April 2026

Nifty Plants for Shady Sites

Amanda Christensen has a dayliliy collection of over 1000 different cultivars. She is an officer for the Chicagoland Daylily Society, a member of the American Hemerocallis Society, a trained daylily Garden Judge, and the owner of Gardens of Ataraxia, her home which is a registered Display Garden.

Her presentation included foundational education on daylily characteristics and explores what the hottest new trends are in hybridizing. From giant to mini, from cristates to candelabra branching, from stripes to broken patterns...there is an amazing array of varieties that can be grown successfully in our zone.

Nifty Plants for Shady Sites

We CAN plant to bring color and life to the shady parts of our gardens. Heather Prince, horticulturist educator at The Morton Arboretum and Chicago Botanic Garden, and freelance writer will explore the colors and textures of special shade loving plant varieties for dry shade, moist shade, part shade, and dense shade.

Growing Fruit in a Small Yard

Deb Graham of The Midwest Fruit Explorers Society will show us it’s possible to grow a broad variety of fruits even in zone 5. There are many varieties of small or dwarf trees that provide flavorful fruits and can fit modest spaces. The MidFex Society will help you grow, graft propagate and swap superior fruiting plants. All are welcome.

Indoor Plants

Taking care of houseplants doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. An indoor-plant expert from Lurvey will break down the basics of indoor plant care, bust common myths, and share tips to help you grow with confidence.

Beyond Summer: Sustaining a Year-Round Kitchen Garden

Nicole Jagielski will show us how to break free from our one conventional growing season and discover how to harvest healthy produce nearly every month of the year - yes, even in the cold! Your health and tastebuds will flourish along with your abundant kitchen garden. Nicole is the owner of Patio Produce, a local kitchen garden design and gardening coaching business.

Bring in any seeds, tubers, bulbs, plants you want to offer to your fellow club members. We all spend time culling and re-thinking our garden spaces and your fellow club members might love your overflow plants.

Creating Curb Appeal

Diane Smith, an educator with the Chicago Botanic Garden, will teach us how to make an attractive home front impression. She will cover the elements of curb appeal, the latest trends in front yard design and share tips and techniques for showing off your unique home features. Diane owns The Perennial Professionals, Inc. a landscape design and installation business for the renovation or installation of new or existing landscapes.

Seed Saving Made Simple

Join a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener to learn how to plan for high-quality seed collection from your garden. This program covers essential techniques, including open pollination, variety isolation, harvesting, and seed storage, ensuring you’re prepared to save the best seeds for future planting. Start planning now to grow and preserve the best for your garden’s future!

Dahlias: Living Fireworks

Dahlia expert Carol Cichorski grows about 500 dahlia plants each year. Mike, her husband, is a past president of the Central States Dahlia Society. Carol shared her passion for dahlias and taught us to how to cultivate our own showy summer display.

Growing Terrific Tomatoes

Mark Lyons, a.k.a. “The Garden Troubadour”, is a master gardener and educator. Nothing compares to the flavor of a fresh, home-grown tomato! Mark will show us all the secrets to successfully grow mouth-watering, tasty garden fruit in our own backyard or container garden.

Gardening for Life

Our home gardens have the potential to benefit the larger ecosystem while providing year-round beauty. This presentation will introduce some ideas from permaculture to help incorporate native plants for biodiversity, manage stormwater, save energy, and more. Our guest speaker, Judy Speer, promotes healthy ecosystems by teaching ecological restoration and permaculture with Small Waters Education, a nonprofit organization based in northern Illinois.

How to Care for Dahlias and Other Tubers Through Fall and Winter

Garden expert, Ken Benson will teach us how to preserve our Dahlias, Cannas, Elephant Ears, and Begonia tubers in Fall through the Winter, so they thrive year after year. Ken is a landscape architect and was the host of cable TV’s Landscaping with Ken Benson (1992-2000). He was also a board member of Chicago Flower and Garden Show 1998-2008.