The West Chicago Garden Club

The Kruse Garden is splendid! It’s at its peak. Several varieties of hydrangea, false sunflowers, phlox, and more perennials are in full bloom. Annuals such as ornamental cabbage, coreopsis, and snapdragons are spectacular.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend Twilight Tuesday at Kruse, visit the garden now. The three-quarter acre property is located at 527 Main Street, West Chicago. Enjoy!

Usually, Twilight Tuesdays are a “Members Only” event where we visit a member’s garden.  On August 8th, we are opening up our Twilight Tuesday to everyone and hosting it at the Kruse Museum Garden.  This garden is planted and maintained by our wonderful club volunteers.  This will be an “open house” at the garden where you can come enjoy the beautiful space and enjoy a snack or two.

The West Chicago Historical Society’s Kruse House Museum will also be open for tours.  This is a great opportunity to see this great small museum.  Their special exhibit this summer is “Vacations We Have Taken”

The Kruse House Museum & Garden is located at 527 Main Street, West Chicago, IL 60185

The Twilight Tuesday event will be between 6:30pm and 8:30pm on Tuesday, August 8th.

By Dee Soustek

The bee and butterfly displays are back!

These are a delightful addition to the Kruse garden. The garden is looking fabulous!  The real life pollinators are really enjoying the fruits of our labor. So many of the perennials are in full bloom, it’s amazing how much more is blooming since our June meeting.  It’s hard to name a favorite, however, one that stand outs for me is the Bear Breeches/Acanthus Spinosus.  It is so dramatic, with the towering spires of purple and white trumpet shaped flowers and the shiny thistle like leaves.  I wish I had the space in my garden for a clump of it. It does get big; grows 30” to 36” High by 2’ to 3’ Wide.  The other little gem that I wanted to highlight is the water lily. You have to catch it when the sun is out, such a pretty pink lily.

There is so much to see, and enjoy, you need to swing by and let us know some of your favorites. The Kruse garden is hosting Twilight Tuesday, August 8th, hope to see you there!