Author: Mary Tupper

As the Wheaton Garden club celebrates its 95^th year, we are proud to announce that we are the recipients of two awards from the Garden Clubs of Illinois. The Wheaton Garden Club has won first Place in the Gloria Greene Advanced Designer Award and second place in the Planting for Pollinators Award.

The Gloria Greene Advanced Designer Award was based on the flower design workshop held for members in anticipation of the Wheaton Garden Club’s Flower Show in October 2019. Three members created designs, which were then judged by another member who is an experienced flower show judge. Seventeen members participated and left the workshop with helpful design information and an increase in confidence. I think that this quote from the award application best describes the workshop outcome:   “… to paraphrase the television commercial for VISA, ‘peace of mind obtained for new members—PRICELESS’ ”.

The Planting for Pollinators Award recognized the efforts of the Wheaton Garden Cub in promoting Monarch Waystations.  To date, five members have been recognized for creating Monarch Waystations and five other members have planted milkweed, a vital food source for monarch caterpillars, in their gardens. . In addition, the Monarch Project committee created an educational display at the Wheaton Garden Club “Pollinator Power” Flower Show on the importance of growing milkweed for monarchs.

Four Wheaton Garden Club members have certified way stations! We are making progress on our way to reaching our goal of ten. A garden does not have to start from scratch to become a way station. Many times it only takes an addition of milkweed plants. In case you worry that milkweed is invasive, the following are not: butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa), swamp milk weed (asclepias incarnata) and purple milk weed (asclepias purpurascens).

Information on Monarch Butterfly Way Station requirements and an application form can be found on the link below. You can register online or print out the application. The Wheaton Garden Club will cover the $16 registration fee for members.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/

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This picture was posted on Facebook by the DuPage Monarch Project. The poster was donated to the library by the Wheaton Garden Club. Thank you Wheaton Public Library for displaying!

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