The West Chicago Garden Club

It was 1998 when West Chicago Historical Society concluded that the Kruse House Museum needed help to restore and maintain the gardens of this Main Street treasure.  Since the Kruse family was avid gardeners back in the day, it seemed that the house wasn’t complete without the garden.  The Museum gardens had lain dormant many years.  Coincidently West Chicago’s once active Garden club had also been lying dormant since the 1970’s.  A couple of insightful historical society members saw the match and the rest, as they say, is history. Continue Reading »

The West Chicago Garden Club announces its 14th annual plant sale on Saturday, May 19, 2012. The sale is held in conjunction with the City of West Chicago Blooming Fest, an annual garden festival, in downtown West Chicago.  The only fundraiser sponsored by the club, the sale also provides a way for members to share their plants and their love of plants with the greater West Chicago community.  The offerings are a combination of annual flowers and vegetables, perennials, and woody plants, most of which come from members’ gardens.

The club works throughout the winter and early spring to collect pots and plants from members.  In addition to members digging their own plants in March, the Digging Squad visits members’ gardens to aid in getting plants out of the ground and to the potting site.  The club is grateful to the West Chicago Park District for the use of space and materials at Manville Oaks Park for storing pots, soil, and plants.  Over a period of 4 weeks in April, members also gather at this site for Potting Parties to lovingly pot up each plant, ensuring the plants are well established prior to the sale.  Over 2000 perennials are prepared and given a new start at Manville Oaks.

The sale draws new and repeat customers from well beyond the West Chicago area for the quality and variety of plants offered, which includes many varieties native to northern Illinois.  This year the club expects to have a good selection of purple coneflowers, in recognition of the newly names flower of the City of West Chicago.  During the sale, members will assist customers with plant advice.

The WCGC plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Prices may be discounted later in the afternoon in order to sell all merchandise, but most patrons come early for best selection.  The plant sale will be located at Galena St. in downtown West Chicago in the heart of the Blooming Fest activities.

“Here I come, ready or not”. No, it’s not kids at play…it’s the plants as they burst forth with the warm temperatures! Spring cleanup has begun and we realize that plants aren’t the only thing dormant over winter. The muscles (oh my back) and memory (what did we plant there?) also need to reawaken. Votavas Lawn Care can’t come until April because the refuse dump places don’t open before then but April 2nd (weather permitting) we are on schedule.

Of course, the pervasive Grape Hyacinths standout this time of year and the Ghost Lilies are thick bundles of strappy green foliage.  As we inspect and stroll, great plans are made. Mrs. CW Earle 1897 pointed out in Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden “Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination”. We love to exercise the imagination!