On the Second Sunday in July

On the first Sunday in July, Elmhurst Garden Club members begin to monitor the weather forecast. The Garden Guide has gone to print, posters and yard signs have blossomed like daisies in the summer heat, and a “buzz” is in the air. Up and down the streets of Elmhurst, inside businesses, on fences  and road signs, visuals remind locals and visitors alike that this annual gardening event is about to bloom. Phone calls, emails and texts inquire “where can I get a ticket” as boutique vendors replenish their inventory of plants, jewelry, yard art, and all things garden related for the elegant Faire in Wilder Park.

Proceeds from Walk benefit worthy students of horticulture and science related studies, as well as many local endeavors. To date, the Elmhurst Garden Club has raised more than $150,000.

Streams and ponds, a Sears Roebuck kit house and a “scrabbled” vegetable garden are features amid landscape, hardscape, plantscape and more to provide a feast for the senses. There is something for everyone on Sunday, July 8th at the Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire.

If you are in the Chicagoland area on the second Sunday in July, July 8, please join us for An Afternoon in the Garden.

Information: Elmhurst Garden Club

Is there a garden walk where you live? 

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Reweaving

We are fast approaching the Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire, which is on July 9th this year. The homeowners are busy as bees weeding, planting, adding flourishes and embellishing with their individual styles. This year has been cool and wet and erratic, a challenge for sure – but each year brings its own trials. I am always amazed at the ingenuity and fortitude of homeowners preparing for hundreds of strangers to walk through their gardens. I am also very grateful for it allows the club to provide very generous scholarships along with community endeavors.

This year, I have the pleasure of writing the garden descriptions, which means I see the gardens as they are emerging and until the crunch is on to go to print. We don’t release the names or addresses until the day of the event, but, dear reader, I CAN tell you that the gardens are as amazing as they are varied. From newer construction to a century old homestead, they reflect the character of the gardeners and their many ways of gardening and there is something of interest for everyone in attendance.  The York High School gardens are an added feature this year and they are as inspiring as they are educational. There is also a Faire in Wilder Park with vendors selling garden related products and plants and there will be a butterfly festival as well. More information is here.

While I cannot show you the gardens, I did want to show you this one element I found in one of the gardens, which harkens back to my previous post on nests. The gardeners, a most charming couple, have incorporated nests in several spots of the garden. I found this one quite enchanting coupled with Emily Dickinson’s words.

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Emily Dickinson

 

 

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Garden Walks – La Grange

One of my favorite things to do in summer is to visit gardens.

We live in an area where, on most weekends in summer, there is a walk of some sort or another through private gardens and ponds, as well as public ones. Our own garden walk, the Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire, is coming up in a few weeks and all are busy with preparations.

Tom and I are heading up to the northern suburbs to see a few gardens that are part of the Open Days Program of The Garden Conservancy. These gardens are often estates and a feast for the senses for gardeners. They are also only $5 per garden, which is a small price to pay for such beauty and a to a wonderful organization. I know I’ll come home full of inspiration and hundreds of photos to share.

Until then, I’ll just share some pictures from the La Grange Garden Club’s garden walk. It was one of the few days this summer that has been warm and sunny and the gardens were spectacular. In addition to the sumptuous gardens, the La Grange walk also featured  phenomenal tablescapes. I’ll include a few here.

It is amazing what one can do with a Sum and Substance hosta!

Everything on the table above was crocheted by a member of the La Grange club.

You really must click on to see the cupcakes!

Clematis planted in amongst the pachysandra. Who knew?

Just a little whimsy before I say goodbye.

Goodbye!

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