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West Chicago Garden Club
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Projects
- On-going Projects
- Spring/Summer 2001
- Main Street & Library planting
- Spring/Summer 1999
- Spring/Summer 1998
On-going Projects
Historic Kruse House Garden
Just imagine, if you can… The early morning sun greets you as you step outside into your garden. As you walk along the stone pathways, carefully selected for their color, your eye is drawn to dahlias and coneflowers. Your footsteps slow as you enjoy the terraced iris and daylily beds, then you continue down steps bordered with alpine strawberries, past the peonies, to the bed of hollyhocks, … Are you in a European mountain setting? No, it’s the Kruse House Garden (KHG) in the early 1900’s, the first of its type in the area. Previously, gardens were mostly two styles, formal or cottage. KHG represents a movement in rock gardening that creates a more natural, “wild” setting using techniques like terracing and pond construction. Because of its uniqueness, the KHG has received much attention lately, most notably a feature article in the Chicago Tribune, Tempo DuPage section. Since then, Christine Baxter has spoken with members of the Kruse family and has received inquiries from other gardening enthusiasts. We are continuing to learn more from this garden. As our club clears away debris and unwanted plant materials, plants that have been dormant for years reemerge to complete another piece of the puzzle. As you divide your plants this season, please remember to donate some to KHG. No plant material will be refused as it can always be used at the plant sale, but the following plants are desired (preferably old- fashioned varieties): iris, climbing rose, delphiniums and peonies.
During the summer of 1997, Chris Baxter and Nancy Assian who work at the Kruse House as docents, discovered that much of the garden was still there under all the brush and weeds. Their initial work to uncover this lost garden caused them to wonder why West Chicago didn't have a Garden Club. Their efforts lead to the "rediscovery" of the West Chicago Garden Club.
The Garden Club is now working to restore this old garden. Photographs of the original garden have been found which are helping guide the work. We have periodic work days when members come to weed, plant, prune, mulch, and more.
The steps that used to be between the two iris beds have been re-built! Here we have a old photograph of the original steps and a photograph taken just as the construction was finishing up. The steps were rebuilt by our members Dennis Baxter and Dick Darrah along with some help from Barbara Darrah and Dan Beebe.
When Chris Baxter moved to Galena, the Kruse House Garden lost one of its best volunteers. The Garden Club has reorganized a group of volunteers to work on the garden. We have several work days scheduled over the summer and many of our members have "adopted" sections of the garden. If you are interested in volunteering at the garden, please email us at pdarrah@sprynet.com.
The Kruse House Museum web site is at http://hometown.aol.com/mtczajka/Kruse.html.
Spring/Summer 2001
Main Street & Library Plantings
Our members helped to plant the containers along Main Street and the beds around the library. The City of West Chicago began holding their "Community Planting" during the West Chicago is Blooming festival. Since this festival is timed to correspond with our Plant Sale, our members can no longer take time to participate in the planting.
Spring/Summer 1999
Community Planting Day
On May 22nd, the Garden Club planted annuals at the West Chicago Library and participated in the Main Street Beautification project. A large number of volunteers showed up to help - many in their Garden Club T-shirts! Garden Club volunteers planted everything at the library and the "extras" helped to plant Main Street. Several other organizations and individual volunteers participated in the Main Street Beautification.
Many Thanks to the West Chicago Library!
After our planting day, the Library board decided to thank the Garden
Club with a $100 donation.
We truly appreciate their support.
Spring/Summer 1998
Fox Community Center Planting
The Wayne & Helen Fox
Community Center asked the Garden Club to help plant the annuals in front of the building.
A group of about a dozen Garden Club members came out on a Saturday morning to plant it
all in just a couple of hours! (Some of our members have also done a little weeding
since then.)
Library Planting
Our monthly Garden Club meetings were held at the West Chicago Library in 1998.
The Library requested that the Garden Club help plant the annuals in front of the
building. The Library Board then voted to thank us by not charging us the fee for the
meeting room for six months.
Main street Beautification
A couple of weeks before Railroad Days, the Garden Club joined with other community groups such as the Kiwanis and Lions to plant annuals along main street. The turn-out was great and everything was planted very quickly. West Chicago provided the plants and the park district is going to mulch, water and weed.