Winfield Area Winfield Area GGGardeners€¦ · Christ our Savior Lutheran Church 501 Summit Ave.,...

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Christ our Savior Lutheran Church 501 Summit Ave., Winfield

6:30 Refreshments and Social

6:45 Business meeting

7:00 Program

Tuesday November 7

"Forcing Bulbs" with Bill Karges

The program will cover how to successfully grow bulbs indoors for wintertime blooming. We will discuss techniques for forcing

Paper White Narcissus.

Amaryllis, Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths. Bulb selection, choice of container, soil and cooling requirements will be covered,

with many tips for success.

For the "Make and Take", each participant will receive 5 paperwhite Narcissus bulbs, soil and enough gravel to fill their

own container. Your ideal container should be approximately 6" wide, at least 3" deep, with NO drainage holes, and may be

ceramic, porcelain or plastic. The fee for all materials necessary, except your container, is $10 per member participating.

Winfield AreaWinfield AreaWinfield AreaWinfield Area GGGGardenersardenersardenersardeners

November, 2017


A Message from the President:A Message from the President:A Message from the President:A Message from the President: Thank you for your thoughtful kindness at a time when it was greatly appreciated. The following sums up our thoughts and words better than I can say. Perhaps you sent a lovely card, or sat quietly in a chair, Perhaps you sent beautiful flowers, if so we saw them there. Perhaps you sent or spoke kind words, as any friend could say. Perhaps you were not there at all, just thought of us that day. Whatever you did to console the heart, we thank you so much, whatever the part.

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Bill Karges’ BioBill Karges’ BioBill Karges’ BioBill Karges’ Bio For 45 years, Bill has been at the Pioneer Garden Shop in Villa Park, where he offers advice and coaching on a wide range of horticultural

topics. Whether your gardening questions concern cultural requirements, insect and disease problems, fertilization practices, or

soil structure issues, Bill tries to blend traditional, reliable information with the latest research to help his customers improve

their gardening skills. Bill has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Botany, with a minor in Speech, "so I enjoy talking about all aspects

of the world of plants, and audience participation is encouraged!"

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Do not miss our December meeting Do not miss our December meeting Do not miss our December meeting Do not miss our December meeting

It is our annualIt is our annualIt is our annualIt is our annual Potluck. Potluck. Potluck. Potluck. Bring a dish to pass and an appetite. This is a wonderful time for socializing. We will be making a table decoration project

for DuPage Convalescent Center.


Meet Meet Meet Meet Jody SchoneckJody SchoneckJody SchoneckJody Schoneck Jody Schoneck is a long-time active member of Winfield Area Gardeners, having joined sometime last century (she could not remember the actual year she joined.) She is also a long time Winfieldite as her parents made a home for her and her sister in the Highlakes Subdivision near Winfield. “When I grew up, every girl had a horse,” she remembered, and she said she frequently rode her horse to Cantigny. As a member of WAG she served as Vice President in charge of Programs and more recently she is the person responsible for unlocking Christ our Savior Lutheran Church and setting up for our meetings. She volunteers to help at almost every project our club undertakes.

As an active member of Christ our Savior, Jody serves on the Altar Guild. In addition, she makes banners and tends the grounds and plantings. These tasks come easy to the talented as Jody is also an accomplished knitter and quilter. She makes socks, shawls, sweaters, baby quilts and even quilts for queen sized beds! Her yard is heavily shaded, but she has many lovely plantings. Her favorite flowers are lilacs and lily of the valley.

Jody and her husband, Al, have been married forty-two years and first settled in Wheaton before moving to Winfield ten years later in 1984. Al is a retired engineer and project manager from Lucent technology and is now a contractor. He has built a beautiful multilevel deck in their yard. They have a daughter, Alex, and a son, Jordan. Alex has married and lives with her husband, Paul, and son, Kyle. Jordan lives at home and is a general contractor.

For the past 47 years, Jody has been a hairdresser working for much of her career at Innovations on Geneva Road. She is a wonderful cook and is always ready to offer help to those in need. Jody’s mother and sister live in Georgia. At this writing Jody is leaving for a trip to Georgia to tend her Mother’s yard for the winter. We are grateful she is so much help to Winfield Area Gardeners, too.


Garden Tips from UrbanGarden Tips from UrbanGarden Tips from UrbanGarden Tips from Urban Lawn Mower Winterize lawn mower, grinder, tiller, spreader and other equipment. Wash off grease and grime, dry, add a coat of oil to rusting areas, run engine to drain all gas or add Stabil during your last use, drain oil and replace with fresh oil, remove sparkplug and apply one ounce of clean oil, move pistons two strokes with starter or starter rope, replace spark plug. Remove and clean battery and terminals with baking soda and water solution, rinse, dry and apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly around terminals. Then store all equipment in a cool dry place. Remove and sharpen lawn mower blade. Service the air filter. Oil wheel bearings and other moving parts. Clean and lubricate spray equipment before storage. Drain tank. Inspect all equipment as you store it. Order replacement parts for those that are badly worn. Take equipment to repair shop that you cannot repair. Yard Mow lawn at 1 and 3/4 to two inches the last two mowings to prevent snow mold. Remove leaves and till into garden or compost. Cover roses by mounding soil mixed with peat moss or other organic matter over the crowns, prune long canes after a hard freeze; place wire tomato cages over the plants, place whole oak leaves or straw around the base, and/or cover with ventilated rose cones. Be sure to apply bricks on the cones for ballast. Put up wind screens on the north and west sides for sensitive and newly planted evergreens and shrubs or wrap in burlap or special material. Spray with an anti-transpirant at recommended rates. Plant the last of the spring flowering bulbs and water well. Erect snow shieldings around plants susceptible to snow damage. Water trees, shrubs and lawn if dry and the soil is not frozen. Remove foliage of dead annuals. Mulch tender perennials with straw or other suitable material. Tie arborvitae and other multistemmed plants to keep the wind, ice and snow from damaging them. Clean and coat all tools with oil. Apply Linseed oil on wooden handles. Mulch or cover strawberry beds with clean straw or floating row covers after the ground freezes. Store all liquid pesticides in a safe area and from freezing. Remove grass and debris from around the trunks of all fruit trees to prevent mice damage. Remove and store branch spreaders from fruit trees. Remove, clean, drain, coil, tie, and store drip irrigation systems and hoses. Remove, clean and store wire cages, trellises, stakes, tools, and other garden equipment. Drain permanently installed irrigation systems. Take bramble root cuttings before the ground freezes. Store roots in cold frame or root cellar until spring. Cont. next page


Vegetable Garden and Orchard Rototill in leaves, composted manure, hardwood sawdust and other weed-free organic matter. Clean up trash on and around the garden. Dig cannas, cut off stems six inches above the bulb, dry and store in a cool, dry place. Cut off stem six inches above bulb. Remove fruit tree leaves from orchard and compost. Destroy leaves if diseased. Remove and destroy asparagus tops and dead rhubarb leaves and stalks. Apply one inch of compost. Harvest the majority of the beets, Jerusalem artichokes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, Chinese cabbage, corn salad, kale, spinach, parsley, and other hardy crops. Store in a cool root cellar or refrigerator. Cover carrots, parsley, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and other cold weather crops that remain with bags of leaves. Water deeply rhubarb, asparagus and any other perennials before the ground freezes. Spread rock fertilizers, manure and compost around all fruiting plants after the ground freezes. Vacuum out all leaves to prevent damage to the plants.

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Flower of the MonthFlower of the MonthFlower of the MonthFlower of the Month Chrysanthemums, sometimes called mums, are flowering plants native to Asia and northeastern Europe, although most species originate from East Asia. Mums are divided into two basic groups, garden hardy and exhibition. Garden hardy mums are new perennials capable of wintering in most northern latitudes. Exhibition varieties are not usually as sturdy; require staking, and overwintering in a relatively dry, cool environment. Mum blooms are divided into 10 different bloom forms

defined by the way in which the ray and disk florets are arranged. Mum blooms are composed of many individual flowers (florets), each one capable of producing a seed. The pompon form is fully double, of small size, and very globular in form. In the anemone form, the disk florets are prominent. The spoon-form disk florets are visible and the long, tubular ray florets are spatulate. In the spider form, the disk florets are concealed, and the ray florets have hooked or barbed ends. Yellow or white mum flowers are boiled to make a tea in some parts of Asia. In Korea, a rice wine flavored with mum flowers is called gukhwaju. Mum leaves are steamed or boiled and used as greens, especially in Chinese cuisine. The flowers may be added to dishes such as broth, or thick soup to enhance the aroma. Small mums are used in Japan as a sashimi garnish. The Mum is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides. They are biodegradable, and also decompose easily on exposure to light. Since the flower blooms in the fall, the mum signifies joy and beauty despite the oncoming winter. Victorians used mums to show friendship and well-wishing. Buddhists use the mum as offerings due to their powerful Yang energy. In China, the mum is traditionally offered to the elderly as they symbolize long life as well as good luck in the home. In Australia, mums are the official flower for Mother’s Day due to their nickname “mums.” In Belgium and Austria, the mum is used almost exclusively as a memorial flower to honor loved ones and is the flower of choice for placing on graves. The mum is the official birth flower of November. In the United States, the mum is the largest commercially produced flower and is known as the “Queen of Fall Flowers.”


Gardening Question and AnswersGardening Question and AnswersGardening Question and AnswersGardening Question and Answers Thanks to WAG member Melody Barszcz we have a new column for our newsletter. Members can ask gardening questions and have them answered by our knowledgeable members. Email your question by our newsletter deadline (approximately the 20th of the month prior) and she will include it in the newsletter for members to respond with an answer the following month. She will publish both the question and answer.

Submit your question(s) to Melody at her email address. [email protected] Use the same address if you wish to answer

a posted question. Thank you Melody for a great addition to our monthly newsletter!

Previous QuestionsPrevious QuestionsPrevious QuestionsPrevious Questions Q: Just got a flagstone pathway installed with topsoil between the steppers. I know that it’s going to sprout weeds next spring/summer. Should I apply Preen late winter as a preventive or spray Roundup once they sprout? (Mel Barszcz)

A: Preen will only prevent seeds from germinating. Try to find the organic Preen (made from vegetables) to avoid the chemicals, or get corn gluten. It will last 2 – 3 months. (Sharon McCurdy)

Q: When do I trim my flowering shrubs? Viburnum flowers in spring, and panicle hydrangea blooms in the fall. (Mel Barszcz)

A: Any spring blooming shrubs should be pruned right after they bloom. It is not necessary to prune hydrangea for first 5 years (for sturdier stems so they don’t flop). Pee Gee types (h. paniculata) – fall/winter except for Endless Summer var. For this one, remove old flowers all season & prune after last bloom in fall. (Sharon McCurdy)


New questions to be answerNew questions to be answerNew questions to be answerNew questions to be answered in our next ed in our next ed in our next ed in our next newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

Q&A

Q: I have a 40-year old silver maple tree that has black (tar) spots on the fall leaves. They start out green in the spring, but by fall, they are full of these spots. I was told the tree is too old to treat and the condition is caused by heavy spring rains. Any suggestions? (Carol Robin)

A:

Q: How do you trim down a ginger eyes sumac and when is a good time? I love their lime green foliage and fall color, but they are getting too tall. (Anna Saake)

A:

Please submit your question(s) to Melody at her email address: [email protected]. Use the same address if you wish to answer a posted question.


Upcoming events outside of the club:Upcoming events outside of the club:Upcoming events outside of the club:Upcoming events outside of the club:

The Growing Place for information www.thegrowingplace.com

Holiday Shop (both Naperville and Montgomery locations) – November 4 – December 23

Morton Arboretum for information www.mortonarb.org

SATURDAYS, October 21 – November 18 10:00 a.m. – noon. Learn about the fermentation process, tasting and assembling your own fermented recipes. November 4 – Family Friendly Fermentation, November 11 – Sauerkraut, November 17 – Kombucha. Members $29; Non-members $38.

SATURDAY, November 4 and SUNDAY, November 5 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Nature Artist Guild Holiday Exhibit. (Administration Bldg.) Free with admission. Enjoy 150 works of art celebrating nature and see demonstrations by the artists.

FRIDAY, November 17 thru MONDAY, January 1 – ILLUMINATION! See trees in a different light with flashing and changing colors to the beat of music on a one-mile outdoor display. Seating along the way, fire pits, warming and concession tents. Ticket prices vary by day attended; prices range $14-$22.

PLANT CLINIC – Have tree or plant questions? Get expert help for problems or for tips on your garden. Stop by: Across the courtyard from the Visitor’s Center April – October Mon – Sat 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. E-mail: Send a pic of your problem or just ask a question at [email protected] Call: 630/719-2424 during open hours

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO GET ADVICE/HELP FROM PLANT CLINIC EXPERTS!!!

The Winfield Flower Shoppe is for sale, Most gift items (except for Christmas) are 30 to 50% off.


Upcoming events outside of the club cont’:Upcoming events outside of the club cont’:Upcoming events outside of the club cont’:Upcoming events outside of the club cont’:

Cantigny for information www.cantigny.org

TUESDAY, November 7, 11:00 a.m. – noon. Garden Tour (Visitor’s Center) This is the last garden tour for the year. Free with admission.

SATURDAY, November 11, 8:30 – 11:00 a.m. Bird Walk. As fall migration winds down, Cantigny birdwatchers already have spotted 26 different bird species. This is the last walk of the year. Free with admission.

FRIDAY, November 17, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Shades of Crimson Poinsettia Display. Trolley will take you to greenhouse to see over 3,000 plants on display. Plants also for sale. Free with admission.

Platt Hill Nursery (2 locations) 222 W Lake St., Bloomingdale, 2400 Randall Rd., Carpentersville

Christmas Open House

November 10 @ 4 – 8 p.m. with a 20% discount

November 11 @ 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. with a 15% discount

November 12 @ 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a 15% discount

Make and Take Wreath - November 11, 10:00 a.m.

$30 - $75 based on size.

Create a Winter Planter - November 12, 11:00 a.m. and November 25, 10:00 a.m. –$10 - $75 based on size.


Programs for 2017

February 20

Luncheon July 11

History and Tradition Of American Basketry Judy Keslik at the home of Melody Barszcz

March 7 Incredible Bats

Dan Peterson

August 1

Cantigny Garden Walk

April 4

Houseplants, Our Friends

Ken Benson

Sept 5 Anything Orchids Don White Member Mum Sale Sept 9

May 2 Container Vegetable Gardening

Michael Annes

October 3 England’s Greatest Hits Carolyn Ulrich

June 6

Dazzling, Delightful, Delicious Daylilies – Greg Bartoshuk

November 7 Forcing Bulbs (make and take) Bill Karges

June 9 & 10 Creekside Park

Plant Garage and Bake sale

Creekside Park

December 5 Holiday Party & Potluck dinner Community Project

Birthdays for November

Daria Bauer 8

Marilyn Sweeny 12

Maureem Kiely 26

Lilitas Spuris 27

CLUB INFORMATION Membership information Dues for 2017: $20 per person Meetings: February through December Regular: 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Board: 3rd Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Regular meeting location: Christ Our Savior Church 501 Summit AV, Winfield OFFICERS: President- Urban Oen 630-293-0845 [email protected] Co 1st Vice Presidents (programs) Joan Mruk 630-525-0713 [email protected] Marilyn Sweeny 630-668-8558 [email protected] 2nd Vice President – Membership Julie Nowack 630-665-6086 [email protected] Treasurer – Dianne Lambert 630-68-3269 [email protected] Secretary – Barbara Whitney 630-231-0320 [email protected] Newsletter Editor – Anita Elbe 630-293-3204 [email protected] Submissions due two weeks prior to meetings

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