Jun
13
2010
The West Chicago Garden Club is again sponsoring a free Open Garden Day at the historic Kruse House Secret Garden at 527 Main Street in downtown West Chicago on Sunday afternoon, August 1st. The West Chicago Historical Society will be offering tours of the Kruse House during the afternoon.
In addition to tours of the Kruse House garden, there will be five other gardens on the free tour. These gardens were participants (including winners) in the 2009 Wonderful Gardens of West Chicago contest, sponsored by the West Chicago Garden Club. One garden on the tour is a large suburban garden with trees and shrubs planted in honor of each grandchild, a small garden railroad, and many lovely garden features and planting.
Four of the gardens are on a cul-de-sac in the Woodboro townhouse complex. These gardens were started eleven years ago by several dedicated gardeners and the entire cul-de-sac now represents what a group of dedicated gardeners can do. There are many interesting garden features, a wonderful garden waterall and pond, and unique and lovely garden ornamentation.
The gardens will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 pm on August 1st. Programs and refreshments will be available at the Kruse House Parking will be available at nearby municipal lots. For a flyer, click here.
Nov
14
2009
Are you ready for the much-anticipated Garden Dollars Auction? We have many items for the silent auction that will take place before, during, and after our dinner.
For dinner, chicken, beverages, and tableware will be provided. Please bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share, arriving no later than 6:30 p.m.
For the auction, bring your Garden Dollars with you—they are the only currency that will be accepted to redeem auction items. 25 Garden Dollars will be given to each attendee as they enter the meeting. Do you still have uncollected Garden Dollars from this year’s activities? (see sheet on page 5 of the November newsletter for how to earn) Figure up how much you’re owed, and collect them from the welcome table as you enter.
Renew your membership at the November meeting, and earn 50 Garden Dollars!
Sep
19
2009
These ideas may not be new to you, but practicing them can make a real difference!
- Water less frequently, but more deeply. This is not only better for the plants, but a more efficient use of our water resources.
- Incorporating native plants into at least part of the landscape is advantageous because they’re less disease-prone, less likely to have insect problems, are more drought-tolerant due to deep root systems.
- Use “rain garden” type plants near downspouts to solve runoff problems.
- Recycling yard waste by composting provides a steady supply of nature’s fertilizer which mitigates PH problems as well as feeding the soil.
- Planting deciduous trees on the west and south sides of buildings can produce as much as a 10% difference in the energy used for heating and cooling.