The West Chicago Garden Club

By Keith Letsche

There’s an old adage about missing the forest for the trees. The same might be said about a garden, that we often miss the trees over our enthusiasm for the blooms. Most of the news about the Kruse House garden in this column is about its flowering plants–the patches of daffodils, tulips, and irises in the spring, the summer lilies and rudbeckia, the moon flowers at the end of summer, start of fall.

But the trees of Kruse make an important contribution to the garden, too. They provide a background setting for the flower beds and punctuate visual beginnings, middles, and ends within them. They create dappled or shady environments that allow for more varied floral plantings and different moods. And, in some cases, they are just simply beautiful or intriguing in themselves .

Perhaps the loveliest of the trees on the Kruse property, one that immediately brings to mind Joyce Kilmer’s poem, is the American Linden on the east side with its elegantly tapering canopy. Very different is the Weeping Spruce next to the lily pool, which looks like a piece of modern sculpture. Some trees are also living remnants of the garden’s past. The huge maple in the center, with the benches around its trunk that invite you to come and sit under it, and perhaps even the towering pine on the west side of the shed, were there when Celia Kruse tended the garden.

This past year, the garden’s arbor scape got a boost from the Kruse House Gardeners with the planting of several new trees and bushes. Among them was an exquisite Cornelian Cherry Dogwood that was planted at the east of the new side yard flower bed.

So next year when you come out to the Kruse House garden, don’t just stop to smell the flowers. Take a peek at the trees too.

Autumn has definitely arrived. Dick and I were in Wisconsin at the beginning of the month. The colors were riotous, a mix of red, orange, and yellow amid the green of the pines, all gloriously reflected in the blue of the lake.

What a disappointment to come back to our Illinois oaks. But then, thanks to us gardeners, all of our colorful plantings started to turn their leaves. The sugar maples, Virginia creeper, hawthorns, serviceberries and others, along with our native walnuts and hickories are all adding their highlights to the brown oaks.

Kruse Garden is also changing. As it starts to shut down for the season, we are busy cutting back while being careful to leave enough for any wildlife to over-winter in. Some of the hardier flowers – the marigolds, begonias and sedums are still blooming, but they probably won’t last much longer. So, like the poet Robert Frost “I am done with apple picking now” and welcome the “essence of winter sleep“. It’s time to plant those last few bulbs, turn the compost heap, and wait longingly for the far-distant spring.

By Kerry Perry

Summer is waning and fall flowers are making their spectacular debut in the Kruse House Garden. Several new perennials, including Chelone and Lobelia, were planted in the front bed.

Turtlehead

Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) is a clump-forming perennial wildflower native to eastern North America. Its hooded flowers look similar to snapdragon blooms. The flower gets its common name from its resemblance to a turtle’s head, but the genus name Chelone dates back to ancient Greece mythology.

Turtlehead is best planted in the spring or summer to give the plant time to establish itself. The plant can remain in bloom for three to six weeks, making it well worth the wait for late-season color.

Blue Lobelia

Great Blue Lobelia forms a flower spike covered in deep blue flowers from late summer to early fall. It can form colonies when happily sited in medium to wet soils in light shade, but is not overly aggressive. Combine Blue Lobelia with Red Cardinal Flower for a stunning color combo that will bring in the hummingbirds. Excellent for damp clay soil. (Lobelia siphilitica)

Blooming behind the shed is Lespedeza, also called bush clover. It has delicate foliage and is laden with thousands of rosy-purple pea like flowers. Across the path are bright yellow False Sunflowers that were planted last fall.

Blue lobelia, purple cone flowers and black eyed susans

The Kruse Crew meets Wednesday mornings from about 8:30 until 11:30 to weed, plant and discuss gardening ideas. Break time is always educational and fun. Hope you will join us.

The Kruse House Museum and Garden is located at 527 Main Street, West Chicago