Northtown Garden Society

	The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other. ~Arthur Rubenstein
	2015 Programs
	Thursday, February 5, 2015 Travelogue to Gardens in Spain and Ireland Members Alice Dunlap-Kraft and Lucy Radycki shared their photos from trips to Ireland and Spain.
	Thursday, March 5, 2015 Siting for Rain Gardens-Attracting Butterflies Speaker: Julia Bunn, landscape designer from the Spirited Gardener, Inc. In March, the NGS listened to a lively presentation by Julia Bunn, a landscape designer with the Spirited Gardener, Inc. She gave a slide presentation which showed her designs of private gardens for residences, condominium association properties. She focused on rain gardens and discussed visually pleasing methods of changing wet and muddy areas into well designed areas by draining water into places where you want it. The results were spectacular. She also discussed plants that attract butterflies and harmonious growing methods using herbs, vegetables, native plants, perennials, shrubs and trees. Thank you, Julia, for the informative and fascinating presentation.
	Thursday, April 2, 2015 Rosehill Nature Center Update Speaker: Tim Czarnecki, 40th Ward Chief of Staff In April, Tim Czarnecki, Alderman Patrick O'Connor's 40th Ward chief of staff addressed members of the NGS to provide an update about the new West Ridge Nature Preserve project at Western and Peterson on the Park District land bought from the Rosehill Cemetery. He said that the pond in the 20.5 acre park was dredged to make a better habitat for the fish the pond will be stocked with. Board walks and crushed gravel pathways are being constructed and hundreds of invasive trees and shrubs have been removed. Much of the landscaping was well underway with plantings to begin in May. Czarnecki said concrete footings to support the boardwalk around parts of the pond have been poured and a crushed-gravel path will be installed to weave through the park. The water tower, which feeds the cemetery's irrigation system, will receive a new coat of paint. The park's advisory council has plans to eventually install a "nature play lot" for children where they can learn about the park's plants and wildlife, which includes deer, coyotes and birds.
	Thursday May 7, 2015 Cottage Garden Designs for the Midwest Speaker, Nina Koziol, enthralled all of us with her photos and ideas for creating a cottage garden in the Chicago area. Her presentation incorporated photos and seedpacket illustrations from cottage gardens in the Victorian era into photos from cottage gardens as they exist today. We learned that the plantings and designs have not really changed that much over the years. Ms. Koziol emphasized that cottage garden design incorporates annuals into perennial and natural plantings to provide color and interest throughout the summer. It's also OK to plant a few vegetables with your flowers.
	Thursday, June 25, 2015 Midsummer Garden Party Once again. Lee Holohan opened her charming garden to all of us for a party. Everyone brought an appetizer or dessert and drinks and we all enjoyed catching up with each other's news.
	Friday, July 17, 2015 Tour of Lurie Gardens, Millenium Park, Chicago On a very hot day, a group of intrepid NGS members and guests enjoyed a tour of the Lurie Gardens learning about its contruction and native plant design. It is hard to believe that this is a rooftop garden. It is a true Chicago treasure.
	Thursday, August 6, 2015 NGS Picnic at Warren Park The good cooks of NGS provided salads and desserts for a catered picnic held on the lawn of the Warren Park Field House. In addition to social time, Eva Mannaberg planned a game with prizes which was enjoyed by all.
	Saturday, August 22, 2015 A Visit to the Kulla Gardens On occasion, urban landscape artist, Roland Kulla, opens his gardens and prepares potluck meals for guests. Taking advantage of this opportunity, a group of NGS members visited his gardens and enjoyed a fine meal. Here is what Mr. Kulla has to say about his gardens: I've got three city lots of garden, about a quarter acre. There are different "rooms". There's a perennial garden, a small prairie installation with native grasses and forbs, an herb garden, a veggie "cloister" surrounded by trellised wine grapes, some larger farm beds, and a small orchard. With all the rain, things are rather lush.
	Thursday, September 3, 2015 Chicago Area Insects and Your Garden Lloyd Davidson, Ph.D., professor and photographer from Northwestern University, delighted us with his presentation of landscape photographs in a variety of venues, as well as his insect and other invertebrate photos. Dr. Davidson has an M.A. in paleontology and a PhD in cell biology and travels extensively with his wife around the world. They focus on wilderness areas and the plants and animals that reside within.
	Thursday, October 1, 2015 This month we featured a Plant and Plant-Related White Elephant Exchange. NGS members brought books, garden furniture, unused tools and other garden objects as well as plants, seeds, and house plants to exchange. A Question and Answer Time followed the exchange providing an opportunity to share our knowledge and experience.
	Thursday, November 5, 2015 The History of Botanical Illustrations, the Scientist as an Artistic Observer. Our guest speaker, Kimberly Pancoast, is a Botanical Illustrator from Lill Street studios. After reviewing the evolution of botanical illustration over the centuries, Ms.Pancoast discussed her work in incorporating live botanic materials into her art work and her studies of using controlled light and humidity and their impact on plant health.
	Thursday, December 10, 2015 Annual Holiday Party A favorite event for NGS members and their spouses was, once again, a roaring success. Thanks to Eva Mannaberg and her committee for putting on another fun evening.
	2014 Programs
	February 6, 2014 The Gardens of England, New Zealand and Morocco Travelogue NGS members Linda Winke and Eileen Kushida shared their photos of gardens taken on recent vacations. Given our bleak and brutal winter, it was refreshing to see green plants and colorful flowers. Eileen shared photos of her 2013 visit to England and the Chelsea Flower Show and Linda shared photos of recent visits to New Zealand and Morrocco.
	March 6, 2014 Functional and Unique Landscape Designs for Small Spaces Ellen Moderhack, a landscape designer, spoke to us about functional design for smaller yards such as we have in the city. She works with her clients to plan their designs for how they want the yard to function and thinks of the yard as outdoor rooms. So there may be a cooking space, a play space a gathering space, a work space, etc. that all flow together just like rooms in a house, each with its own function. She had wonderful slides to illustrate her ideas and showed us several before and after pictures of Chicago yards that she has designed.
	April 3, 2014 Lazy Gardener's Guide to Green Landscaping Our speaker, David Brooks, is the Manager of Conservation Services for the Schaumburg Park District. He oversees the operations of the Spring Valley Nature Center and Heritage Farm. Mr. Brooks spoke about using native plants in landscaping to reduce the amount of watering and the need to weed. His talk was chock full of good information covering natural lawn care (if you must have one), natural pest control and natural landscaping tips and tricks. One method he suggested to control lawn weeds was to apply corn gluten meal in early spring and again in the late summer at the rate of 20 lbs/1,000 sq. feet.
	June 5, 2014 Container Gardening and Incorporating Vegetables in your Flower Garden Susan Fontana, founder of "Thinking Outside the Pot", gave an insightful program about designing pots incorporating vegetables, herbs and groundcovers in the design as well as the standard annuals.
	June 19, 2014 Spring Evening Garden Party and Mini-Garden Walk With the rain holding off until late in the evening, NGS members enjoyed visiting the gardens of other members along Farwell Avenue followed by a party in Lee Holohan's garden and home. We thank garden exhibitors, Linda Winke and Ken Boggs, Ron and Sue Waldron, Natalie Peterson, Mary Oellrich and Ginny Davis for opening their gardens and Lee and Patrick Holohan for hosting the party. The delicious food and drink at the party was supplied by members attending the party.
	August 10, 2014 A Tour of the Wicker Park Gardens and Concert. Doug Wood of the Wicker Park Garden Club (pictured left), gave us a tour of the Wicker Park Gardens discussing the history, design and the various plants. Following the tour, we enjoyed a Symphony Sounds String Quartet concert and shopped at the farmer's market. We are quite appreciative of the work that Doug Wood and his fellow gardeners have done over the years to convert Wicker Park to a living work of art.
	September 4, 2014 Plant Propagation NGS members and Master Gardeners, Eva Mannaberg and Ruth Melulis, demonstrated and discussed propagating indoor and outdoor plants. The types of propagation discussed were: Growing from seed Rooting from growing tip Dividing shoots (pups) from main plant Dividing off-sets (shoots sent thru soil) from main plant Dividing base plant Layering Grafting
	September 13, 2014 Rosehill Cemetery Walking Tour A group of NGS members and their guests enjoyed a tour of the Rosehill Cemetery conducted by a docent of the Chicago Architectural Foundation. Following the tour, the group met at the nearby Fireside Inn for libations. Our thanks go to Sheila Mayol for organizing this event.
	October 2, 2014 Bulb Planting and Plant Exchange Doug Wood, of the Wicker Park Garden Club, delighted us with his insights on planting spring and fall bulbs. Did you know that it's OK to cut back those pesky daffodil leaves a month after blooming even if they are still green? By that time, the energy will have returned to the bulbs so they will flower the following year. We also held our plant exchange allowing members to get a jump on next year's garden.
	November 6, 2014 Sustainable Groceries Speaker, Gregory Berlowitz, the founder of Chicago Market, spoke to us about a new local, sustainable, cooperative grocery store coming to the North Side of Chicago in 2015.
	December 4, 2014 Annual Holiday Party Once again, our Holiday Party, organized by Eva Mannaberg, was a fun-filled and delicious event. The food was excellent and we were entertained by a newly-formed band, The Jug-A-Longs, which is led by NGS member, Ginny Morin. See below for more information about the band. There was a gift drawing including a grand prize of a lovely dried flower arrangement created by NGS members, Lee Holohan and Judy Ishii. Table decorations of citrus seedlings grown by Eva Mannaberg were given away to those who wanted them. We would like to thank DianaLynn Schilz and her staff for preparing the room for us.
	2013 Programs
	February 7: World Gardens - A Travelogue On a snowy, slushy evening, three NGS members who visited gardens in England, Ireland and France in 2012 presented slideshows of their garden tours to an enthusiastic audience. The Gardens of Kent and Chelsea Flower Show in England were shown by Ginny Davis, The National Botanic Gardens of Dublin were shown by Sheila Mayol and The Gardens of France were shown by Arlene Swartzman. It was wonderful to view photos of fabulous gardens to get the gardening juices flowing.
	March 7: History of Chicago Parks Julia Bachrach, Historian for the Chicago Park District, shared the highlights of her book, The City in the Garden, which include how luminaries such as architect Daniel H. Burnham, landscape architect and conservationist Jens Jensen, and social reformer Jane Addams shaped and influenced the city’s green spaces. After the presentation, attendees were able to purchase her book and have the author sign it.
	April 4: Growing Vegetables in Your Garden and Community Gardens LaManda Joy, Founder and President of the Peterson Garden Project, enthralled us all with her presentation on the history of Victory Gardens and her successful effort to promote community gardening in Chicago, By gaining permission to convert empty spaces into community gardens, she has stimulated "city folks" to grow their own food and provide food for distribution to the needy
	May 2: Creating a Sustainable Backyard The Northtown Garden Society and the Northtown Branch Library co-sponsored this well-attended program presented by the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Focusing on composting and rain barrels, our enthusiastic speaker, Sarita Upadhyay, shared the benefits of her experience as well as scientific studies in encouraging everyone to help the environment by composting and saving rain.
	July 11: Dedication of Rose of Sharon Meditation Garden Plaque The Rose of Sharon Meditation Garden in Warren Park was a dream of NGS member, Sharon Walsh. She worked diligently with the Chicago Park District to create a community garden filled with her beloved roses near the field house. Unfortunately, Sharon's untimely death prevented her from seeing her dream become reality. Through the persistence and hard work of NGS members, Sheila Mayol, Eva Mannaberg and their team, the garden was approved and planted in 2011. And, in a rare move by the Chicago Park District, NGS was permitted to name the garden in memory of Sharon. The plaque was designed, crafted and affixed to the rock by NGS member and Roycroft Master Artisan, Frank Glapa. We are grateful to Frank for his hard work and expertise. After a dedication ceremony conducted by Sheila Mayol, we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn with lots of good conversation and bouquets on each table furnished by NGS members from their gardens. Unfortunately, the roses had finished their first bloom prior to the dedication so were not in their full glory for the dedicaton.
	September 7: Tour of the Peterson Garden Project Global Gardens A tour of the Global Gardens led by a PGP volunteer was enjoyed by NGS members. It was good to see a garden of the type that NGS supported this year for a low income family.
	October 3: Food, Natural Cooking and The Healing Power and Energy of Food Steve Nakon, Director of the Yoga and Meditation programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden, gave a most informative presentation on healthy eating and its effects.
	November 7: Starting a Rogers Park Food Co-op Speakers, Jocelyn Gerard and Hannah Walsh, spoke about the advantages of belonging to a food co-op and their efforts to start a bricks and mortar food co-op serving Rogers Park.
	December 5: Annual Holiday Potluck Party With NGS members and spouses/partners joining in on the festivities, the food was fabulous and the conversation sparkling. There was a gift drawing with a basket of goodies created by Lee Holohan and Judy Ishii as the grand prize. We wish to thank Eva Mannaberg and her committee, Audrey Hurwitz, Judy Ishii, Lucy Rydacki, Ginny Davis, Shelly Greenberg, Renee Lundy and Nancy Seyfried, for their hard work. And, we especially want to thank Eva for making the live plant centerpieces which she started rooting last summer. Everyone was able to take a plant home which was much appreciated. We especially wish to thank DianaLynn Schilz and her staff for helping us set up for the party. We also had a special visitor (no, not Santa Claus).... Alderman Silverstein popped in to say "Hello".
	2012 Programs
	February 2: Attracting Birds and Butterflies to the Garden. Speaker, Marian Thill, earned her Master Gardener Certificate from the Chicago Botanic Garden and became a Certified Naturalist through the Morton Arboretum. She is also a Bird Monitor through the Bird Conservation Network. Marian is currently using her vast wealth of knowledge to educate children and adults on how to use native plantings to attract birds and butterflies to local gardens. Marian spoke of the evolution of her gardens which are designed to not only attract a variety of butterflies and birds but to look attractive throughout the year. Photos of Marian's stunning yard revealed "islands" of gardens containing a variety of native plants mixed with an occasional annual or perennial for color or interest.
	March 1: The Care of Your Tree(s) and Plantings in Your Parkway. Speaker Martha Meyer, an NGS member, Master Gardener and TreeKeeper, shared her knowledge and experiences with parkway plantings.
	April 5: Rooftop Gardening. Presented by Beth Martin, a local artist, Master Gardener, TreeKeeper and interior designer focusing on sustainable design. Beth's many creative talents are well-known in the community. One of those talents, rooftop gardening at her home, is relatively new to her but she is approaching it with gusto. In her presentation, Beth spoke about the types and benefits of rooftop gardens, lightweight soils, garden structures, materials used and design safety. She then described the creation of her version of a rooftop garden located on the roofs of her chicken coop and garage. Using Smart Pots™, Woolly Pockets™, and Earth Boxes™, she grows vegetables on the roofs with access via a ladder.
	May 10: Container Gardening. Master Gardener, Dena Anastos, arrived at our meeting armed with soil (her own mixture), planters and plants to demonstrate techniques for making interesting and sustainable outdoor flower pots. Ms. Anastos' rule of thumb for designing a pot is " A Thriller, a Filler and a Spiller". The "thriller" should be a taller, showy plant to take center stage. It is surrounded by plants that are shorter and add color (the fillers) and a plant that will trail over the side of the pot (the spiller).
	July 21: Excursion to Northwind Perennial Farm. On a lovely day, 17 NGS members drove to Burlington, WI to tour the beautiful gardens and attend a lecture at the Northwind Perennial Farms just north of Lake Geneva. The nursery is noted for its wide selection of plants suitable for midwest gardens and unusual garden decor. The demonstration gardens include a Cottage Garden, Water Gardens, a Meadow and Gravel Garden. Our speaker, Ed Lyon, Director of Allen Centennial Gardens in Madison, WI, presented an extremely interesting photo tour of Innovative American Gardens that he has documented in his travels. Many of us returned home with thoughts of redesigning our gardens using unique objects as accents. We were able to use a picnic area on the site to enjoy box lunches provided by a Lake Geneva deli. All in all, it was a good day.
	September 6: Making Hypertufa Pots Demonstration. NGS members, Ginny Davis and Lee Holohan, provided a class and demonstration on making a carved hypertufa planter. On the following Saturday, a workshop for NGS members was held in Ginny's garage during which each person made her own planter. Since this is an activity that gets the creative juices flowing and satisfies the need to play in "mud", everyone had a very good time.
	October 4: Everything You Need to Know About Planting Bulbs. Our guest speaker this evening was Jackie Raffice, a master gardener, master naturalist and founder of Prairie Godmothers, an organization that promotes and designs green solutions.
	November 1: Horticultural Therapy Speaker, Barb Kreski, Director of Horticultural Therapy at the Chicago Botanic Garden, enlightened all of us in describing the uses of nature and gardening to provide for the restoration of physical and mental health in program participants. The CBG program not only manages programs at the garden but also promotes the establishment of programs in the community, provides professional training and offers a free program tailored for veterans.
	December 13: Annual Holiday Potluck Party. Once again, we feasted on wonderful dishes made by NGS members. Eva Mannaberg and her committee did a splendid job decorating the room at Warren Park and making a dried flower raffle gift which was won by Manju and Upendra Desai. Entertainment was provided by local musician, Temple Schultz.
	2011 Programs
	February 10: Jennifer Brennan from The Chalet Nursery and Garden Center spoke on Houseplant Survival: Re-pot, Debug and Fertilize. Jennifer came armed with her microscope, demonstration plants and a supply of useful organic sprays to help control critters and diseases. Using plants from our Green Room, Jennifer was able to show us mealy bugs and scale under the microscope. Ugh!
	March 3: Val Box of GrowTech spoke on the importance of carefully selecting garden tools for healthier, easier and more effective gardening. She demonstrated a variety of pruners and methods for pruning correctly.
	March 26: A Tool Sharpening class sponsored by the Wicker Park Garden Club was offered to members of the NGS. The class was held in the well-equipped basement of Richard Tilley. He and other members of the WPGC oversaw the class and made sure that no one suffered a serious injury. We all brought our tools and learned how to take them apart, sharpen them, clean them and then put them back together with no pieces left over. We all had a good time and afterwards enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant.
	April 7: Jeff Lieder of JL Honey Bee Farms spoke to the group on the topic, Everything You Wanted to Know About...BEES. Although relatively new to beekeeping, Mr. Leider was widely-read and quite knowledgeable. He spoke extensively on the organization and work of bee communities and stressed the importance of bees to nature and our survival. Beekeeping equipment was demonstrated and delicious samples of honey from his hives were available.
	May 4: NGS member, Chris Gent, with the able assistance of fellow NGS member, Ron Waldron, spoke on Designing, Constructing and Maintaining Water Gardens. Both men have experience in building and caring for water gardens in their own and other yards and they shared their experiences with all of us. Chris provided discussion and visual examples of types of ponds and the equipment needed to maintain a healthy environment for plants and fish.
	May 14: Spring Plant Sale. The Northtown Garden Society and Indian Boundary Park Advisory Council joined forces for the first time to hold a large plant sale at Warren Park. Proceeds from the plant sale were split between the two organizations to benefit the gardens at Indian Boundary and Warren Parks. This was a huge undertaking with 600 tomatoes grown from seed, hundreds of donated perennials dug up and repotted, and orders for flats of annuals and hanging baskets placed at a local nursery. Volunteers from both organizations helped water and transport tomato plants, helped on the day before the sale to unload the nursery delivery truck and organize the pre-ordered plants for pick-up and helped on the day of the sale to set up tables and assist customers. In spite of the miserable, cold and rainy weather on the day of the sale, customers showed up and the sale was a success.
	June 16: On a perfect spring evening, The Annual NGS Spring Evening Garden Walk featured gardens along the 2400 to 2700 blocks of Farwell Avenue in Chicago. Fourteen gardens of a variety of styles were shown including the Gent and Waldron water gardens mentioned above. Following the walk, a reception for NGS members and exhibitors was held at the home of board member and exhibitor, Lee Holohan.
	June 26: Tea in Eva's Garden. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, NGS Board member and Master Gardener, Eva Mannaberg and her husband, Walter, opened their garden for tea, hors d'oeuvres and conversation. Eva refers to her garden as "The Garden of RE: ...Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, Redo". Among the plants, vines and shrubs, you may find an old garden gate used as a plant support, a music stand as an easel, metal CD towers holding up cucumbers, wine racks as low fencing or tomato cages and metal bed headboards supporting vines. One plant of interest to all was the prickly pear cactus in full bloom in a garden in Chicago...and it stays out all winter
	July 16: Garden Conservancy Open Days tours. On a sunny but humid Saturday, a group of NGS members and friends spent the day visiting gardens on the Garden Conservancy Open Days program in St. Charles, Il. We visited three spectacular gardens, two of which were designed, planted and maintained by the homeowners. We brought a picnic and were able enjoy our lunch along the Fox River at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Batavia. Coming from the city with our small gardens, it was a treat to see gardens on lots greater than an acre with wooded paths as well as perennial borders
	August 30: NGS members, Ginny Davis and Michael Oster, participated in an Historical Tour of Indian Boundary Park sponsored by the West Ridge Historical Society and the Rogers Park Garden Group. Ms. Davis spoke about the Triangle Garden which is maintained by the NGS. Some of the proceeds from the tour will be donated to the NGS.
	September 15: Dedication of the "Rose of Sharon Memorial Garden" and Jeff Lieder of JL Honey Bee Farm returns with some of his busy friends for another informative session on Bee Keeping.
	October 2: A trip to Gethsemane Garden Center was enjoyed by NGS members where they attended a demonstration of "Fairy Gardens" by Victoria Anderson.
	November 3: After a plant exchange and presentation of the 2012 board, Cozeake Nelson, manager of the New Leaf Urban Gardens in Evanston fascinated all attendees with his story of developing an organic gardening program to teach at-risk children the skills of gardening. This year-round new program is producing vegetables for restaurants and the West End Farmer's Market. His program is associated with Boo Coo Cultural Center and Cafe.
	December 15: Our annual Potluck Holiday Party was held in the Cultural Center at Indian Boundary Park. Once again, the food was wonderful and our entertainment was provided by Bill Buchholtz, a highly-regarded Native American musician from Chicago. Mr. Buchholtz played the piano during our meal and then entertained (and educated) us by playing a variety of native flutes.
	2010 Programs
	February: The Indoor Garden: Selecting, Growing and Nurturing Orchids, Presented by Steve Mayer, horticulturist at the Lincoln Park Conservatory.
	March: Principles of Garden Design. We focused on the design for the Triangle Garden with the help of landscape designer and Director of Educational Programs, Jennifer Brennan, from The Chalet Nursery and Garden Center.
	April: Selecting and Caring for Roses in the Chicago Area. Speaker: Gerri Guerino, President, American Rose Society, Elmhurst chapter.
	May: Vegetable Gardening in Raised Beds and Planters, at the home of Carol Martin, NGS member. Triangle Garden Cleanup at Indian Boundary Park Hands On: Designing Planters for the Patio, at home of NGS member, N. Seyfried..
	June: Annual Spring Evening Garden Walk: The Gardens of Indian Boundary Park and the 2500-2600 Blocks of West Coyle;
	July: A Garden Conservancy Open Days excursion to the Bill Kurtis' Gardens in Mettawa, IL, and a Tour of Elawa Farms. Picnic at Elawa farms.
	August: We were privileged to view the gardens of NGS members, Ruth Melulis and David Fourer. Ms. Melulis is a Master Gardener who experiments with growing a variety of fruits as well as flowers in her yard near the lake. Mr. Fourer is a landscaper who has created a green oasis in his back yard with a large number of trees, shrubs and perennials. Mr. Fourer hosted a reception to honor long-time NGS member, Mary Borke, who was moving to the Seattle area to be with her famiy. We are all going to miss her.
	September: Creating Community Gardens: the Peterson Park Project. Presented by NGS members Maribeth Brewer and Ruth Melulis.
	October: Dirty Hands/Happy Mind: The Psychological Benefits of Gardening. Speaker: Rinda West, a former English professor and current author and landscape designer. Ms West has served on the board of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association and The Landscape Design Association. Her book, Out of the Shadow: Ecopsychology, Story, and Encounters with the Land, was published 2 years ago. Nominations for 2011 Board Members and Fall plant sale and exchange.
	November: Building Your Indoor Garden for Low Light and Higher Light Environments. Speaker: Brian Wave of the Gethsemane Garden Center. 2011 Board Election. Cleanup and Spring bulb planting at Triangle Garden.
	December: Annual Holiday Potluck Party at Indian Boundary Park.
	2009 Programs
	February: Kirsten Akre from the Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse spoke on Organic Vegetable Gardening focusing on smaller gardens. Kirsten's knowledge of and enthusiasm for permaculture, composting, and combining vegetables was inspiring and timely given the advent of a vegetable garden at the White House.
	March: NGS members, Jo Stavig and Ann Glapa, presented slides and discussion on Beautiful Window Boxes All Year Long for a joint meeting of the NGS and West Ridge Bungalow Neighbors. The slides presented photos of planters throughout 3 seasons and the Winter holidays. Tips were presented on selecting the correct window planter for your home, finding new places to put a window box, plant selection and maintenance of container gardens.
	April (Earth Day Event): NGS member, Steve Knoebber, provided a demonstration on Installing and Using a Rain Barrel at the home of another NGS member, Ginny Davis. Steve had prepared for the installation for a week prior to the demonstration so was able show how to plan for an installation, what to do with overflow, how to set up multiple barrels, proper siting for a barrel and building a base for the barrel. Throughout the demo, a light rain fell softly on the participants and the spring flowers in Ginny's garden. After the rain barrel was connected, the weather cooperated by turning into a full-blown thunderstorm and the barrel was filled within an hour; the overflow pipe was functioning as designed. Throughout the summer, Ginny's container plants were happily watered with rain water.
	May: The annual seed and plant exchange was held at Warren Park followed by a brief business meeting.
	June: The Annual Spring Evening Garden Walk was held featuring 15 gardens in the 6400 to 6800 blocks of North Campbell, Rockwell, Maplewood and Talman. Following the walk, refreshments were served in the rose garden of NGS member, Sharon Walsh, to members and exhibitors.
	July: NGS picnic at Indian Boundary Park.
	August: A tour of the Kilbourn Park Organic Gardens was conducted by Kirsten Akre who spoke about the various programs offered by the Chicago Park District at the CPD's only teaching organic greenhouse. Kilbourn Park is notable for it's three park buildings designed by Charles Hatzfield who was also the architect of the field houses at Indian Boundary and Green Briar Parks.
	August: A members-only day viewing Dave Knoebber's dahlia garden, art loft studio and farm in New Buffalo, MI, was enjoyed by several of our members. A dahlia painting created by Dave several years ago as one of the NGS progams on painting flowers was auctioned to NGS members recently. A day enjoying nature and shopping at a local farm stand was appreciated by all.
	September: A members-only tour of Volo Bog and picnic lunch was enjoyed by all participants. Volo Bog, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources site, is located 45 miles northwest of Chicago. It is Illinois' only quaking bog with an open water center. The bog was shaped by glacial activity thousands of years ago.
	October: Business meeting for 2010 Board nominations was held and a panel of NGS members discussed Putting Your Garden to Bed. Mulching leaves to cover the garden was discussed as well as a variety of opinions on cutting back perennials and roses were offered. No agreement was reached on cutting back plants back.
	November: Business meeting and election held. Ideas for programs in 2010 were discussed.
	December: The Annual Holiday Potluck Party was held at the field house of Indian Boundary Park. A garden-related gift grab bag was held. As always, NGS members proved to be not only good gardeners but also good cooks.
	Updated 7/29/16 GD

Northtown Garden Society

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