The West Chicago Garden Club

For those of you who did not receive a copy of the notes from the June meeting, please click here.

Last November I bought my first amaryllis bulb, not knowing how easy it would be to grow and how much I’d enjoy it, all the way through April when it rebloomed! Here are some tips (courtesy of U of I Extension Service) if you’ve never tried it:

“When buying a bulb, select one that is at least 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Smaller bulbs will not bloom. Larger bulbs (4 inches) produce better, often developing two flower stalks instead of one. Make sure the bulbs are firm and free of soft spots and discoloration.

Plant the bulbs in a container that has drainage holes. The container should be about two inches bigger in diameter than the bulb. The planting mix should drain well; an equal mix of peat and perlite would be suitable. Plant so that about one third of the bulb shows above the soil level. After planting, the planting mix should be thoroughly watered. Keep the mix consistently moist. The mix should not be saturated. Do not water over the nose of the bulb. If water seeps into the bulb, it may cause it to rot. Continue Reading »

Several members of WCGC met on Saturday, July 30th, for a 2 to 3 hour guided tour of the West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve. The tour was led by Steve Sentoff, President of the West Chicago Prairie Stewardship Group. The 360-acre West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve in West Chicago is one of the region’s premier natural areas. In addition to wetlands and upland oak savannas, the preserve is home to one of the most biologically diverse sites within northeastern Illinois, the 126-acre Truitt-Hoff Nature Preserve.