The West Chicago Garden Club

By Ruth Kyme

Nina Koziol is a horticulturist and garden writer who tends plants on a deer-infested acre about 40 miles from Chicago. She has written garden articles for the Chicago Tribune for 22 years as well as for Chicagoland Gardening, Old-House Journal, Organic Gardening and The American Gardener. Nina writes for ILCA’s The Landscape Contractor, PlantersPlace.com, and for The Chicago Botanic Garden’s web site. She has been teaching horticulture, garden design and residential landscape design history at the Chicago Botanic Garden and The Morton Arboretum since 1997.

Painting Your Garden with Plants: Shade: A garden shaded by trees or buildings is often a challenge for the gardener who is faced with low light levels, tree roots, and soil that is often dry. Through Nina’s
presentation, “Painting Your Garden With Plants: Shade,” we will discover solutions and ideas for artful plantings that can help us create effective combinations with optimal color, texture, and form. Take your shade garden beyond hostas with native wildflowers for spring and flowering perennials for summer and fall.

Meeting Location: St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program

By Ruth Kyme

If you are interested in making more plants for free, Dolly Foster’s program, Plant Propagation From Stem Cuttings, Layering, and Divisions, is for you. Propagating plants is one of the best garden practices to do, but propagating at home can be tricky.

This program will cover the procedures and pitfalls of propagating your own plants.

Dolly Foster, has been a Horticulturist for 25 years, and a Certified Arborist since 2008, she holds a Masters in Agriculture from U of I. For the past 25 years, Dolly has been presenting lectures on many gardening topics. She has been butterfly gardening from the very beginning of her gardening career. Her garden at home has been a Monarch Waystation since 2011. Dolly also runs a micro plant nursery at her home selling plants exclusively for pollinators June-October.

By Ruth Kyme

Our February speaker, Amy Powers, is a Garden Coach based near Chicago with a lifelong passion for gardening and nature. With a background in chemistry, IT consulting, and competitive sports, she combines science and coaching to help clients create thriving, sustainable gardens through in-person and virtual sessions. Amy is on a mission to teach everyone to get in touch with nature and learn how to manage their own landscape, from vegetables and herbs to trees and perennials.

Pruning can feel intimidating and downright scary. When should I prune? How much should I prune? What if I make a mistake? But Amy’s presentation, ‘Pruning: Don’t be Scared,’ breaks it down into clear, confidence-building guidance. Amy explains when, why, and how to prune trees, shrubs, and perennials to promote plant health, structure, and flowering.

Meeting Location: St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program