The West Chicago Garden Club

By Kerry Perry

Every week I make a short visit to the Kruse House Garden to see what’s happening. All the bright colors are absent, but it’s still beautiful.

In winter you can see the bone structure of the yard. There’s a sharp contrast of the dark of the tree trunks and branches against the white snow and blue sky. The fading sunlight leaves interesting shadows.

The heavy snows leave a seamless layer of clean, white quietness. Under that blanket are many perennials that will wake up soon and show their splendor.

The Kruse Gardeners are already thinking about spring and wanting to get our hands dirty. Look back at the January Newsletter for our To Do and Wish List. One of our long-time members has graciously offered to donate bushes for the side yard and to join the crew. Any help, whether it’s pulling weeds, spreading mulch or trimming back plants will be greatly appreciated.

Tags: Kruse Garden

Perennials for the Chicago Garden

The speaker for our January program will be Carolyn Ulrich, the Editor of Chicagoland Gardening magazine.  Her presentation will be on “Perennials for the Chicago Garden”.  She describes the program as:

We don’t need to feel sorry for ourselves. We can’t grow everything they grow in England, but they can’t grow everything we can, either. From natives to exotics, we have abundant choices. What’s really important is how we use them. Slides were taken in my Chicago garden and throughout the region.

Carolyn is a self-taught gardener who sat down one day and started writing garden columns, an event she considers akin to a visitation from the Muses in the Classical sense. After a year writing  for the neighborhood newspaper she joined the Chicago Sun-Times for seven years, writing a weekly column called The Cultivated Gardener. She then joined Chicagoland Gardening magazine and is currently its editor.  She has written freelance for Garden Design, Horticulture, House Beautiful, Chicago Tribune and has won Quill & Trowel awards from the Garden Writers Association.

Education: B.A. in English, University of Kansas; M.A.T. in English, Northwestern University; B.S. in Photography, Columbia College; Garden Writers Association, Perennial Plant Association

Join us on January 24th at our NEW LOCATION, 

St. Andrews Lutheran Church — Northeast corner of Geneva Rd and Prince Crossing

Meeting Time:

         6:45PM Refreshments

         7:00PM Business Meeting

         7:15PM Program

The gardeners gathered at Kerry’s house for a nice lunch in December. We had been missing each other since we closed down the garden in October.  Besides enjoying catching up with each other we had a meeting of the minds and put together a “to do” list for the Kruse Garden. And here it is!

• Cleanup fallen limbs in back garden.
• Replace log-and-plank benches on N.W. side of property.
• Plant three shrubs to place on the east side.
• Saturday Club clean-up work group in the spring.
• Add rock border around front east bed.
• Two replacement trellises for those in back.
• Refurbish and place Barb Bizzarri’s bench.
• Promote Butterfly 🦋 Project. (See January Newsletter)
• Recruit additional Kruse House Crew members.
• Continue News from Kruse.

We need to replace 2 trellises that bit the dust last year.  They each need to be substantial and good size since they both support vigorous clematis.  Does anyone have one they could donate?  Let Billie know if you do.

Also, if you have and rocks or bricks we really need them if you’re willing to donate.  We have numerous places to use them!  Again, let Billie know.  She’d probably come and pick them up.