The West Chicago Garden Club

All-America Selections (AAS) is a 90 year-old non-profit, but don’t think of this as grandma’s organization! AAS is stronger and more encompassing than ever before. With almost 1000 varieties that have been declared as AAS Winners over the years, it’s almost guaranteed that you have some AAS Winners in your garden.

Come listen to Executive Director Diane Blazek as she gives a high-energy presentation about the AAS Trials, Display Gardens and shows you some tantalizing varieties you will want for your own gardens. 

Diane Blazekis the Executive Director of All-America Selections® and National Garden Bureau. For more than 30 years, Diane has been immersed in gardening both personally and professionally. She brings a passion to the subject based on a history in the field of horticulture publishing as well as a love for gardening and culinary exploration.

Growing up on a small family farm in northern Missouri, Diane spent years helping her parents plant, tend and harvest a large home vegetable garden. As the president and publisher at Ball Publishing for 15 years, she led the way in connecting the commercial side of the industry with consumers via the live focus groups called Consumer Buzz Live! Diane also managed Ball Publishing’s entry into consumer garden book publishing.

Since December of 2009, Diane has been leading both All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau through an exciting period of growth as they establish themselves as inspirational resources in the minds of garden communicators, public gardens, growers, garden retailers and home gardeners.

Join us at St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road) at 7:00PM on Thursday, September 23rd.

The Garden Club Board met in February and decided that since in person meetings will not be possible until Spring, that we will try to have a few Zoom monthly meetings this winter.  Barb Melville has found us a speaker for the February meeting and Dan Beebe is setting up a few “practice” Zoom meetings to help everyone get comfortable with the technology.

If you haven’t used Zoom yet, it is possible to join a Zoom meeting from many different types of devices.  You can use most types of computers (Apple, Windows, Linux, Chromebook) and most phones and tablet devices. See page 9 for a little more information on getting started with Zoom.

The “practice” Zoom meetings will allow you to join a meeting and make certain that you are setup and ready to go before the February meeting.  If all goes well, members who are at a practice meeting should be able to chat a little with each other as well.

You will receive 3 emails from the Garden Club with invitations to the practice meetings.  You only need to attend one to make sure you are setup for the February meeting.

Practice Zoom Meeting Dates

From 7:00 to 8:00pm on the following days

February 10

February 16

February 18

On Thursday, October 22nd at 2pm we will have Kim Hartman (one of our favorite presenters) from Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery and Garden Center join us for a fun program on how to make beautiful fall center pieces and put some spark into your outdoor containers.  Kim will also bring several of her creations that will be raffled off to the lucky winners! 

We will have cake and coffee and hopefully a beautiful day.  Bring your own chair, dress for the weather and if it’s a little chilly bring a lap blanket.  

The event will be cancelled if we have rain. 

If Kress Creek Farms sounds familiar it’s because this is the area and the barn where we held our potting parties for the last several years. The city of West Chicago has turned this farm area into a beautiful park with lots of space for social distancing and a pavilion where we will meet. Come early and explore the many lovely areas of this newly developed gathering place.

Kress Creek Farms houses an 18 cage Disc Golf Course, Chicago Bears playground and a trail system.  Located along Joliet Street on the south side of the city, Kress Creek Farms has rolling hills, native landscaping, and a small pond for catch and release fishing.