The West Chicago Garden Club

Our April speaker is Ed Max. Ed Max is a WCGC member and avid organic gardener as well. Ed is also a certified arborist and naturalist and by occupation is a landscape designer- owning and operating Max’s Greener Places, here in the West Chicago / Winfield area. His blog of horticultural
musings can be seen on at his web-site www.Maxlandscape.com.

Ed is passionate about native floral and fauna, and utilizes native species in his design work ,as well volunteering in natural areas on habitat restorations. He advocates for more use of native species- as the populations of both native insects and native flora they depend upon are in dangerous decline.

Ed also leads hikes with Sierra club, and is active with the Ill Native Plant Society.  His talk will be on native wildflowers, and spring colors in the Chicagoland garden and woodlands, including ‘Spring Ephemerals’.  Many of the photos are from his own shade gardens here in West Chicago.

Jumping Worms & Other Invasives

Our March speaker comes to us from the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener program.  Tricia Bethke not only gives talks for the Master Gardener Speaker’s Bureau, but gives presentations as a Morton Arboretum employee. She is a Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator at the Arboretum and co-authored the Management of Invasive Plants and Pests of Illinois guide.

According to the UofI Extension Invasive Species Alert: Jumping Worms:

Jumping worms, (Amynthas spp.) have recently been discovered in Illinois. This new invasive species was first identified in Illinois in 2015 in northern Illinois and in 2016 in southern Illinois. Jumping worms are earthworms native to East Asia. They also have been called crazy worms, Alabama jumpers, and snake worms.

Jumping worms are voracious consumers of organic material, which can affect soil quality. They breed quickly and eggs survive Illinois winters. Adults reach maturity in approximately 60 days, allowing populations to grow exponentially during the growing season. These worms are also capable of reproducing without mating.

Join us on March 28th at St. Andrews Lutheran Church — Northeast corner of Geneva Rd and Prince Crossing

Meeting Time:

         6:45PM Refreshments

         7:00PM Business Meeting

         7:15PM Program

Simple Pleasures–Inspiration for Gardeners

Winter is the calm before the storm—the hectic spring clean up when all hands are on deck in the garden. Spring is several weeks away, so join Nina Koziol as she takes you on an inspirational tour filled with ideas to help you get more from your garden this year. You can see some of her own garden at thisgardencooks.com

Nina Koziol has taught garden design and horticulture classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Morton Arboretum since 1998. She was a long-time contributor to the Chicago Tribune. She writes for the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicagoland Gardening magazine and The Landscape Contractor magazine. When she’s not weeding, reading, fishing, hiking, bird watching or writing, she’s sure to be in her garden, watching the sun set and debating with her husband over the exact names and heights of the cloud formations.  Her website is aimed at new and experienced gardeners, those who enjoy fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits, and those who simply like to observe and reflect on nature. 

Join us on January 24th at our NEW LOCATION, 

St. Andrews Lutheran Church — Northeast corner of Geneva Rd and Prince Crossing

Meeting Time:

         6:45PM Refreshments

         7:00PM Business Meeting

         7:15PM Program