A smattering of blue and yellow (grape hyacinths and daffodils) dot the back garden while eye-popping green creeps to cover the ground everywhere.  It is so fresh, clean and neat!  The numerous shrubs installed last year are swelled with buds and the Dawn Redwood tree donated by Meyer Landscaping is ready to pop out as well! We put in 50 alliums ‘Purple Sensation’ last fall and their distinct strappy foliage is rising high, proclaiming, ‘we’re glad to be here’! No doubt, the awakening of a garden is a salve for the soul.  The wonder is unrivaled!   Continue Reading »

Spring is here! Happy New Year! Signs of spring are everywhere! The Kruse Garden daffodils are peeking out and the clumps are expanding. It’s always rewarding to see plants return year after year, and when there’s an even bigger plant than last year….whoopee…that’s a good thing! The grape hyacinths, original to the Kruse Garden, are also popping out everywhere! We can tell you from experience that you can’t dig anywhere in that back garden without encountering those precious little bulbs. They don’t mind being shifted around to make room for new plants throughout the year but come spring they step forth with a presence that commands attention. It’s their time for showing off! The tulips in the back garden are also originals!  They are unique souls.  Not well color coordinated but hey they aren’t the ‘run of the mill’ tulips.  There are a few pictures of them on the GC website, photo tab, “Kruse Garden”. The species tulips donated by Jeff Handel will soon grace the west hillside garden. We can here Jeff snickering in disbelief that some survived, since they were planted in heavy clay. Now that the soil has been improved in that area, how about a few more bulbs Jeff?

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