The West Chicago Garden Club

Several members of WCGC met on Saturday, July 30th, for a 2 to 3 hour guided tour of the West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve. The tour was led by Steve Sentoff, President of the West Chicago Prairie Stewardship Group. The 360-acre West Chicago Prairie Forest Preserve in West Chicago is one of the region’s premier natural areas. In addition to wetlands and upland oak savannas, the preserve is home to one of the most biologically diverse sites within northeastern Illinois, the 126-acre Truitt-Hoff Nature Preserve.

Warm weather annuals can be found at garden centers very early (The Growing Place offers them the first weekend of May) but they must be kept warmer than 40 degrees to avoid damage or stalling of growth. Warm weather annuals include: impatiens, begonias, caladiums, marigolds and manymore. Cool weather flowers have been available since early April and include: all perennials andannual petunias, allysum, pansies, dianthus, dusty miller, diascia, stocks, callibrachoa and nemesiato name a few. Those plants can handle temperatures down to freezing. After May 15th there is less likelihood of frost although the last chance for frost is May 24th! Be ready to listen to the weather and plan to cover warm weather annuals with a sheet or plastic if needed. Tomatoes, peppers and basil are also very cold sensitive. Continue Reading »