The West Chicago Garden Club

By Barbara Darrah

I am writing this article with a bit of hesitancy because since July 18 when my husband Dick had knee replacement surgery, I became his “designated driver” and have spent my Wednesday mornings ferrying him to his therapy sessions. I am sure that the crew members managed very well without me but I have missed our gardening together.

This has been a very strange and exhausting summer for all of our gardening as well. These super hot and humid days seem to just suck our energy out of us. Many plants seem to have outdone their normal growth patterns. The clover and creeping Charlie have made a concerted effort to take over our lawns and in the flower beds that I hoped were weedless, there are three and four foot invaders towering over the blossoms. The Joe Pyeweed has flopped completely over and deadheading seems endless. We are all working overtime along with the industrious Kruse crew.

I hope you have taken advantage of the Tuesday Open House at the garden. If you still haven’t had a chance to tour the house, do try to do so. Most house museums showcase the large, expensive houses of the upper classes. Thanks to the Kruse sisters’ gift to the community, we have the unique opportunity to visit an early twentieth century remarkably complete example of the small town home that your midwestern great, great grandparents probably lived in. And the docents seem to ensure that there is always something new to see every time that you visit. Thanks to our garden club volunteers, you also get to see a charming garden as well.

We welcome you to visit Kruse House Gardens and if you are interested in working in the gardens we are there Wednesdays, 9:00 to 11:30am.

Tags: Kruse Garden

By Kerry Perry

The Kruse Garden is in full bloom and looks fabulous.

In keeping with the Club’s mission statement, we are committed to preserving the nearly one-acre garden at the Kruse House Museum.

We would greatly appreciate any volunteers who can spare some time to pull a few weeds, dead-head spent flowers, trim a few shrubs, refill the bird baths….your choice. Get your hands dirty and spend an hour, part of a morning, a couple of hours one evening. Please help!

Everyone is welcome to visit any time at 527 Main Street, West Chicago. Our regular work day is Wednesday 9 – 11:30. Contact us for other times at WestChicagoGardenClub@gmail.com.

By Ruth Kyme

Please note that our June meeting will be held in the beautiful Kruse garden.  We will have 50 folding chairs set up for those attending, or you are welcome to bring your own lawn chair.  Parking will be available in the City Hall lot west of the Kruse garden.  Car pooling is encouraged.  If inclement weather is predicted for the evening of our meeting, we will meet at St. Andrew’s church instead of outdoors in the garden.  If this change is necessary, members will receive notification by both email and phone on Wednesday evening, the day before our Thursday meeting.  

Our June speaker will be E-Ling Lou.  E-Ling is an Ikebana artist who has been practicing Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, for over 25 years. She volunteers at the Morton Arboretum, where you can see her Ikebana-inspired botanic arrangements. 

E-Ling will demonstrate the Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches, leaves, and stems as materials in natural and serene works of art.  She will demonstrate and create four Ikebana arrangements for us during the meeting.  Three of the finished arrangements will be raffled off after the demonstration.  E-Ling plans to use seasonal materials from the Kruse house garden in her arrangements.

The Kruse House Museum will be open for brief tours (& bathroom access) starting at 6pm that evening.

Meeting Location: Either the Kruse Garden (527 Main Street) OR St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program