The Lincolnshire Garden Club

“Getting Dirty since 1958”

The Flower Press

                Lincolnshire, Illinois                                                                                           December 2012

Holiday 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 30^th.  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 Keyes
Linda 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

I can't believe December is upon us!  And there is still so much to do in the garden...keep watering your evergreens and bushes until we get a hard frost.  There hasn't been enough rain this spring and summer and until the snows come, and they will come it's "Chicago" after all, a long drink of water is just what Dr. Jan has ordered.  Don't forget to mulch those roses after the first hard frost, too.  And since we haven't had that hard frost go ahead and plant those sale fall bulbs you bought back in October.

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

With our gardens going to sleep for the winter, there isn't any need for weeding, but that doesn't mean we can't "wine".   We will be meeting at Jeanne Top's (check Yearbook for address) on Friday, December 7th from 4:00-6:00 pm.  Jeanne will provide wine and soft drinks, and members are requested to bring an appetizer or dessert.  Remaining items from our Mini Market will be available for purchase.  If you haven't attended a Weed and Wine event, they are a great opportunity to socialize with other members.  For members with younger children, please bring them along.  Jeanne's daughter Emily will be on hand to show a kids movie in an adjacent room.  Question, contact Jeanne.

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

Top Dressing To Renew the Soil in Your GARDENS

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.