The West Chicago Garden Club

 “From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens: the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye.”
–   Katherine S. Whit

January and February are months for gardeners to dream.  The ‘new year’ of spring is eagerly anticipated but no need, or possibility, of hurrying time so we revel in catalogues, magazines, & books (now-a-days, Internet and seminars too) for pictures and words to stir our imaginations and stimulate our creative juices.  J. Nuese, The Country Garden, 1970, speaks of leafing through catalogues, “half drunk with anticipation”.  And goes on to describe winter as the gardener’s cocktail hour, “just as in the candle-lit dusk of the cocktail hour all men are brilliant and all women beautiful so, in the catalogues, all plants are enchanting, all bloom unceasingly, all are easy to grow, all are suited to your area.  It is one of the happiest of all delusions, putting stars into your eyes and mush into the mental processes.”  No doubt, Cecilia Kruse and her mother and aunts before her, happily lost themselves in the bliss (or scourge) of gardener’s winter dreaming. We carry on the tradition without resistance! Continue Reading »

This is our 8^th and final ‘News’ for the year.  We are grateful to our newsletter editor for her patience with our last minute submissions and her creative presentation of our ‘news from kruse’.  We are always delighted to see page 4…thank you Elaine! You are the greatest! 

Well, we’ve gone from grape hyacinths to ‘Tidy Time’. The garden has dazzled and delighted through-out the year.  The Kruzies, (Tom, Angie, Billie), have been rewarded for their efforts!  From buds to decay the ever changing, always interesting, garden has been a pleasure and the company ain’t bad either!   Thank you garden club members one and all for your support throughout the year.  Also, a special thanks to Historical Society leadership for their encouragement and assistance in our work. We had a great time at the Ice Cream Social in September.  It’s such a good time to relax and enjoy the garden without a tool in hand.  Also, great to win some loot at auction!  Continue Reading »

Great Open Garden Party! A crowd of nearly 200 were delighted by the numerous attractions the event offered! It was a huge success and we want to say thanks to those who contributed to make our celebration in the garden fun! Heartfelt thanks to:

• Rosemary & Krista from the City’s Administrative Services for getting the ‘word out’
• Stan the ‘sign man’ for the great signs….gratis
• Tom, Angie, & Billie for prepping the gardens and demonstrating the crafts
• The Historical Society for setting up tables/chairs and providing house tours
• Garden club members for the baked goodies
• Carole & Linda for greeting guests
• Bonnie, Shirley, & Chris for serving
• To all our guests for showing up and having fun

If we have inadvertently failed to mention your contribution, our sincere apologies! And please give us a nudge to let us know. Continue Reading »