Like Goldilocks in search of the perfect bowl of porridge, we Midwesterners often complain that the weather is too hot or too cold. On Sunday, it was just right. After what felt like endless heat and humidity with a string of record breaking triple digit days, a breeze drifted in, the temperature dropped more than twenty degrees and the morning of the Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire dawned with the promise of a perfect summer day.
Sometimes, things work out just right.
Our garden club’s member work hard to find inspiring gardens, coordinate with the park district, generate publicity, produce artwork and garden descriptions for the guidebook, advertisers and vendors are solicited, posters, yard signs, and banners distributed, garden hosts arranged, and any number of other details that such an event demands.
Each year, the gardeners have to contend with the fickleness of the midwestern climate; too much rain, not enough rain, late spring frost, Japanese beetles, even the 17 year cicadas that plagued this area a few years ago.
The gardeners had the sustained heat in March followed by freezing temperatures in April, then summer’s intense heat and lack of rain. I don’t know how they did it. I know lots of sweat, toil, and surely exorbitant water bills were all put into play, but they did what needed to be done and hundreds of visitors walked through their resplendent gardens on what may just have been the best day of summer.
We are all relieved to know that we will have money again this year to award some generous scholarships and help with local horticulture endeavors. This is what it is all about. Giving back to community and giving forward to the next generation.
I encourage you, dear reader, to attend a charitable event in your area this year. There are many worthwhile causes that the price of a ticket supports.
Won’t you please stay a few moments more to see some of the splendor of Sunday’s walk?
I loved the placement of this fountain that helped direct water into a pond.
This one tugged at my heart. The gardener planted the impatiens into the shape of a pink ribbon in honor of breast cancer survivors and in remembrance of those who died of the disease.
Lifeonthecutoff's Blog 
What a beautiful garden, Penny! And those impatiens are gorgeous; so simple, so eloquent. There is nothing quite like a beautifully planned, planted and loved garden, is there?
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These are actually of several gardens, Kate. I just can’t seem to control myself when it comes to taking pictures of gardens. Isn’t the plot of impatiens wonderful, and, ooops, I just noticed I spelled it wrong. Off I go to correct it.
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Absolutely gorgeous, every one! I am particularly envious of the water garden in your first photo, and I love the little “critter” on the bench.
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If you click on the picture once, maybe twice Karen, you can see it is a rabbit. The heart on the bench draws you away from the rabbit’s ears. I really thought he was cute and loved the bench. wouldn’t it wonderful to have that water garden to rest near?
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Really beautiful, and the hard work put in must have been tremendous. I had to enlarge the last photo to work out exactly what was sitting on that beautiful bench. At first I thought it was a sea lion ! Lovely photos Penny, and as always a wonderful description, bringing your visit alive. J.
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I”m glad you enlarged the picture, Janice. Isn’t he adorable? The heart in the bench makes the bunny ears hard to see. Thank you. I had good subject matter to work with. I love visiting gardens.
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What a beautiful and also thoughtful garden Penny. Thank you for this walk, and I’m so glad you have some relief from the heat.
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These are actually from several gardens on the walk, Juliet, and they were all so glorious and the gardeners worked so hard.
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I am in absolute awe of the lush greenness of it all. Your garden walk was surely a success again this year. I appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into these magical gardens. As I look at your photos, I feel like I am just on the edge of seeing an elf under a toadstool or a Narnia Robin beckoning me to come further in. I love the happy little critter on the bench and the spitter of water. I’m sure both of them come come alive when the full moon is out.
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The gardeners” hoses were going non-stop, Janet. It isn’t that green here. It was, with so many members making it all work together. I thought I saw an elf peek out from under a hosta leaf. Isn’t the bench sitter great? Click on the picture. You might have to do it a second time. It is a bunny. The water feature was so fun to notice. In fact, in that garden, there was a lot of hidden gems I think you would have appreciated, Janet.
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Absolutely beautiful photos. A fabulous garden to photograph.
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It is a compilation of several gardens, Cath, and all were splendid. Thank you.
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Hi Penny:
Loved your post of the garden walk. We were on our way home from a wonderful weeks vacation in Michigan. I was disappointed to learn that I would miss your garden walk this year. Loved the dedicated garden with the pink ribbon Impatiens standing out so beautifully in a bed of white Impatiens. A wonderfu tribute to those who have fought this disease.
I came home ready to do a post (first time in 7 weeks,) only to find that my printer has a short!!!! I am feeling so much better and almost back to NORMAL!!
Miss you all! (you included Penny!)
Mary Anne ox
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It is so good to hear from you, Mary Anne, and I’m concerned. Almost back to normal makes me wonder if you’ve been ill, in which case I’m sorry to hear that, don’t know how I missed it, but glad to hear you are almost back to normal. My prayers are with you.
I’m sure your time away in Michigan was delightful. I think you would have be inspired by the gardens this year, Mary Anne, and I am thinking about Gracie’s garden, full of impatiens, wondering how they fared. This white and pink bed was such a touching statement in floral design and the homeowners were wonderful folks.
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The pink ribbon is fabulous! A relatively simple idea yet I’ve never before seen it! I love seeing the gardens, and you bring up a very good point I haven’t really thought about…the effect of the year-round weather conditions. There would need to be a great deal of energy and planning to avoid plant loss, I’m sure! You’ve challenged me to look behind some of the garden shows I hear about and see what they may be supporting with their efforts. I hadn’t even considered that your garden club was involved in raising funds for scholarships! So glad you shared about these details, Penny! Have a great weekend, of course. Debra
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It is fabulous, Debra, and that she took the time to plot it out so that it grew this way was impressive.
Our range of temperature and conditions is about as varied as weather can get each year, and often varied in a day!
Oh, do look to attend some local garden shows. Garden clubs do them all over the country and most for a cause they support, always with a horticultural and educational goal. They also support such things as butterfly waystations, conservation projects, local, state and national efforts. For a small group of 100 or so gardeners, we’ve given out more than $170,000 in scholarship money in just 16 years of the walk. This year is our 17th year. We will again be awarding scholarships. A few years back, our club dedicated a portion of the proceeds from several walks to planting trees and other vegetation in public places for another garden club in the Gulf after the devastation of Katrina. A few members went down to view the devastation, meet the garden club members there, whose homes had been destroyed, and built friendship in the process.
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It’s great to hear that all the hard work and effort you and the other gardeners put into the garden walk was rewarded with a much needed change in weather! The photos are beautiful!
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It is most definitely a group effort, Janet, with each and every one doing their part. The weather was such a gift. I think everyone in the Chicagoland area needed to be outside and breathing in the lighter air. Thank you.
I hope Declan and your house did okay with that storm. Sorry, I never asked, but most of the town was without power for several days.
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Declan said we lost power for about 24 hours so he was better off than a lot of people. He has been miserable in the heat though! I even have a friend in Chicago who said her husband got heat exhaustion so bad that he had to see the doctor and couldn’t get out of bed for a few days.
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Heat exhaustion is serious and can be deadly. I hope your friend’s husband has recovered, Janet. When it gets this hot for this long, it is hard to stay hydrated. Predictions are for more triple digits this week. Hope the rain has stopped there.
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Thank you for sharing your gorgeous pics. I am always impressed with the hardiness of people who live in the midwest.
This summer I hope to visit the local Bronx Botanical Gardens. It’s a truly delightful treat.
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It is so nice to see you here again. You are so very welcome. We are a hardy group out of pure necessity.
Oh, I do hope you get there this summer. I hear it is a fabulous place, especially come summer.
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Lovely gardens — we always used to love those garden club tours when we lived in Oregon (and of course the ideas for our own yard back then); I’d still go even though we don’t garden any longer, but they’re always held before we get back here for our summer visit.
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Those are beautiful beautiful gardens. Glad the weather cooperated for the tour. We used to love these tours when we owned our home here in Oregon. Now we get back for our summer visit too late — they are held in late Spring or early June…..We don’t garden any more, but I love looking at other people’s gardens.
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I’m sure garden tours are spectacular in Oregon, Sallie. We once had a dream of moving there. It is always so exciting to pull up in front of a garden you have long appreciated and being able to see it up close, isn’t it? Or, the surprise garden in the back of a home that, on first blush, doesn’t look like it holds such treasures – but does. I think garden walks are even more special to those who no longer have gardens. It gives them the opportunity to still see and smell the treasures that abound.
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MTM’s mom just sold their house in Florida, and it had an exquisite water garden like the one in the first photo. I could sit there for hours, watching the fish and listening to the gentle falling water.
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A water garden is such a soothing oasis, isn’t it Andra? I’m sure you will all miss her water garden.
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What beautiful gardens, Penny! As you say, to get stunning results like these with this year’s extreme weather conditions speaks of immense dedication and hard work. I always try to take advantage of any Open Garden events near me and tomorrow I’m off with a Normandy gardeners’ group to visit a herb garden and an apple and pear orchard and museum. 🙂
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The gardeners really had to contend with extremes this year and did a phenomenal job. I’m sure you have an inspiring time at the herb garden, the orchards, and museum, Perpetua, and hopefully the rain will not have had too negative of a presence. Enjoy.
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Dear Penny, those photographs brought me such a sense of contentment. Thank you. And I will find some charitable event to support this summer. Peace.
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That is so pleasant to hear, Dee. Thank you so much. You support others in so many ways already, Dee, through you actions and deeds.
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