The Lincolnshire Garden Club
“Getting Dirty since 1958”
The Flower Press
Lincolnshire, Illinois December 2012Holiday Celebration
Thursday, December 13, 2012
10:00 am -1:30 pm (meet in lobby)
“Behind the Scenes of the Wonderland Express”
Special Location: Chicago Botanic Gardens
Take a break from the holiday prep and enjoy a private tour
of a winter wonderland of twinkling lights and holiday beauty at the Chicago Botanic
Garden. 750,000 lights sparkle and
welcome you to the Garden's wonderland. Inside the Regenstein Center, a
10,000-square-foot exhibition of miniature trains winds through more than 80
miniature Chicago-area landmarks, including Navy Pier, Soldier Field, Chicago
Stadium, the Chinatown Arch, the Art Institute, the South Shore Cultural
Center, the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House, and much more! The tour will conclude with our annual
holiday luncheon.
The more the merrier, so please bring your friends. This is a not-to-miss event. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers (checks made out to Lincolnshire Garden Club and sent to LGC-Treasurer, P.O. Box 532 Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Please RSVP to Lynn Driscoll by November 30th. There will also be a $20 charge for parking for those who do not have a membership at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Save money and carpool with a Garden Club member who is also a Botanic Garden member. Below is a list of such members:
Joan KeyesLinda Lutz
Pat Hovany (depending on work schedule)
Ellen Strauss
Evelyn Belzer
Lynn Driscoll
Dorothea Lehtinen
Marilyn Knilans
Kathy Swager
Shirley Hays
Hazel Weaver
Eve Jacobs
Linda Ilk
Jane Bisk
Mary Lou Bartlett
Wendy Miller
Denise Pinter
Connie Conklin
A Message from our President, Jan Stefans
It's such a pleasure working with the members of the garden club. If something has to be done one of you always steps up to the plate. Thanks to Cheryl Mitchell the Village Hall"s foyer tree has been decorated. Just a quick e-mail and Cheryl responded within minutes.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all on December 13th at the Chicago Botanic Garden Tour and Luncheon. Karen Kravitz has put together another spectacular event (how about that Gale Gand presentation!) Remember guests are welcome to attend as well.
My Ziva Paperwhites are in bloom, thanks Joan for a real holiday treat.
Happy Holidays to all,
Fondly, Jan
No Weeding, Just Wining and Shopping - Friday, Dec 7
Talking Dirt with Linda Lutz
“Talking Dirt” is a spotlight on members in our Club. This month we talk with Mary Ainger.
In 1993 picking Lincolnshire as a place to put down roots was an easy decision for Mary and husband Ken; it was convenient to both their jobs. Mary grew up in the City and had a career as a financial analyst and portfolio manager. Now that she’s retired, Mary turns her energies to gardening, biking, and bird watching. Early on a friend took Mary to Milager’s and so began an annual trek and development of her gardening talents.
Mary’s favorite flowers, tulips, are a challenge with our local deer, so cut tulips provide opportunities to enjoy the pinks, blues, and violets that are Mary’s favorite color palette. She did, however plant lots of daffodils in her wooded yard and they have naturalized beautifully.
Job number one in Mary’s gardens was amending the soil which was a 10 year project. Son, Joseph, was put to work digging 3 feet down and putting in new soil, sand and mushroom compost. Mary thinks her former house in Mt. Prospect really spoiled her with great soil. When Mary first tried to plant in her Lincolnshire yard she thought she would break her wrists. After a fantastic soil course at the Chicago Botanic Garden Mary tackled her yard and results began to bloom.
Every year Mary tries to add a new section or tweak an already existing garden. She has a year round pond and is always interested in seeing which birds seek the open water in the colder months. Mary marks the seasons with the coming of the Dark-eyed Juncos heralding winter and Ruby-throated hummingbirds giving rise to summer. A red letter day in Mary’s yard occurred in April 1995 when she saw a Pileated woodpecker. Other encounters with birds such as an evening walk with Ken when an owl flew overhead so silently that they both marveled at its amazing wingspan and presence, solidify Mary’s intent to keep her yard conservation friendly.
Besides creating a conservation habitat and beautiful gardens, Mary finds gardening very therapeutic. Using her discerning eye Mary plants more perennials than annuals and looks for a mix of color as well as foliage, shapes, heights, and textures setting the foundation for interesting gardening spaces. Asian travel provided a whole different sense of gardening style as Mary discovered when she visited Japan during cherry blossom festival. Mary saw that they,” really treasure their space, creating a tranquil and sacred, atmosphere in small place.”
With an eye to conservation practices Mary plants different species especially when she is selecting trees as a measure to ensure trees will always have a place in her yard. Mary’s key to gardening success: trial and error and a lot of patience. Mary is eager to learn more about gardening. Her gardening secret is that she has never split a perennial so….come next spring some garden club members will have to teach Mary that skill!
When they purchased their home, the previous s owner gave Mary an Audubon bird guide. Little did Mary realize that that gift would have such an impact. Mary now gives birdhouses, feeders and birdseed or bird guides to new home owners. Nephews and nieces may receive small binoculars as well. In this season of gift giving Mary’s example could provide that perfect gift that will have impact for a lifetime.
Take time to introduce yourself to Mary and welcome her to our Club!
Plant Education with Joan Keyes
Mix on a large drop cloth-
50 lbs of dehydrated cow manure
50 lbs of Canadian peat moss
25 lbs of gypsum
25 lbs of washed torpedo sand
25 lbs of fertilizer (5-10-5
Apply 2-3 inches deep and then work into soil
I do recall that Connie and I did this---probably just once.
Monarch Butterfly Problem
Submitted by Rick Sanders based on a presentation on April 5, 2010 by the staff of GreenMuze
One of the world’s most iconic butterflies - the brightly colored North American Monarch butterfly - is in some rather serious trouble according to experts. In fact, this may be the worst year on record for Monarchs with more than 50% of the population destroyed due to unstable weather patterns, continuing loss of habitat and an increase in pesticide use.
Each year, more than 100 million Monarch butterflies migrate an estimated 3,000 miles (4,800kms) to overwintering sites. However, the increase in logging in Mexico, and development in Canada and the USA, is eroding both their winter and summer homes. Another threat to the Monarch butterflies well-being includes the loss of milkweed plants that are crucial to their reproduction cycle.
“Monarch larvae appear to feed exclusively on milkweeds in the genus Asclepias and several other genera of viny milkweeds in North America,” explains Monarchwatch.org, a monarch butterfly information and advocacy group.
Monarch butterfly protection groups are encouraging people to plant milkweed on any available land. A mass planting of milkweed would be a significant contribution to assisting the Monarch butterflies with an essential component of their lifecycle.
Visit: http://www.monarchwatch.org/ for more information on milkweed, butterfly monitoring, and what you can do to help.
Upcoming Club Events
Friday, December 7, 2012 "Wining" at Jeanne Top's 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thursday, January 10, 2013 Board Meeting, Lincolnshire Village Hall
Thursday, January 24, 2012 General Membership Meeting, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Dept. Milwaukee Ave. Station
Upcoming Community Event
Lincolnshire's Holiday Tree Lighting - Sunday, December 2, 4:30 - 6:30 pm at The Lincolnshire Village Green.
The Lincolnshire Community Association (LCA) will make the holidays a little brighter with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting. Bring your family and join your friends and neighbors to celebrate the arrival of the holiday season.
There will be musical performances by Half Day, Daniel Wright and Stevenson High School Choirs and the Girl Scouts. LCA's 2012 Citizens of the year, Dave and Lucia Thoensen, will light the tree. Hot beverages and cookies will be served and Santa will make a special appearance.
LCA will accept non-perishable food for the Vernon Township Food Pantry and new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. Donate $10 and received 25 luminaria kits (candles, bag and sand) to display on Sunday, December 23rd at dusk.
Support our Sponsors
Whenever possible, if you could support these sponsors in your day-to-day purchases, and even say "I'm shopping with you because you supported the Lincolnshire Garden Club," it would go a long way to encouraging these businesses to be generous to us again in the future. Thank you for your consideration. Below are our Business Sponsors (Address and contact information for our Business Sponsors can be found by clicking on the Donors in the menu bar on our website Home page.):
White Flower Farm
Bluestone Perennials
Brent and Becky's Bulbs
Select Seeds
Sam Services
Zone 4 Magazine
Chalet Nursery
Hawthorn Gardens
American Horticultural Society
Country Gardens Magazine
Gardener's Supply Company
DiRienzo Garden Designs
The Mulch Center
Chicago Botanic Garden
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds
The Van Engelen Flower Bulb Company
Le Beaute Hair Studio & Day Spa
Milaeger's
Michael Donavan Handcrafted Glassware
Fine Gardening
Johnny's Selected Seeds
The Care of Trees
Autumn Tree
Davey Tree Expert Company
Prairie Crossing Learning Farm
Duzey Family Chiropractic
Philly G's Restaurant
The Spice House
Didier Farms
Liz Lee Flowers
Highland Park Hospital Health and Fitness Center
Twigs
Julie Walsh
Garden Gate Magazine
Go Roma, Lincolnshire
Ravinia Festival
Chicagoland Gardening Magazine
N. Henry & Son, Inc.