The West Chicago Garden Club

Summer is finally here in all its glory and the Kruse House gardens are in full bloom. No matter where you look you will see something wonderful. And the colors this year are outstanding.

The Yucca plants are blooming and look better this year than they ever had. Just in back of the Yucca plants are the Smoke Bushes. The color of these bushes is hard to describe. Each year we cut these bushes down quite low, and each Spring they come back. The plants which are planted on the hill require very little care. The weeds are another story, it keeps us busy trying to control them. Most plants on the hill require very little water, other than what nature gives them. This area is in full sun most of the day but due to the selection of plants they thrive here.

I you have not been to the Kruse House lately, there have been some changes. These changes don’t jump out at you, but if you know where they are, you may be surprised. One of these changes has taken place on the hill in the Northwest corner of the property. This area was used in the past as the place for our compost pile. Since the compost pile has been removed there was nothing of interest there. Angie and Billie decided that this would be a good place to plant Hostas. The soil in this area is so rich you could grow a rock there, and there is just enough shade. A number of different types of Hostas were planted in a very unique design. Angie tells me that as these plants mature they will block out all the weeds, which has always been a problem in this area.

Just before closing, I would like to comment about our meeting at the Kruse House. Something about our meetings there are very special. Not only did members get to walk through the gardens, but I thought our guest speaker was great. I can’t wait to try out some of his ideas. To see if they actually work. That’s it for now, I hope to see everybody at Hawthorne’s Backyard on July 25.

-B.A.T.

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