July 2026

Crafting Herbal Summer Mocktails

A masterclass demonstrating how to make simple syrups and herb extractions to craft a myriad of herb flavored and scented alcohol-free mocktails. This hands-on masterclass dives into the art of herbal mocktails, demonstrating how to make simple syrups, herb extractions, and bitters to elevate your hosting game. Reinventing party punches with herbal ingredients, and mixing classic mocktails like martinis, fizzes, and sours.

Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh is a seasoned herbalist, culinary artist, and educator with a passion for promoting the use of herbs in everyday life. Marcy founded Backyard Patch Herbs, a hub for herbal education, artisanal blends, and the celebration of nature's bounty.

Rain Barrels and Simple Composting

Around 40% of total household water used during the summer is for watering lawns and gardens. Lower your water bill, reduce the volume of stormwater and protect your yard and home using low cost simple to install rain barrels. Composting our kitchen scraps and yard waste reduces the amount of material going to landfills and instead returns nutrients to the soil by adding organic matter to our garden beds. Beth Peluse from the Conservation Foundation will educate us on having a thriving garden habitat while reducing maintenance costs and improving our environment.

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.