The West Chicago Garden Club

This is our 8^th and final ‘News’ for the year.  We are grateful to our newsletter editor for her patience with our last minute submissions and her creative presentation of our ‘news from kruse’.  We are always delighted to see page 4…thank you Elaine! You are the greatest! 

Well, we’ve gone from grape hyacinths to ‘Tidy Time’. The garden has dazzled and delighted through-out the year.  The Kruzies, (Tom, Angie, Billie), have been rewarded for their efforts!  From buds to decay the ever changing, always interesting, garden has been a pleasure and the company ain’t bad either!   Thank you garden club members one and all for your support throughout the year.  Also, a special thanks to Historical Society leadership for their encouragement and assistance in our work. We had a great time at the Ice Cream Social in September.  It’s such a good time to relax and enjoy the garden without a tool in hand.  Also, great to win some loot at auction!  Continue Reading »

These ideas may not be new to you, but practicing them can make a real difference!

• Water less frequently, but more deeply. This is not only better for the plants, but a more efficient use of our water resources.
• Incorporating native plants into at least part of the landscape is advantageous because they’re less disease-prone, less likely to have insect problems, are more drought-tolerant due to deep root systems.
• Use “rain garden” type plants near downspouts to solve runoff problems.
• Recycling yard waste by composting provides a steady supply of nature’s fertilizer which mitigates PH problems as well as feeding the soil.
• Planting deciduous trees on the west and south sides of buildings can produce as much as a 10% difference in the energy used for heating and cooling.

Great Open Garden Party! A crowd of nearly 200 were delighted by the numerous attractions the event offered! It was a huge success and we want to say thanks to those who contributed to make our celebration in the garden fun! Heartfelt thanks to:

• Rosemary & Krista from the City’s Administrative Services for getting the ‘word out’
• Stan the ‘sign man’ for the great signs….gratis
• Tom, Angie, & Billie for prepping the gardens and demonstrating the crafts
• The Historical Society for setting up tables/chairs and providing house tours
• Garden club members for the baked goodies
• Carole & Linda for greeting guests
• Bonnie, Shirley, & Chris for serving
• To all our guests for showing up and having fun

If we have inadvertently failed to mention your contribution, our sincere apologies! And please give us a nudge to let us know. Continue Reading »