The West Chicago Garden Club

Our September speaker will be Diane Blazek, Executive Director of All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau. Diane has been deeply (and happily!) immersed in gardening from an early age. From growing up on a small family farm to her small suburban lot, she is passionate about everything green.

After spending 15 years with Ball Publishing, Diane moved to take on her current role where she can be even closer to the end consumer. Both organizations are in an exciting period of growth and influence both inside and outside the industry. Innovative ideas and progressive programs for consumers, garden
communicators, public gardens, and a full range of growers and retailers have benefited home gardeners, master gardeners and hobby farmers.

Diane Blazek’s presentation is titled: Behind the Scenes of the Horticulture Industry: How Plants get From Here to There and Other Cool Facts about the Industry. Are you an inquisitive type? Do you like knowing “How was that made?” Or do you look at your garden and wonder how that plant came to be? Diane Blazek has been involved in the horticulture industry since 1993 and is ready to share some behind the scenes facts and figures about how plants get from the breeding fields and greenhouses to your garden. Along the way, a few fun facts are thrown in for an even more interesting evening

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

Our August speaker is Cindy Crosby.  Cindy is a Master Gardener, a steward for the Schulenberg Prairie at Morton Arboretum and at Nachusa Grasslands in Franklin Grove, Illinois.  She is also an author.  Her most recent book is Chasing Dragonflies:  A Natural and Personal History.  Through Cindy’s presentation, Dragonflies and Damselflies:  The Garden’s Frequent Fliers, we will discover the fascinating and bizarre lives of these jeweled garden fliers with plenty of group fun and lively interaction.  There is so much  to discover and marvel about!  Be amazed at their natural history through close up photography of Illinois dragonflies.  Find out how dragonflies tell us about the health of our waterways and the world.  Discover how you can garden to attract these remarkable flying creatures.

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

Note: Our July meeting is for Members Only.  If you would like to visit our club, please come to our August meeting which is open to all.

This month’s meeting is our traditional annual President’s Picnic. The first picnic was hosted in July
1999 by one of our early club presidents, Carole Bates. She provided some basics and everyone was asked to bring a dish to share and your own food to grill. We all had a such a wonderful time and we continue to hold our President’s Picnic every July. Our venue has changed over the years and members only have to bring themselves for a fun evening of food and lively discussions with fellow gardeners.

If you submitted your RSVP for the Picnic, you should receive an email with all the details on Tuesday, July 23rd. If you do not receive an email, please contact us at WestChicagoGardenClub@gmail.com so we can figure out what happened and get the information sent to you.