The West Chicago Garden Club

The West Chicago Garden Club announces its 14^th annual plant sale on Saturday, May 21st. The sale is held in conjunction with the City of West Chicago Blooming Fest in downtown West Chicago.  The only fundraiser sponsored by the club, the sale also provides a way for members to share their plants and their love of plants with the greater West Chicago community.  The offerings are a combination of annuals, perennials, and woody plants, most of which come from members’ gardens.

The club works throughout the winter and early spring to collect pots and plants from members.  In addition to members digging their own plants in March, the Digging Squad visits members’ gardens to aid in getting plants out of the ground and to the potting site.  The club is grateful to the West Chicago Park District for the use of space and materials at Manville Oaks Park for storing pots, soil, and plants.  Over a period of 4 weeks in April, members also gather at this site for Potting Parties to lovingly pot up each plant, ensuring the plants are well established prior to the sale.  Last year approximately 2500 perennials were prepared and given a new start at Manville Oaks.

The sale draws new and repeat customers from well beyond the West Chicago area for the quality and variety of plants offered, which includes many varieties native to northern Illinois.  This year the club is working on providing more vegetable plants, to respond to the increasing interest in vegetable gardening.  The members assist customers with plant advice and other help during the sale.

The WCGC plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Prices may be discounted later in the afternoon in order to sell all merchandise, but most patrons come early for best selection.  The plant sale will be located at the Wayne and Helen Fox Center, 306 Main St, West Chicago.

It’s that time of the year again. We’re hosting our very popular annual plant sale, with many of the plants coming directly from the gardens of our membership. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 15th from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. There will be annuals, perennials, flowers, shrubs, trees, hostas and much, much more. Come add to your garden and enjoy the rest of the annual Bloomingfest event in downtown West Chicago. For a map and additional information, click here.

Just wanted to wrap up for the year with huge thanks to all of you who participated in getting perennials from member gardens potted up for the plant sale.  The generosity of those who donated plants was phenomenal!  It was a pleasure to be invited to your gardens to dig! Your plants were top notch! And thanks very much to those of you who dug and brought your plants for us to pot.

Hats off to the skilled hard working Saturday and Sunday crews of dividers, paper stuffers, dirt mixers, potters, and transporters who got all those wonderful plants in pots ready to sell! There were many “new” garden club members working side-by-side with “regulars” and the mix of folks was nothing short of delightful! You were all exceptional! You worked hard and did a great job! Thank you, thank you!

Don’t forget to pick up all those hard earned “garden dollars” at the next meeting. You can start planning how best to use all that ‘cash’ at the November auction. 

If you have suggestions to improve the dig squad process I would love to hear from you. Until next year then…save those pots.  We will need them!