THE ROGERS PARK GARDEN GROUP
The power of gardens to build communities through beauty, camaraderie and involvement.
FIRST MEETING OF 2012 - FEBRUARY 28
Bee Native: The Midwestern Native Garden - Native Alternatives for Nonnative Flowers & Plants
Come learn from experts and authors Charlotte Adelman and Bernie Schwartz talk about the many native alternatives to nonnatives for gardeners and landscapers. Local butterflies, bees, and birds that need these natives will be highlighted, in addition to some endangered natives. Their book, The Midwestern Native Garden, will be available for sale for the bargain price of $17.50! Read more . . . Have You Renewed Your Dues for 2012? It's a new year and time to renew your dues for 2012. For the bargain price of $10 you get nine months of great programming and events, including the ever popular garden meander. Won't you take a few moments and renew your dues today? Click here to get it all done online and save time. Check out the RPGG Programs & Events page for detail on all the activities you'll be sure to enjoy this year. RPGG meetings are free to members; $5 non-members. All are welcome. Join the RPGG online or at any meeting or event. | Adopt the Public Way Grant Applications being Accepted through March 16 The RPGG is now accepting Adopt the Public Way Grant applications! Click here for the Adopt the Public Way Grant application. Click here for the Chidren's Grant application. Under cover of today's snow are summer plants, getting ready to send up their pale shoots. Garnders like to think about such things and dream of spreading flowers and shrubs in every parkway, traffic circle, and park. If this is you, the RPGG wants to help. Grants of up to $500 for plant material, soil amendments, and mulch are available to anyone who is creating, restoring, or enhancing a garden located in the public way. Anyone is eligible, but the garden must be in Rogers Park, east of Ridge and north of Devon. Grants are also available for anyone running a youth program who wants to add gardening to the activities; and for the youth projects, the gardens don;t have to be in the public way. The deadline for applications is March 16, 2012 (but youth programs can apply any time throughout the year). View the 2011 Adopt the Public Way grant gardens. Click here to download a fabulous power point that will definitely make you smile. |
EVENTS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND BEYOND
The Glenwood Sunday Market. Is available during the winter too! Enjoy the best local farmers and artisans have to offer at the indoor market this winter at the Glenwood bar, 6962 N. Glenwood. February 12, March 11, April 1, May 6, May 20.
Floral Paintings at Swedish American Museum. Rockford artist Karen Vaughn Harding opens a display of several of her watercolor paintings of flowers in an exhibition, "Considering Flowers." Also a horticulturist who founded La Paloma Gardens in Rockford, acclaimed for it's great trees and emerald lawns, swans, and koi, and dramatic ornamental grasses, flowers, and foliage. Harding is a 2010 and 2011 award winner in the Greenwich Village Art Fair, and her works have been exhibited at the Vida Museum in Sweden, the Des Moines Museum of Art, and Rockford College. Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark Street. January 13-March 11.
Northtown Garden Society - Attracting Birds and Butterflies to the Garden: Marian Thill will share photos of her beautiful garden and expertise on providing a home for winged friends. She holds a Master Gardener Certificate from the Chicago Botanic Garden and is a certified naturalist and bird monitor. Marian uses her vast wealth of knowledge to educate children and adults on how to use native plantings to attract birds and butterflies to local gardens. Thursday, February 2, 7 pm, Warren Park Fieldhouse, 6601 N. Western Ave. Visit the Northtown Garden Society website for more information.
Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society Annual Meeting. Saturday, March 31. Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave. 2011 highlights will be reviewed, along with 2012 plans. A presentation of the oral history partnership with New Field School and a demonstration of the program.
Vote for your favorite seed of the year. One Seed Chicago is accepting your vote for the seed of the year -- basil, cilantro, or chamomile. Cast your vote today here.
Zoo in Bloom: Gardening Programs at Lincoln Park Zoo. Workshops on planning, seed starting, herb window boxes, perennials, native and prairie plants, and more. Workshops begin February 1 and continue throughout the season with something for everyone almost every month. Check out all the fabulous programming here.
Wicker Park Garden Club Landscape Design Workshops. Learn how to design or enhance your home, business, or community gardens with instruction from a team of professionals including Gary Lehman, Sam Marts, Julie Siegel, Ellen Moderhack, Brian Shea, Brian . Saturdays, 7 weeks, 10 am - 1 pm, January 14 - February 25, Wicker Park Field House, 1425 N. Damen. Reservations required. Limit 50 students. $80. RSVP wpgarden@aol.com. For more information visit the Wicker Park Garden Club website here.
West Ridge Gangster Walk. May 6. Few people know that Rogers Park has been the setting for some of the city's most horrendous murders as well as home to some of Chicago's most notorious crime figures. In the 1920s and 1930s, West Ridge was the stomping ground of North Side crime boss George "Bugs" Moran, Al Capone's main rival for control of the city's rackets. Visit www.rpwrhs.org for more information.
Call for Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Applications. A$2000 grants available to non-profit organizations working with schools on garden projects. Deadline Dec. 31, 2011. For more information and for an application, visit the website.
The Language of Flowers. A new novel that weaves the meanings of flowers and plants amidst an emotional journey of rift (Carolina Jasmine) and reconciliation (hazel). By Vanessa Diffenbaugh.
Migration Season tips. Fall migration season is here. To make the trip a little easier for our feathured friends, the Lincoln Park Zoo suggests the following -- turn off lights in empty offices, remove plants from window sills, close blinds at least 3/4 of the way to help birds see the window, soap large panes of glass that do not have blinds.
Southside Seed Exchange. Free online blogservice offering seed sharing lists, forum for seed exchange, and group seed buys online. House in the Op Shop in Hyde Park at 1001 E. 53rd St., everyone is encouraged to stop by.
Loyola Park Dune Restoration Schedule. Help restore the Loyola Park dunes. The last 2011 work day is October 22. 9:30 am until 12:30 pm. This year the focus is on the cool season annual grasses such as cheat grass, quack grass, and western brome. They are best removed in the spring and summer to keep from setting. Visit the dunes on Facebook or contact Ann Whelan for more information.
LETS GO Chicago. Leading the Energy Transition, Sprouting Green Opportunities developed out of a youth garden program and a community house in Rogers Park. Check it out and see if this program is something for you.
Howard Area Community Garden Needs a coordinator for the award-winning gardens. Ideally, this person will work their way into the job starting this spring so Sr Cecilia Fandel can serve as a resource person to him or her until she moves this summer. There are 50 gardens and each gardener cares for their own space. There are garden rules to follow to keep it an organic garden. The hours are slight during the winter with the pace picking up in late March. For more information on the position including hours and salary, please email Sr. Cecilia Fandel.Lead contamination site testing: a Loyola University student group is interested in testing local garden/urban agriculture sites for lead contamination. For more information, contact Adam Schubel, Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy at 773-508-7559 or via email.
Recycle Plus, a West Rogers Park based recycling business, is a great resource for items for re-use from office supplies to kitchen cabinets, crates for the garden, buckets, rain barrels, and more. Currently, they have 100s of wine crates, among many other great items. Here are just a few ideas on how to reuse wine crates. Contact Gary for more information.
YourGardenShow.com: has launched a new tool for gardening where you can keep track of your garden activities, share tips and advice with other gardeners and get your gardening questions answered from experts in the field. The tool, called a Glog, lets you share photos and video and more with fellow gardeners around the world.
Love roses? Here's a site for you.
Need gardening containers? Here's a site with lots of containers for every possible need.
Get the latest on garden meetings, workshops, events, farmer's markets, and more around the city. Check out the RPGG Community Calendar for garden talks, walks, and other interesting events around town and beyond, and add the calendar to your RSS feeds. You can also friend RPGG Gardens on Facebook. We post meeting and event notices to our news feed so you'll always be on top of what we are doing and when. At some point we might even Tweet.
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