Club News

Club reports are highlighted here when they submit reports for GCI's Garden Glories publication.

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Arlington Heights Garden Club

The Arlington Heights Garden Club has had a good start to 2026. Our spring programs focused on
soil health, creating environs for warblers, virtual garden field trips, storm water management from Marcus de la Fleur, a Landscape Architect and exercises and stretching with Dr. Joe Mussolino in May to get us ready for the gardening season! We are also planning a Blue Star marker installation in May and all are welcome to join us for that.
June is always a huge month for the club with our plant sale on Saturday, June 6 from 8-12. The
focus will again be on Native plants that the club cultivates from plugs, houseplants, herbs and
veggies. Our Garden Walk and Unique Boutique will be held on Sunday, June 28th. 50 vendors,
community resources and live music will be featured at the Unique Boutique, and 7 self-touring
garden locations will be on the walk. We look forward to seeing friends from other clubs join us for
these events. Both are held at the Arlington Hts Historical Museum campus, across the street from
the library. More information will be available on our website, www.ahgardencub.com.
Summer programs are held in member’s yards and are casual gatherings with club updates. The
summer wraps with a dinner picnic at the Historical Museum. We’ll be maintaining our civic projects at the Historical Museum, the post office, the American Legion, a Clearbrook adult living home, the Viatorian Clerics Giving Gardens, among others.

GRAYSLAKE GREENERY GARDEN CLUB

Grayslake Greenery Garden Club general meeting speakers are focused on subjects our members want to learn about. Guests are always welcome at our meetings. On May 26, 2026, Melissa Erich will be talking about her garden and website ”Missy’s Monarchs”. Melissa was taught by her father Bob Erich on how to create a habitat for butterflies and well as nurturing the pupa to an adult butterfly. We will be having our annual Plant Sale on May 16, 2026, and selling native starter plants to help feed and have a habitat for our local pollinators. In early June we beautify the Grayslake Senior Activity Center and the Senior Residence. Thanks to Lindalee Stuckey we have a guide for Red, White and Blue plants for the display. On July 18th we will have our annual “Grayslake in Bloom” Garden Walk. Come and visit our website regarding the location of our meetings, location of our plant sale and to purchase tickets for our Garden Walk. wwwgrayslakegardenclub.org

Garden Club of Lake Zurich

The Garden Club of Lake Zurich marked its 54th year with the installation of its President, Vice President, and Publicity
officers in March. Since the emergence of spring-like weather, members have been encouraged to attend several special
events, including the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the March District IX meeting and luncheon, and the April
GCI convention.
One of our members, Karen Johanson, was honored by the Village of Hawthorn Woods for her longstanding service on their
Blooms Committee and her dedication to the Excellence in Gardening program. She received the Village’s Certificate of
Appreciation in recognition of her many years of thoughtful and impactful garden work. Another member, Beryl Ibbottson,
was also acknowledged by our Club for her creative “Stumpy” initiative—a beautifully crafted municipal planter made from a
recycled tree, showcasing both sustainability and artistry. Congratulations to you both.
Always a popular community event that helps kick off the planting season is the Club’s annual spring plant sale coming
Saturday, May 16, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Lake Zurich Ela Public Library (275 Mohawk Trail). Arrive early to select
from a wonderful variety of treasured plants, all lovingly tended by our members.

This summer the Club will showcase a variety of engaging new programs including techniques for creating naturalistic
garden designs, a highly anticipated floral design workshop and raffle, plus learning how to incorporate edible fruits into the
landscape, highlighted by a tree-grafting demonstration. In June, members will take part in the ever-popular perennial plant
exchange — a lively event that encourages sharing and adding distinctive plants to everyone’s garden collections.
Members will also be busy preparing the Ela library gardens for the season by weeding, composting, and transplanting. And
as we celebrate America250, we will plant red, white, and blue in gratitude for the freedoms that allow our gardens - and our
nation - to flourish.
For more information, follow us on Facebook or visit www.gardencluboflakezurich.org

PARK RIDGE GARDEN CLUB

The Park Ridge Garden Club is looking forward to hosting their two big fundraisers: The Plant Sale on Saturday, May 16 from 9-1PM @ Cumberland Park 101 S. Cumberland, a half block south of Touhy Ave. For sale will be annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, hanging baskets, geranium pots and many member grown plants. Cash or credit cards only.
The 31st annual Garden Walk will be on Sunday, June 28 from Noon -5PM. The pre-sale price is $15 and $20 the day of. Tickets can be purchased online. Both events are rain or shine.
The Club kept busy this winter and spring with meetings on the 2nd Thursday of the month @ 7pm. We
participated in the annual Earth Day event at the Park District, collected toys for the pediatric oncology ward at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and will walk in the Memorial Day parade. In June, residents can enter their home in the 35th annual Residential Beautification Awards Contest. Winners will receive a free one- year membership to the club - plus bragging rights! Also in June, members will fill a bus for some fun and shopping to area nurseries and gardens. At the final meeting of the season there will be a member plant exchange. The Club is 97 years old and going strong with over 100 members. For more information www.parkridgegardenclub.org

Park Ridge Memorial Day Parade 2025

Garden Club of Mount Prospect

Our unofficial club theme for the spring is “Planting for Butterflies.” Our Monarch Outreach team is updating our butterfly handouts in preparation for spring open house at the Public Works. At our annual plant sale, held at the Mount Prospect Historical Society, in addition to selling native plants, we will distribute butterfly garden kits, complete with seeds and mulch.

In June we will present an original “Planting for Butterflies” program, produced by club members, at the public library. As summer arrives, we will partner with Go Green Mount Prospect at the Mount Prospect farmers market to distribute butterfly host information. Of course, throughout the season, a team will be tending the village butterfly garden.

Northbrook Garden Club

News from the Northbrook Garden Club:
In January we collaborated with the Northbrook Public Library for a workshop about winter sowing in milk jugs. We offered a wide selection of native seeds that needed cold weather stratification as well as seeds that could be taken home for later sowing. Our program talked about the importance of planting native plants for birds, insects, and our environment. We covered topics such as cool weather vegetables, the joy of growing exactly what plant and variety you desire, the cost benefits of sowing your own seeds, and what to expect with milk jug sowing and eventual transplanting.
The 30 participants were assisted by 9 club volunteers as we offered tips, encouraged those who had never planted seeds before, and expanded with more information based on the presentation. It was a huge success with many 'thanks", positive comments, and lots of good energy. We made new friendships, encouraged a number of people to visit our next monthly program and even gained a new member. It was a lot of work to prepare, but completely rewarding!
We continue planning for our spring plant sale, will soon discuss how to get our message out to the public when we make two eye-catching displays for the Library display areas, and look further into the future with table events for World Environment Day, Northbrook's Flamingo Friday, Farmer's Market, and Shermerfest.

Town and Country Garden Club of Libertyville

The Town and Country Garden Club of Libertyville has an exciting array of programs and trips for 2026. From learning about the cut flower industry, creating Pave ́ flower arrangements, to why spring ephemerals are so special. Our club will also be touring Rose Innovations, the garden of Will Radler, the man who is credited with developing the Knock Out® Rose. 2026 will be a busy year for civic projects and celebrations. We will continue to enhance the planting beds outside Cook Memorial Public Library with more native plants. During the summer, we will celebrate the planting of our new Memorial Tree, a native Kentucky coffee tree, in Butler Park. The tree honors
the memory of our club members who dedicated their time and talents to beautify Libertyville. Also, this year, we will start planning for our 75th club anniversary in 2027. To mark this upcoming anniversary, we commissioned a daylily that is unique in the world! This daylily was developed at the Olallie Daylily Gardens in Vermont. It will be registered with the American Daylily Society with the name chosen by our club members - (Olallie) Lily in the Ville. The goal is to propagate this special lily for members and for public gardens in Libertyville.
Our ever-popular Hidden Gems Garden Walk is scheduled for June 27th. Our garden walk has become a highly anticipated tradition for the greater Libertyville area. We will have five exceptional gardens where you can meet the gardeners and be inspired to create your own home oasis. At the garden sites, we will have a variety of helpful resources including: Wild Ones Lake County and the Audubon Society to provide information on native plants and local wildlife. Nature themed artists will also be selling their work at several garden sites. Proceeds from the walk
contribute to our support of civic plantings, food pantries, scholarships and local charities. Other events scheduled for the spring include exhibiting at the University of Illinois Extension Seed Expo which is a community event that is a celebration of gardening, community, and the joy of growing something new. For Arbor Day, we will be offering a free event for the community - a guided tree stroll through Cook Park to learn how to identify the trees in our community green space, share their unique characteristics and learn how to select the right trees for your yard.

Photo source: Olallie Daylily Gardens

Wauconda Garden Club

Members of the Wauconda Garden Club will continue to meet with the residents of Alta Rehab and do craft projects. Youth Outreach programs continue in the hope of getting young people engaged and learning the importance of being future stewards of our natural resources for pollinators, birds as well as flora and fauna. We will also be involved in the Lake County Seed Expo in March. We are partnering with Arlington Heights for the District IV luncheon in March. Members are starting to plan what they will be offering for sale in our annual plant sale on May 17th at the Cook House in downtown Wauconda. We will also be preparing for our Flower Show with Grayslake at the end of July.

Evanston's Highland Garden Club

Come one, call all to the Annual Backyard Botanicals sale on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 9am-3pm in Ackerman Park in Evanston.

Ackerman is located at 2500 Central Street - McDaniel & Central Street with on-street parking. We offer plants from our gardens grown with local success. Hands-on gardeners will be there to answer questions and help with your plant selections. Proceeds from our sale are returned to the community.

Along with our plants, our membership is growing. We had a successful hands-on winter sowing meeting. We also held our annual Community Service Project meeting with Inspire Through Flowers. We had a great turnout and put together so many unique and beautiful bouquets. The staff and patients at the Kellogg Cancer Center appreciated the beautiful gesture of a gift bouquet on a cold a dreary February day. Nothing like flowers to brighten one’s day! Also, we have added a pre-meeting Book Club. Our next book is The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger.

Kenilworth Garden Arts Club (KGAC)

Kenilworth Garden Arts Club has enjoyed a wonderful year. We welcomed two new club members fulfilling our goal to increase club membership.

Our goals for community support and engagement continue as we lend our expertise to the Joseph Sear School children’s gardening program. Our support includes working with the faculty, providing help in the classroom and maintaining the gardens during the summer months.

In 2025, KGAC adopted six new planters in Kenilworth Village. KGAC volunteers will maintain the planters weekly throughout the spring and summer seasons. Our community participation includes attendance at the Village Beautification Committee meetings.

Our social calendar remains not only fun, but also educational in that each event is planned to increase our understanding of nature and the environment. Examples of club events are:

-June: A cooking demonstration by Spice House

-July: Owner-led, summer flower arrangement workshop at Robert's Floral Design Studio in Chicago, followed by a luncheon on-site,

-September: A tour encompassing the gardens, architecture, and history of Elawa Farm in Lake Forest, concluding with lunch at their farm-to-table cafe.

-October: A focused tour at The Grove in Glenview, a 143-acre National Historic Landmark. It included the 1856 Kenicott House, the Archives Building, and the surrounding landscape and garden.

-December: Owner-led, holiday flower arrangement workshop at Robert's Floral Design Studio in Chicago

-January: Combined Garden Club Meeting featuring a guest lecturer on monarch butterflies and other pollinators

-March: Artist/teacher-led watercolor painting class at the Wilmette Public Library, followed by brunch at Egg Harbor Cafe.

Lastly our Philanthropy Chairperson helps direct our community donations. This year we donated funds to the New Trier Food Pantry.