The Master Gardener picnic indeed! It was a rousing success! A very special thank you to MG Lou Horton and his wife for hosting our first ever MG Picnic. Walking their beautiful property, enjoying the flowing gardens of hostas, lilies, etc, sitting under towering oaks, learning about exotic ducks and hosta propagation, watching MG's mingle, eat, and rock on the swing, all made me realize just how lucky I am- what a special group of people you are--I'm so happy and proud to be a part of it-even though the weather forecast said hot, hot, hot, the summer breeze, low humidity, shade of the oaks and the Horton hospitality all insured a most enjoyable and comfortable day.

And to think you kept that secret birthday bash from me too-I was so surprised-you are really something! I know I will always look back on this benchmark birthday with wonderful feelings – thank you to each of you for making it so special for me.

Several of you mentioned you would like to do a picnic each year. How about it? Let me know if you think this is a good idea!

"Squirmin' Herman" Worm Program Update: We ended the school year on a high note with presentations at two brand new sites. The worm team did a program at Hillside Elementary School in Downers Grove, thanks to one of our new MG Interns Maggie Mikolajczak. Also, a program was presented at St. Mary's School in West Chicago. As a follow-up, we have developed an evaluation form to be filled out by the teachers. The evaluations have been very positive. Some of the remarks were: "The Master Gardeners were outstanding. They were well prepared and kept the children interested"; "The game was fabulous!"; "The kids loved having their own worms to observe"; "We will schedule for next year" and most of all "Thank YOU!" Some of the teachers have already sent dates for scheduling next year.

Thanks to all of the Master Gardeners on the "Worm Team" for doing such an outstanding job.

IL State Master Gardener's Convention: The 2005 IL State Master Gardener Convention will be held Sept 22^nd – 24^th in Collinsville, IL (outside St. Louis). Registration information will be in the July-Aug. issue of the Imagine newsletter

Help Desks: Thanks to all of the MGs who are working at "Help Desks" this summer. Through June we will have provided 29 Help Desks at various locations throughout DuPage County (a record) and over 1,000 brochures have been distributed. We haven't had to deal with rain, but the lack of rain brings problems of its own! Keep up the good work of spreading the word about University of Illinois Extension and our horticulture program.

Volunteer work: We are over the halfway mark for this program year, and as we develop the remaining quarter's schedule, we are reviewing each MG's volunteer report. We are scheduling people based on their need and availability.

MG hours: Please! Turn in your volunteer hours as soon as possible. I have a report to do in mid July, and I need all your volunteer hours to date for this year. Also, keep in mind it's very hard on Joan if everyone waits until the last minute to turn in all the hours.

MG Picnic: Don't forget to turn in your volunteer hours for this event. Include your travel time and prep time for any food, beverage, organizing, etc. All of it counts since it could not have been done without all of those details. Thank you for making it such a great day.

Help our 4-Her's: Can you help us make this year's 4-H Fashion Revue picture perfect? The 4-H Clothing Committee is designing a beautiful garden setting as the backdrop for this event. The committee is looking for an arbor (2-sided arch) that one or two people could walk through as they model their fashions. They are also looking for potted plants that could decorate the stage. We would like to borrow these items for Wednesday, July 20 and, if possible for Sunday, July 31. Please contact Christina Foster our Youth Development Educator here at our office if you can help.

Calling all Artists and Designers: We are in need of a logo for our International MG Coordinators Conference. University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension will be jointly sponsoring this national (hopefully international) event which will bring state and local coordinators from all over the country to Illinois. The conference will be held June 28- July 1^st, 2006 at the Lisle/Naperville Hilton. Susan is on the Steering Committee. Our slogan is "Roots of the Past...Ideas for the Future"
Please send your logo ideas to Susan Grupp by July 18 so they can be forwarded to the State office.

The word photography means "writing with light". Finding the best light to show off your garden is key to picture perfect. The best light can be found in the mornings, evenings, and overcast days. By taking the picture during these timeframes the light looks longer, creating shadows and enhancing the colors of your subject. In contrast, pictures taken in the brightest light, at noon, actually wash out the intense color you're trying to capture. Hence the saying "timing is everything".

There are other elements to picture perfect. Obviously, any picture of your garden can be beautiful. We have all experienced beauty with our eyes, but when we try to capture that beauty on camera it's sometimes disappointing. After choosing your subject, start with framing. Framing is looking thru the camera lens and seeing what the camera sees. When you're looking thru the lens envision a Tic-Tac-Toe grid. A perfectly centered subject makes for a very uninteresting shot. Instead, place your subject on one of the cross lines of your Tic-Tac-Toe grid. It's more interesting to see a garden bursting out of the frame than it is to see a lone flower stranded in the middle of no-man's land.

Framing your picture perfect garden can be easy. Use your own garden design to guide your picture framing. Paths draw your eyes in to wander thru the picture, while dark branches help to frame. Leaves can be used to point to the beauty of the flower. If your garden is small, take close-ups. If your garden is too large for one photo, take a panoramic shot by piecing a couple of photos together. Once the lighting and the framing is set, picture perfect is a breeze.

Now all you have to worry about are those pesky shutter-bugs.

Willowbrook Wildlife Center Butterfly Garden

The butterfly garden at Willowbrook Wildlife Center is a favorite project of beginning Master Gardeners because it is one that requires lots and lots of volunteer hours!

This labor of love came about in 2002. The Extension office approached the DuPage Forest Preserve District about a joint project, hoping to develop a working relationship with the District. After many meetings, the decision was made to redevelop an area previously used as a butterfly garden at Willowbrook. Its main purpose was to instruct the public in such a way that would inspire them to try butterfly gardening themselves. The Forest Preserve District received a grant to go ahead with the project and Extension offered input and agreed to provide Master Gardeners to maintain the area.

The garden has four featured areas: the butterfly garden, an enabling garden, a water garden, and a woodland shade garden.

You enter the butterfly garden through an arbor planted with bittersweet and clematis. The garden itself is directly in front of you and includes annuals and perennials (some from Master Gardeners' own gardens!) The perennials include asters, iron weed, swamp milkweed, peonies, and, of course, butterfly bushes. This area looks different every year as some of these plants self sow to new places. Annual plantings of both seeds and bedding plants were planted in the spring. A shallow dish of moist sand is available for the butterflies to drink in both moisture and minerals. Stones are placed within the plantings for the butterflies to sun themselves.

An enabling garden is to the left of the entrance and features herbs. This garden allows visitors who use wheelchairs, walkers etc. to enjoy the sights and smells of an herb garden up close and within reach. Containers of annuals that attract butterflies are situated near this accessible garden.

A water garden is off to the right and features moving water, discouraging mosquitoes. Joe Pye Weed, irises and grasses afford shelter and beauty to this area. A woodland shade garden completes the picture with areas to shelter butterflies for the night. Hostas, bleeding hearts, wild ginger, and other woodland shade plants create a cooling retreat.

Now in the garden's third year, the soil has been much improved by the addition of mulch and compost, according to Pam Kowalczyk, Team Leader for this season. This made spring cleanup and planting much easier overall. Pam has a large team of volunteers to schedule, and there is much to do! During the heat of the season Master Gardeners are watering the garden and containers every other day, on average. Scheduled in two-hour shifts in the early morning, the team keeps a lookout for weeds, disease, and infestations as they occur. Later in the season deadheading becomes more important to keep the garden looking tidy.

The hard work of the Master Gardeners has been recognized: on September 9, 2004, at the Illinois State Master Gardener convention, the Butterfly Education Garden Team project won the Master Gardener Teamwork Award.

If you're in the Glen Ellyn area, come visit! Willowbrook is located at the intersection of Park Blvd. and 22^nd. There will certainly be butterflies–and maybe some Master Gardeners–there to greet you!

- By Debbi Heinze

Water Lilies are available in many colors and sizes. You can buy day-blooming varieties that are either hardy or tropical. You can also get night-blooming tropical lilies. The biggest consideration is how big they get or leaf spread.

Tropical varieties can be wintered over in conditions similar to Cannas, but most people treat them as annuals and add them to the compost pile in the fall. Hardy lilies can be dropped down below the freeze line for the winter. Care during the growing season consists of removing the spent leaves and flowers and feeding once a month or so.

Smaller varieties can be used in container water gardens that can go on a patio or a deck. Some suggestions are as follows:

Helvola-A day-blooming hardy lily with yellow flowers and mottled foliage. This has a leaf spread of 1 to 2 feet.

Aurora-A day-blooming hardy lily with mottled foliage and flowers that open yellow and change to a burgundy shade by the third day of bloom. It has a leaf spread of 1 to 3 feet.

Colorata-A tropical day-blooming lily with purple-blue flowers and a leaf spread of 2-3 feet.

- by Pat Kosmach

In July the highlight of my garden is the daylily, which provides several weeks of wondrous color. While July is the most common time for daylilies to bloom, there are varieties that bloom in May, June, August, and even September. There are also varieties, like 'Stella d'Oro', "The Candy Series; (e.g. Strawberry Candy, Blackberry Candy, Custard Candy, etc.) and 'Happy Returns' that bloom on and off throughout the summer.

Many people say that the daylily is an easy, carefree perennial. It's true that daylilies aren't terribly finicky about soil conditions, moisture, or light, but the term "carefree" can be a little misleading. While the daylily is not a demanding plant, there certainly is maintenance to consider. Spent flower blooms hang on the plant like "wet socks". I deadhead these spent blooms in order to keep my plants looking their best. Removal of spent blooms can be tedious; daylilies are fairly heavy bloomers, although each individual bloom lasts only one day. Aside from appearance, removing spent blooms also prevents the spent flowers from forming seed and encourages the plant to bloom over a longer period of time. Additionally, the foliage on some daylilies has a tendency to flop after blooming and can look pretty messy. This is easily solved (after the plant is done blooming) by cutting the foliage back to about 6 inches tall - some people even recommend cutting them all the way back to the ground. In any case, new leaves sprout almost immediately and within a few weeks the new foliage is fully developed and lush in appearance. I plant most of my daylilies behind bushy, shorter plants and this helps to hide the "cut back" foliage while waiting for it to redevelop. The daylily suffers from few diseases or pests, although rust can be a problem. This disease appears as bright yellow spots that turn into orange or rust-colored pustules on the underside of daylily leaves and looks rather unsightly. Some people treat their daylilies with a fungicide – after removing the diseased foliage. I don't use chemicals and so I simply remove the diseased foliage and dispose of it by throwing it in the garbage – not on the compost pile. This method seems to work well for me. It is also recommended that you do not grow the plant Patrina, in the same garden with daylilies, as Patrina is the alternate host to daylily rust. When possible, it's best to purchase daylilies from sources that state their plants are "rust-free". Unfortunately there are only a handful of nurseries that offer this guarantee. To learn more about daylily rust you can visit Sue Bergeron's website at http://www.ncf.ca/~ah748/rust.html Bergeron's educational webpage provides a wealth of information on daylily rust, methods of treatment and identification of the disease. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing daylilies for our zone; stay with those described as "dormant" or "semi-evergreen". The "evergreen" daylilies as a whole, are less hardy and generally do not fair well in our cold climate.

Despite the challenges of keeping daylilies well groomed, I do think daylily flowers are lovely and I wouldn't want to be without them in my garden. I depend on daylilies to help create that "in-full-bloom" look in the garden, especially during the month of July. Below is a list of a few of the show-stoppers in my garden:

'Barbara Mitchell': 'Barbara Mitchell' was my first daylily and is still my favorite. Barbara Mitchell has diamond dusted, soft peachy pink, fragrant flowers of perfect form. She is always near the top in the AHS Popularity Polls and winner of many awards including the highest achievement a daylily can receive; the Stout Medal. She is also a long bloomer in my garden,

'Ed Murray': This daylily has been around for many years; since 1971; but it is still considered one of the best red daylilies. It always makes the Popularity Poll and is also a Stout Medal Award winner. 'Ed Murray' has velvety and ruffled, sun fast, 4" dark red-flowers with a lime-green throat. It is a vigorous daylily with a high bud count and looks great with other burgundy flowering plants. I love the combination of Ed Murray, Lysmachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny), Alchemilla mollis, and Knautia in my "honeymoon garden".

'Little Grapette': This is one of my favorites for its deep plum colored flowers, neat habit and short stature. I use it towards the front of the border in my Honeymoon Swing area were it blends beautifully with drumstick allium, knautia, and Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' along with the chartreuse flowers of Alchemilla, the blue flowers of Campanula porscharskyana and Campanula cashmeriana 'Blue Cloud' and the burgundy foliage of Acer dissectum 'Garnet'. 'Little Grapette' looks stunning combined with chartreuse foliaged plants, but looks equally beautiful with pink flowering Monarda 'Marshall's Delight'. 'Little Grapette' stands 12-15" tall and begins blooming its 2" purple flowers in late June throughout July.

'Gentle Shepherd': Pure white daylilies may be the most sought after of all daylily colors. Most daylilies described as white will show hints of pink or yellow in their color. I am still on the hunt for the truest, purest white (and a true pink, for that matter), but 'Gentle Shepherd' comes about as close to a pure white daylily as I have ever seen. I love 'Gentle Shepherd's large flowers with ruffled white petals and a pale lime green throat. This lovely daylily blooms in early mid-season, growing about 30 inches tall with 5 inch blooms. It has won several awards, including the Junior Citation, Honorable Mention, and the Award of Merit.

'James Marsh': 'James Marsh' is a wonderful red daylily, arguably the best red daylily. It is named after 'James Marsh' who developed the "Chicago" series of daylilies, which includes 'Prairie Blue Eyes' (a lovely lavender color) and 'Chicago Apache' (another gorgeous red) to name just a few. There was also an award named after this illustrious hybridizer; the James E. Marsh Award. This award was presented annually to the most outstanding purple or lavender daylily cultivar.

'Ming Porcelain': With large, fragrant pinky-peach blooms and a green throat, this may well be my favorite "pink" daylily of all time - second only to Barbara Mitchell. In short, it is exquisite. Growing approximately 28" tall it has nice foliage that holds up well all season and has won several awards including the Junior Citation, Honorable Mention, and Award of Merit. Ming Porcelain is one of the few "evergreen" daylilies that are truly hardy to our zone.

'Pardon Me': Another wonderful red daylily with beautiful, rich ruby red flowers that are also mildly fragrant. 'Pardon Me' grows to about 18 inches tall and blooms in mid-summer.

'Penny's Worth': Penny's worth is a charming little daylily with 1.5" soft yellow flowers and grass-like foliage. It has an extended bloom period; blooming on and off for most of the daylily season. Since it is such a tiny plant (only 10" tall) it is always neat in appearance and is an ideal plant for the front of the border. The pleasing yellow color of 'Penny's Worth' allows it to blend beautifully with just about any flower color, but it looks especially fetching with true pink, blue, or purple flowers.

'Strawberry Candy': I really like 'Strawberry Candy', a floriferous, long blooming daylily. 'Strawberry Candy' is often described as: A strawberry pink blend with a rose red eye-zone, with a rose-red picotee edge and a golden green throat. In my garden it is really more a peachy red color rather than pink, but is nonetheless a beautiful flower. Of note, it has been suggested that the color of 'Strawberry Candy' may be dependent on soil pH. Those with neutral to acid soils will see more "pink" colored blooms while those with higher pH soils will have blooms more on the orangey side. I have also noted that in shady areas the color is a more pronounced pink than in full sun. 'Strawberry Candy' stands about 26" tall and is an early to mid-season, re-blooming daylily. It makes the American Daylily Society's Popularity Poll every year and is a Stout Silver Medal Winner. You might consider planting it with red roses to highlight Strawberry Candy's eye zone and add purple or blue flowering perennials for contrast. In my garden 'Strawberry Candy' is a cantaloupe color and blends nicely with any flowers of peach or soft pink, contrasted by purple/blue flowers like those of Platycodon (Balloon Flower). This year I am going to move my 'Strawberry Candy' plants to the west bed to replace 'Stella D'Oro'. I'm hoping that 'Strawberry Candy' will really shine there; highlighting the flowers of my deep purple Salvia 'May Night' and Clematis 'Jackmanni' that bloom at the same time.

'Swirling Water': 'Swirling Water' has huge (almost 7") blooms of violet with a yellow eye and creamy white midribs. This daylily is truly eye catching and looks wonderful planted with vibrant pinks, lavender, and ruby red blooming perennials. 'Swirling Water' grows to about 22" tall and is an early mid-season bloomer and winner of the Junior Citation and Honorable Mention awards.

'Wineberry Candy': 'Wineberry Candy' is new to my garden, so this year will be the first time I will see it blooming. It is described as having Soft orchid pink petals with a vibrant violet-purple eye zone and green throat. As with most of the "Candy" series of daylilies, 'Wineberry Candy' is touted as a re-bloomer. I'm becoming rather fond of the "Candy Series" of daylilies; in fact I plan to try 'Orchid Candy' and 'Elegant Candy' in the future. 'Raspberry Candy', 'Custard Candy', and 'Blueberry Candy' are other highly acclaimed daylilies in this series. The "Candy Series" of daylilies is proclaimed for excellent garden performance and floriferous blooms in lovely colors with wonderful contrasting eye zones. In addition, they are said to be reliable re-bloomers, another reason this daylily series is becoming so popular.

If you would like to learn more about daylilies, The American Hemerocallis Society has a wealth of information at their website (www.daylilies.org). The AHS also provides a list of award winning daylilies and I often refer to that list when selecting daylilies There are several winning categories, but the Stout Silver Medal is the highest award given through the AHS. In order to be honored with this award a daylily cultivar must have received the Award of Merit for at least 3 years in a row prior to receiving the Stout Silver Medal. Since 1990, 'Fairy Tale Pink', 'Betty Woods', 'Barbara Mitchell', 'Siloam Double Classic', 'Janice Brown', 'Neal Berry', 'Wedding Band', 'Always Afternoon', 'Strawberry Candy', 'Custard Candy', 'Elizabeth Salter', and 'Ida's Magic' have all been so honored. I also refer to The Daylily Popularity Poll (done every year) through the AHS. Gardeners throughout the United States nominate their favorite daylily. The nominations are tabulated, with the "favorites" listed in descending order of "most votes".

In conclusion, I would like to clear up a little misnomer regarding the daylily. Many people refer to the Hemerocallis as a "lily", but in fact the daylily shares little in common with Lilium (the only true lily). Daylilies bloom on stalks arising from fans of basal, long, strap-like leaves. Blooms come in every color, except true blue. Each daylily blossom lasts for only one day; hence the name daylily. Lily (Lilium) blooms arise from stems that have simple, linear leaves running up the length of the stem. Each bloom can last for many days to a few weeks. Lily blooms also come in every color, except true blue. Only members of the Lilium family are true lilies. Taxonomically speaking, lilies and daylilies are not really related; the daylily comes from the Hemerocallidaceae family and the lily comes from the Liliaceae family.

- by Eileen Kostock

It is a given that Master Gardeners love gardening, so it is predictable that they would be attracted like hummingbirds to a trumpet vine when a new tool appears that promises gardening nirvana.Even so, it was surprising to see all the Master Gardeners at the Graue Mill Restoration project actually queue up just to try out a new hoe.And that happened after quitting time under a relentlessly blazing sun.

The most unique feature of the stirrup hoe is the six-inch wide double-edged blade that slices both on the push stroke and on the pull stroke, doing its job in half the time.Also, because it cuts coming and going,itspares one the effort of constantly raising the hoe to get it back to a starting position.

Another excellent featureis the upward curve of the blade. It allowsfor getting intotight spots between plantsto clear outswaths as narrow as two inches wide simply by tilting theblade to the left or right.

Have you ever given in to an impulsive weeding urgeonly to end up ruining your clean shoes? The 55" long handle allowsyou to reach six feet into the garden without puttingyour foot into the soil. You'll have no dirty dirt on your shoes and the good earth will thank youfor not compacting it.

The blade cuts into the soil about one-half inch deep with minimal pressure,just enough to eliminate little weeds for good. If you are on a safari for jungle-sized weeds the stirrup hoe can make your beds look better quickly in time for company, but your unwanted guests will probably return after the party.

The general consensus of the Master Gardenerswas very positive,especially for the quick workthe hoe made of weeding the rows of grain (which are coming along beautifully). One intern vowed not to return home without one.

- By Marti Travelli

July

General

• Monitor for insects and disease. Early management is best.
• Don't let weeds go to seed. " A year of seedling equals 7 years weeding."
• During droughty weather, water deeply and thoroughly. Avoid light sprinkling.
• Provide water in the garden for the birds. Change water frequently to avoid mosquito problems and remove stagnant water.
• Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. Forceful water sprays or insecticidal soap can be effective control.
• Compost – check moisture.

Flowers

• Check potted plants. Some might require watering 2 or 3 times per day in hot, dry weather.
• Fertilize container plantings with water-soluble fertilizer.
• Fertilize annuals and perennials if needed (last Rose feed).
• Pinch leggy annuals.
• Deadhead spent flowers.
• Renew organic mulches if necessary.
• Prune climbing and rambler roses after blooming.
• Stop pinching garden mums by 4^th of July.
• Divide Oriental poppies as foliage withers, if needed.
• Divide and transplant iris, if needed.

Veggies/Fruits & Herbs

• Harvest vegetables, fruits and herbs frequently. Picking encourages plants to produce more and decreases insects and disease.
• Plant more beans, beets, carrots and onion bulbs (for green onions).
• Plant collards, kale, mustard and rutabagas for fall harvest.
• Remove flower heads from garlic to promote larger bulbs.
• Stake, tie up or remove fallen tomato plants.
• Harvest garlic when tops turn brown.
• Harvest onions two days after tops fall over. Dry in cool, out of sun location for two additional weeks.
• Blossom-end rot of tomatoes and peppers occurs when soil moisture is uneven. Water deeply when soils begin to dry; maintain a 2-3 inch layer of mulch.
• Set out transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for a fall crop.
• Dig potatoes if vines are yellowing.
• Inspect all crops, including tomatoes, for aphids.
• Inspect for diseases.
• Pick early tomatoes.
• Harvest first sweet corn of season (16-20 days after tasseling).

Lawn

• Mow and water as necessary. Mow lawn at 2 ½ - 3 inches.
• Decide if lawn will be irrigated adequately to keep from going dormant. Do not bring cool season grasses in and out of dormancy by watering sporadically.
• Monitor lawns for newly hatched white grubs. If damage is occurring apply appropriate controls, following product label directions.
• Preventative grub control should be applied around July 4.
• Check for sod webworm (moths flying ahead of mower). Treat if needed.

Trees & Shrubs

• Water newly planted trees and shrubs.
• If rain or dew occurs frequently, continue scab control on susceptible trees.
• Prune out diseased stems in yellow and red dogwoods.
• Continue spray programs for fruit trees if needed. Do not spray if temperatures will go over 90 degrees and discontinue spraying two weeks prior to harvest.

August

General

• Continue watering, weeding and pest monitoring.
• Remove dead or diseased plants from the vegetable and flower gardens.
• Powdery mildew on flowers, trees, shrubs, lawns and vegetables should be ignored. Late summer infections generally cause defoliation and death of plants only a few days to weeks less than frost normally does.

Flowers:

• Deadhead spent flowers.
• Do not fertilize roses and other perennials after August 1.
• Order spring flowering bulbs for fall planting.
• Dry flowers from your garden for year round enjoyment in arrangements or wreaths.

Veggies/fruits & Herbs:

• Pull onions two days after tops fall over and cure onions in a dry place for 2 weeks before storing.
• Sow seeds of beans, beets, spinach and turnips now for fall garden. Spinach may germinate better if the seeds are refrigerated for one week before planting.
• Plant greens, lettuce, kohlrabi, carrots and radishes for fall harvest.
• Continue harvesting.
• Destroy all vine crops infected with bacterial wilt.
• If potatoes were planted in late spring, potato vines should be dying (yellowing). Dig potatoes.
• When buds form on Brussels spouts, remove lower leaves. Taller plants with more sprouts should occur.
• Cut herbs for drying.
• Prune fruit trees if needed.
• Check pears for signs of maturity. Pick pears when they are still somewhat immature and store in basement to ripen.

Lawn

• Continue to scout for grubs. Peel back sod. More than 8-12 grubs per square foot can cause death of turf.
• Establish or renovate turf by seed (Northern Illinois August 15 – September 7). Prepare soil properly and get good seed to soil contact. Select turf mixes and blends appropriate to site and to maintenance practices.
• Continue watering lawn regularly if you want to keep it green.

Trees & Shrubs

• Continue to water as needed.
• Watch Scotch and Austrian pines now for Zimmerman pine moth damage.
• Prune out diseased stems in yellow and red dogwoods.

Remember to rest frequently while gardening and keep hydrated in these warm summer months! Enjoy!!!

- By Rosemary Sedlak

If you have an event you want everyone to know about, please contact Deb McCullough. I need the info one week before material is due in the office.

Many of these events require advance registration and/or fees. For more information or directions to these locations, please call them...

July 9-10: Chicago Botanic Gardens –

Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society Show & Sale
Sat. Noon – 4:30 pm, Sun. 10 am – 4:30 pm.

Northshore Iris & Daylily Society Show & Sale
Show: Sunday only, Noon – 4:30 pm
Sale: Saturday & Sunday, 10 am – 4:30 pm

July 16: Cantigny Park- Desert Succulents - Propagation and Care
9:30 am Greenhouse
A garden skills workshop

July 17: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Butterfly Monitoring Workshop: Noon to 4 pm.
Get to know Midewin's butterflies while helping to determine if our restoration work is beneficial to these insects. No prior experience necessary, and all materials will be provided

July 20: Cantigny Park - Flowerpot Garden Fairy. A garden arts workshop.

July 23: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Aquatic "Bug" Identification Workshop 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Crayfish and mayflies and snails, oh my! Jason Zylka, biological science technician, will lead this workshop where you will learn to recognize the little critters that call Midewin's streams home.

July 25: Cantigny Park - Twilight Cart Tour of the Golf Course Flowers. A garden tour.

July 28: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie "Herbs of the Prairie: Native American and Medicinal Uses" 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Southernwood Herb Guild invites you to attend this program, featuring a presentation by Sally Wagoner who has given numerous talks and led ceremonies concerning people's connections to nature. Weather permitting we'll also go outside for a brief walk to identify some of the plants discussed in the program.

August 3: Cantigny Park - Tabletop Water Garden. A garden arts workshop

August 6: Cantigny Park - Answers to Your Plant Problems & Garden Questions
9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Stop by the Visitors Center with a garden question or a particular problem with one of your plants. We will have Jim Schuster from the University of Illinois Extension Service there to help solve those gardening queries. Joe Sable, Director of Production at Cantigny, will join Jim in the Visitors Center for other garden questions. Parking fee applies

August 13: Garfield Farm Museum- Prairie Walk. 9am-Noon. A taste of the old prairie as tall grasses gain their full glory

August 19-21: Chicago Botanic Gardens
Midwest Bonsai 28th Annual Show & Sale
Noon-5 p.m. Fri.., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. & Sun.

August 19 – October 2: Chicago Botanic Gardens
Art Exhibit: Endangered Plants of Japan
Original botanical illustrations of rare and endangered species by outstanding Japanese artists

August 20: Garfield Park Conservatory - Late Season Container Gardening. 10 a.m. – noon.

August 26: Cantigny Park - Tomatoes:The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 10 am – noon.
Idea Garden - Come and taste the different varieties of tomatoes and discuss your cultural tomato concerns with Jim Schuster, University of Illinois tomato expert.

August 26, 27, 28: Chicago Botanic Gardens Bromeliad Society of Greater Chicago Show & Sale. Sale only: 4 – 6 pm Friday. Show & Sale Noon – 4:30 pm Saturday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Sunday.

August 28: Garfield Prairie Farm - Heirloom Garden Show. 11 am-4pm. Rare and specialty fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs are displayed and sold by Midwestern growers

August 30: Cantigny Park - Saving Seeds
6:30 pm Idea Garden. A garden skills workshop.

September 3: Garfield Farm Museum - Prairie Walk 9 am.-noon The full array of seasonal color is on display in the last prairie walk of the year.

September 7: Chicago Botanic Gardens
Symposium: Gardening Chicago-Style
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call in advance. Registration and fee may be required.

- By Deb McCullough

"The Garden Thymes" is the official newsletter for DuPage area MG's. If you misplace your copy, it can be found at our DuPage County Extension website. From time to time, you may have something you would like to share with fellow MG's or perhaps include an article of your own. We would love to hear from you!! As always, your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

• Issue #5 - August 26
• Issue #6 - October 28