Flash Plant Sale – May 14th
Earth Day April 22 – Invest in Our Planet
The theme for this year’s Earth Day, on April 22nd, is invest in our planet. We ask you to invest in our planet by planting native plants this spring. Native plants are adapted to our local environmental conditions and as such, require less maintenance, less water, and no fertilizers or pesticides. In addition to adding beauty to our gardens, native plants attract local wildlife and support pollinators like birds, butterflies and bees.
If you want to help save monarch butterflies, plant one or more varieties of milkweed. If you love birds, plant natives such as golden alexander or purple coneflower to attract the beneficial insects that baby birds eat. If you want to plant a tree that has a significant positive impact on the environment, contact tree services to help you plant an oak tree. Oak trees support more life-forms than any other trees in North America.
There are many native plant sales in our area, staffed by knowledgeable gardeners, to help you with your questions and decisions. In addition, their website plant listings contain helpful information on sun exposure needs and whether they attract butterflies, birds, bees, etc.
In-Person Plant Sales
Wheaton Native Plant Sale
Saturday April 23, 8:30am – 11:00 am
City of Wheaton Public Works Yard
821 West Liberty Dr. Wheaton
https://wheatonparkdistrict.com/events/native-illinois-plant-sale/
DuPage County Forest Preserve Plant Sale
Ticketed presale Thurs. May 12, 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Open to public Fri. May 13, 10:00 – 7:00 and Sat. May 14, 9:00 – 2:00
Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St, Oak Brook
https://www.dupageforest.org/native-plant-sale
SCARCE Growin’ Green Garden Market Sale
Saturday April 30, 9:00am to 1:00 am
SCARCE 800 S Rohlwing Rd (IL Rt 53), Addison
College of Dupage Spring Plant Sale
Technical Education Center (TEC), West Campus – Greenhouse
Friday, May 13, 8:00 – 5:00
Saturday May 14, 8:00 – 5:00
Sunday, May 15, 9:00 – 3:00
Native plants will be included in this sale of flowers, herbs and vegetables.
https://www.cod.edu/academics/programs/horticulture/special_events.aspx
Pre Order Sales
Conservation Foundation
Order plants online from April 11 to 26
Pick up plants May 13, 3:00-7:00 and May 14,8:30 – 1:00
McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd, Naperville
Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District
April 29, 2022 – Last Day to order plants
Pick-up plants May 27, 8:00 am– 4:30 pm
Kane-DuPage SWCD Office, 2315 Dean St., Suite 100, St. Charles
Wheaton Garden Club Pollinator and Monarch Butterfly Efforts
Wheaton Garden Club members planted a pollinator garden at Seven Gables Park in Wheaton in the spring of 2021. The pollinator garden has been certified as a Monarch Waystation with Monarch Watch. Continuing volunteer efforts of the from the https://clickatree.com/ in maintaining the garden has resulted in many compliments by members of the community as they walk past the garden, since the garden is always well cared and clean, they even get a service of Japanese Knotweed Removal to make sure these don’t invade the garden as well.
Another new project for the Garden Club was the participation of five members in the Monarch Watch Calendar Project. These members tracked the number of Monarchs seen in their garden for designated time periods in the summer, while they also built a garden studio for the members using resources online for this.
Seven members have their gardens certified as a Monarch Waystation.
Our upcoming February 2022 Garden Club meeting will be on Magnificent Monarchs, presented by a Wheaton Garden Club member.
Come to the Plant Sale 2021
The Wheaton Garden Club is hosting a flower and plant sale on Saturday May 15th. The event will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at 0N650 Coventry Drive in Wheaton. The sale will feature professionally grown annuals many of which are Proven Winners. Summer favorites available for purchase include a variety of begonias, coleus and petunias, as well as some hard to find specialty plants.
Proceeds support area community organizations and scholarships for College of DuPage horticulture students. Organizations supported include The Cosley Zoo Foundation, Illinois Prairie Path and Willowbrook Wildlife Center.
The garden club will be accepting cash or check payments. If you have questions, please email the Garden Club at [email protected]
Hope to see you on May 15th!
WGC Receives Certificate of Merit
Two Awards from the Garden Clubs of Illinois
As the Wheaton Garden club celebrates its 95th 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.
Pollinator Power a Success!
Congratulations to our Award Winners!
See more photos from our Standard Flower Show here.
Pollinator Power
Join us for our Standard Flower Show, “Pollinator Power”, on Thursday, October 3, 2019 12:30 – 9:00 pm and Friday, October 4, 2019 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, at the Wheaton Public Library. Admission is free.
Horticulture Report September 2019
Perennials, annuals, and bulbs
During the fall months of September, October and November, after soil temperature drops below 60°F., the bulbs of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, scilla, dwarf irises, anemone, and crocus should be planted. Select healthy, disease free bulbs. Add Bone meal or Bulb fertilizer into the planting hole, as you prepare the soil.
Winter pansies, flowering Kale, flowering Cabbage, and fall mums may be planted now, to give a little color to the garden when the summer flowers have faded away.
Scatter the seeds of perennials in a row or in open beds this month so that the young seedlings will be ready to be transplanted into their permanent spot next spring.
As the weather cools, perennials which have overgrown their space or become crowded should be dug and divided, or moved to a new area of the garden. New or replacement perennials can also be planted this month.
Continue reading “Horticulture Report September 2019”Monarchs
Enjoying many butterflies feasting in my garden.