The West Chicago Garden Club

Huge success! That is our view of the August 1st Secret Garden and Posey Mosey event. We estimate that 300 guests enjoyed the gardens and goodies. Thank you to all who baked and volunteered your time. There were many things to be done but your generosity and talents really made a difference! Please take a bow for ‘job well done’. Thanks again, you are a wonderful group to work with.

Well, August weather certainly delivered the ‘dog days of summer’! It was so hot some days that working outside was next to impossible. Just the kind of conditions that make you ponder the meaning of ‘dog days’. Here is what wikianswers.com has to say.

‘The dog days were the days when the Dog Star, Sirius, rose just before sunrise. Ancient Romans believed that the hot days of late summer were caused by the Dog Star, and thought that dogs went mad during this time (also that wine spoiled, people became hysterical, and seas boiled!). So a dog day afternoon would be the afternoon of one of the very hot, sticky days at the end of summer”. The specific days that were traditionally referred to as the Dog Days of Summer were from July 3 to August 11. Continue Reading »

Many compliments were paid to the lilies of the Kruse Garden this past month!  The warm pink L.A. (longiflorum-asiatic) hybrid named Algarve, located by the front door especially garnered a lot of attention. It could easily be seen from the street on drive by and was magnificently showcased by the brilliant yellow of the Mary Todd daylily in the foreground!  What a stunning display it was!  This L.A. lily is as sturdy as a young tree with abundant flowers that hold up well and have fragrance of raspberries and roses.  It is the second year for this rock star and we hope it keeps performing for many years to come. 

Cultivation of lilies in this country is recorded as early as 1654 by Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Massachusetts and the popularity of the genus never fades. From natives to cutting edge hybrids they provide breathtaking displays of color, form, and fragrance!  It’s not too early to prepare your shopping list for ‘must have’ lilies to plant this fall.  Anyone interested in a group order?  Let Billie know by the end of July if you are. Continue Reading »

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.

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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.

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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.