SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER

  As most of you know. Our Youth committee does a project with the 2nd graders at two of our local schools each year on Earth day.  This year Alice Grygiel and her committee visited Orchard Place and Cumberland. There were 50 children at Orchard Place and 40 at Cumberland.  We talked about the value of worms in our soil and did a project where they can grow lettuce in a bag !  Even the kids who live in a condo or apartment setting can have fun with horticulture.  We left them with a few grade appropriate word search puzzles, a maze and info about Herman the worm.  I received an email from the Principal at Orchard Place thanking us for our time and she stated twice how much the kids enjoyed the project.   Thank you Alice, we are nourishing future gardeners.     

 Each year in May, we co-sponsor a horticulture lecture with our 

Des Plaines Library. . This is the 200th Anniversary of the Olmsted Garden.   You need to register so the Library knows how many chairs to set up.  You can call at 847-376-2788  or log on to their website an register.  We will also be presenting a check to the Library to purchase a new non-fiction book on horticulture

Our youth committee will have a spot at family day.  We will be doing a project with the young kids, ( under 10 )  If you have a few spare hours, please see Alice Grygiel and volunteer to help.

We will leave Frisbie via a luxury motorcoach and spend a day in Wisconsin, visiting a beautiful natural botanical garden, eating lunch and visiting our favorite Milaeger’s garden center. 

 We have room for 53.  

 The Cost for the whole day is only $55.00  transportation, entrance to the garden and lunch.   Feel free to ask a friend to join you. 

You need to mail the form with your choice for lunch and your check to Susan Boyajian  1247 Prairie   Des Plaines, Il  60016 as soon as possible.  Or you can bring it to the meeting on Thursday.  

June 17 and 18    

Taste of Des Plaines  

We will not have a booth at the taste, but please support this community event. 

 July 1st   

Community Fireworks at Oakton College          

 Last year several of us were there to enjoy the fireworks at Oakton.  This is a free family friendly event.  A great kick off to the Fourth of July weekend 202

July 14th

Our Annual Garden Walk   

Join us to view the members gardens that will be on our Des Plaines Garden Club Garden Walk  (more details to follow)  Our Chairman , Donna Mulderink is looking for volunteers to share their gardens.    Please sign up with Donna at the May meeting.

For the first time in several years, we are going to be in the 4th of July parade.   

We have 4 golf carts and a convertible ! 

( the seats are all taken )  We still need walkers to hand out seed packets.  We have contacted several seed companies that were generously sending us seed packets for our use.  

A signup sheet will be on the table at the May 12th General meeting!   

The parade starts at Oakton and Center Street.  Proceeds north on Center to Prairie, turns right one block east and ends at the Des Plaines History Center.  We will have further details regarding arrival time , etc. very shortly.   The city planner is still working out a few details.   This will be fun.  Please wear your garden club t-shirt or a green shirt. 

Mount Prospect Garden Club's annual Spring Luncheon

Wednesday May 11th the Mount Prospect Garden Club will hold their annual Spring Luncheon at the Rob Roy Country Club.   Tickets are $30.00   It will be a plated meal with an entrée choice of Champagne Chicken or Pasta Primavera.  We will send in one reservation from our club as we can all sit together.  If you are interested in attending, please bring your check for $30.00 made payable to the 

Mount Prospect Garden Club to our April meeting on April 14th. 

Des Plaines Garden Club General Meeting.  

We will recognize all our officers and committee chairmen.  Louise and Jan will also be giving last minute instructions and help for our 

PLANT SALE ON SATURDAY OF THAT SAME WEEK. 

8:30 TO NOON.    THIS IS OUR ANNUAL PLANT SALE.  

Our plant sale in one of two fund raisers we hold each year.  It will take all of you to be involved to make it a success.  We will set up again this year like a farmers market.  If you plan on donating and selling plants from your yard make sure you are transplanting them to small containers soon, so they have plenty of time to look great on May 14th.  If you are not selling, we will need lots of help, directing customers, manning the yard  ornament table, helping carry plants to the check out station, bagging up the purchases, helping carry boxes to their cars, etc.  We need some of you to arrive shortly after 7:30 to help put up signs, etc.  Lots of hands makes for a great day.

Our Club will co-sponsor an evening at the Library at 7 PM

Detaills to follow

SATURDAY  JUNE 4TH   FAMILY DAY AT LAKE PARK     We will be doing a youth project.   We need 5-7 volunteers.

Join us for a tour of the 

Boermer's Botanical Garden in Wisconsin 

TASTE OF DES PLAINES  

We will be doing a youth project near the Historical Society on Saturday  2-4 .  We will need 5-7 volunteers. We will be doing a youth project near the Historical Society on Saturday  2-4 .  

We will need 5-7 volunteers. 

Happy Birthday America.   We will be participating in the Des Plaines Parade.  We need volunteers to walk along with the Golf Carts to hand out seed packets to the adults.  All the spaces on the golf carts are spoken for.  The route is Oakton and Center   to  Center and Prairie.  If you can’t participate in the parade, please plan to attend and cheer us on as we pass by.

NOTE ~ Friday  July 1st ~ KICK off the Fourth 

Fireworks at Oakton Community College.

  Join us to view the members gardens that will be on our Des Plaines Garden Club Garden Walk  (more details to follow) 

Our Chairman , Donna Mulderink is looking for a few volunteers to share their gardens.   

Please sign up with Donna at the April meeting.

GCI will be hosting a flower show August 5th. at the Chicago Botanical Garden.  If you submit an entry you will be given a free entry for the day.

Our First General club meeting for 2022-2023   will  be 

Thursday  September 8th.    

Speaker to be announced.   Save the date   

Our Annual Fall Luncheon and Fund Raiser. 

Details to follow

NOTE: You must also wear a mask at all times.  

Please plan to arrive about 9:30 so we can start our business meeting right on time.  We are also going to be able to have our raffle table again. Maybe you received too many candles for Christmas,  you have a valentine decoration you no longer use, you want to share a house plant, you have a good book you’re finished with, etc.   You may bring 2 items if you wish to donate for the raffle.  These are either new or gently used items you no longer need.  The raffle tickets are $1 or 6 for $5.  Keep in mind, Louise or Jan, our Ways and Means Co-chairs may look at the items on the raffle table and remove something they feel would make a great start to a raffle basket for our fall event.  

Our program for our February meeting willl be a presentation of the National Parks by James Rowan.  He will be showing us some of our great national parks.  

I know I am ready to plan a road trip soon !!!!!!!

Harold will be doing the Horticulture lecture this month.  His presentation will be on how you can force some of your spring blooming trees and shrubs to bloom now !  He will have some of his beautiful pussy willow branches for sale to benefit the garden club. 

We will also be collecting food for our local food pantry.  They are especially in need of regular size creamy peanut butter.  If you are able, please bring your donation to our meeting.  Thank you in advance.   

We asked you to save commemorative stamps.   Any stamp except Christmas or the flag stamps.  Please bring your stamps and give them to Marylyn Wouda.

 Also if you have been saving those aluminum pull tabs please bring them to Susan Boyajian.  it.

Live in person 

 GCI CONVENTION   MONDAY  APRIL 25th  in Lisle Illinois.  

note the meeting starts at 8:30 AM in Lisle Illinois.  They serve sweets and Coffee before the meeting convenes.  There is a business meeting , then they give out the 2021 awards. After the award , Dr. Trent Ford will speak on climate change.  There is a short break between the morning meeting and lunch which gives you time to look at the vendors and also purchase raffle basket tickets.  After lunch Noel Luchinski, who is 4th generation florist in Glen Ellyn will present the floral design program.  

District IX  ANNUAL MEETING  TUESDAY  MARCH 8TH.   This will be a virtual meeting.  The logon starts at 9:45 so the District board can start the business meeting promptly at 10 AM.  After the business portion, awards will be given out, and then our Speaker  Katie Ford will present the floral design portion.  Katie is rather new to the designers circuit. 

The business meeting and floral presentation are open to all members of District IX clubs in good standing.  There is no charge to attend the meeting. RSVP today: You must register for this meeting. 

EARTH DAY  April 22nd.    I will contact the school district this week to see if we can do an in-person presentation to the 2nd graders.  Details to follow. 

COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN NEEDED.   

We need someone to volunteer to be our environmental chairman.  If our planet is your passion , please volunteer to chair this committee.  In the past, the chairman gave us a monthly helpful hint on how we could help our environment.  Example ; Did you know the black trays your meat purchases come on from the grocery store are not recyclable ?  They belong in your regular garbage not your recycle bin.  Easy committee  Please let me know if you would be interested in chairing this committee.   

  August event for our Garden Club-    Neighbors helping Neighbors 

I am sure you are all aware of the need to keep our local food pantry well stocked during these uncertain times.  We usually schedule three different meetings during the year for our members to bring a bag of groceries to donate to our local Self Help food pantry.  However with the unusual year we have had, our donations have fallen by the wayside.  The need is still very critical. If you would just add one or two items to your weekly trips to the store between now and August 6th you will have a few bags of groceries to donate to a very worthwhile cause.   On Friday August 6th from 10 AM to 11 AM you can drive by the entrance to the self help pantry and a group of us will be there to accept your donations.  A list of what is most needed is in your yearbook on page 21.  

They can also accept your home grown produce.  

The self help pantry is located at 769 Holiday Lane in Des Plaines.  Right off of 83 between Oakton and Algonquin.  While you are there you can see the two new planters we purchased.  

Joanie Kaiser Kline and Eve Arena planted them and 

they are doing quite nice. 

 THURSDAY   NOVEMBER 11TH  ~ 11AM   OUR  90TH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON AND FUND RAISER. 

CALL A FRIEND AND BRING THEM ALONG.  LET’S MAKE THIS OUR BEST EVENT YET !  

We have reserved two rooms for this year’s luncheon. With no fund raising effort last year, we need to pack the room.   We will have a plated meal with your choice of three entrée’s.  Of course raffle baskets, the big board of gift certificates and gift cards, a silent auction , our famous bake sale and Kim Hartmann will be there to show us how to create wonderful holiday floral arrangements.  Louise will be taking reservations very shortly.  The reservation form needs to be filled out with a meal choice for each guest, and then mailed with your check.  All the details will come out in our August Newsletter.   We will have forms available at our September meeting. 

It takes a team to be successful.  We have a great team of volunteers for all our events.   Please join me in Thanking the following individuals for our recent good times.

Registration is due by Wednesday, July 21 for our virtual Summer Meeting scheduled for Monday, July 26 at 10 a.m .  

Go to our website, gardenclubsofillinois.org and click on calendar” in the menu bar.  Scroll on down to the bottom and click on the “Click here to download registration forms!”  There is no fee for this event.  We will have a brief business meeting followed by a presentation about the Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield, and then a program about recycling by SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education).  Lincoln Memorial Garden is almost ready to break ground on the Children’s Woodland Garden and it is a beautiful place to visit.  Many garden clubs have invited SCARCE, an award-winning environmental education non-profit, to educate their members and we think that you will enjoy and learn from this program, too. No password is needed to register, 

Our 90th  Birthday Party was a huge success.  

Thank you to Susan Boyajian for all her hard work planning a great afternoon.  

If you have not been on our website, Desplainesilgardenclub.com , please go there today and check out the photos.  Everyone joined in the celebration by wearing our best finery just like the ladies in 1931 in our cherished photo of that first birthday party. We played a trivia game and some lucky winners left with a door prize.  

Thank you to Lana and Rich Gernady for the lovely centerpiece.