THE ROGERS PARK GARDEN GROUP

February 23, 2010, 6 pm
Uncommon Ground (@ Devon and Glenwood)

The Uncommon Ground Rooftop Farmers
Urban Worm Girl

From the nation's first certified organic rooftop farm and winner of the 2009 Mayor Daley Landscape Special Recognition Award, the Uncommon Ground farming team will talk about getting started in urban vegetable gardening, containers, soil, starting seeds, and tending the "fields."

Because every garden can benefit from great compost, also on hand will be the Urban Worm Girl whose calling is to educate the community on composting with worms, also known as vermiculture. By recycling our kitchen waste using the wisdom and efficiency of the red wiggler worms, we reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and at the same time return vital nutrients to the earth. Best of all, it is simple, clean and odorless. Whether in your house, condo, or apartment, worm composting is a reminder of our interconnectedness to the earth and all of its living beings.

Attendees can receive 10% off dinner at Uncommon Ground Tuesday evening.

Recommended readings
The Urban Worm Girl(s) recommend:
Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System, Mary Applehof
The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Gide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Uncommon Ground Farmers recommend:
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter
The Seasons on Henry's Farm: A Year of Food and Life on a Sustainable Farm by Terra Brockman
Gardening at the Dragon's Gate: At Work in the Wild and Cultivated World by Wendy Johnson
Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman
All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space by Mel Bartholomew

April 27, 2010, 7 pm; plant forum begins at 6:30 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

Beth White, The Trust for Public Land
Kathleen E. Dickhut, Chicago Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning

Urban open spaces are being carved out of the most unusual spots for the most unusual reasons..for farms, orchards, museums, ecosystems, environmental mitigation.  Done right, this movement has the potential to change the way we live in urban areas, our energy consumption, our art and culture, our recreation.  Is it a revolution?  Come hear two of the people most involved in creating the Chicago of our future.

Beth White is the Chicago Area Office Director for the Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation nonprofit. Prior to joining The Trust, Ms. White served as managing director for the Chicago Housing Authority’s $1.5 billion Plan for Transformation, chief of staff to the Chicago Transit Board, director of the initial phases of Chicago’s $100 million Empowerment Zone program, supervisor for the City of Chicago’s CitySpace program, and founding executive director of Friends of the Chicago River. Ms. White holds a masters degree in urban studies from Loyola University and a bachelors degree in communications from Northwestern University.

Kathleen E. Dickhut is a Deputy Commissioner of the Sustainable Development Division of the Chicago Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning, responsible for public open space planning and acquisitions and sustainable program and policy development; including the campus park program, the Chicago River plan, the acquisition of wetlands and natural areas in the Calumet region, and new neighborhood parks and community-managed open spaces citywide.  She is involved in Chicago Eat Local Live Healthy Plan, Green Urban Design Framework Plan and Neighborspace.  Ms. Dickhut has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and anthropology from St. Norbert College and a master’s of science in landscape architecture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

May 25, 2010, 7 pm; plant forum begins at 6:30 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

Mary Pat Black, Majorie Kovler Center
Ruth Melulis, Ruby's Garden
Doug Wood, Wicker Park Garden Club 

A panel of Chicago area community gardeners will discuss what goes into community garden projects. Mary Pat Black and Ruth Melulis both were instrumental in the creation of the community garden at Schreiber Park, now called "Ruby's Garden." They will discuss the current status and share a brief history of how land was designated for the garden, soil status, layout of the garden, what has been achieved so far. Doug Wood, volunteer coordinator at the Wicker Park Garden, will describe how a much older garden within a city park has been revitilized, how ornamentals and edibles coexist within the plan, and the community's maintenance, and educational opportunities offered the community.

Mary Pat Black is a licensed occupational therapist at the Marjorie Kovler Center, a program of the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. She began as a volunteer working with survivors of torture in 1990. She received an MS in Occupational Therapy from the Unviersity of Illinois in 1995. She is responsible for assessing the functional skills survivors need to perform meaningful work as well as for interventions to enhance these skills. The rooftop apiary, the community garden, and the semi-monthly cooking group are all interventions Mary designed to enhance community connections and find meaning in daily activities. She has also worked internationally in Rwanda with families and children.

Ruth Melulis, a 10-year resident of Rogers Park, is a certified Master GArdener and Master Composter. She's been an active participant in the recent development of the Schreiber Park Community Garden located on Bosworth Avenue just north of Devon. Additionally, Ruth was involved with its predecessor, the Sophia Garden, formerly located on Loyola Avenue. Retired as a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, she has long been active in the Midwest Fruit Explorers (MidFex), lived in Lakeview for 22 years, and is an ardent organic gardener. Participants in the RPGG 2009 Garden Meander will recall viewing Ruth's beautiful plantings and fruit trees; she conveys to all a passion for and deep knowledge of gardening.

Doug Wood, a molecular biologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, has been the driving force behind revitalization of both the Wicker Park Garden Club and the Westfall Gardens in Wicker Park. He continues to work with the Chicago Park District and community volunteers in educational programming for adults and children, hands-on-gardening instruction, and garden walks. Wood solicited and trained a group of teachers, promoters, and grant writers who then negotiated relationships with citywide organizations to create an educational network: Friends of the Parks, Parkways Foundation, GreenNet, GreenCorps, city schools, citywide garden clubs, and other parks. The children's class called Park Kids Grow (2003-Present) teaches children to design gardens, raise plants from seeks, visual arts, music, and how to learn to express their ideas to others -- as they design gardens and compete for the top design planted each year by the children in the park. Currently, Wood serves as a volunteer grant writer, program designer, and volunteer coordinator for the group. In 2008, Tim Mitchell, Chicago Park District Superintendant, requested that Wood and the Club design and organize volunteers from all over the city to present an exhibit at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show in March 2009.

August 31, 2010, 7 pm; plant forum begins at 6:30 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

David Wachholz, Plant Parenting Inc.

Indoor Gardening: the secrets to the successful care and cultivation of house plants

Think you’re a great gardener? Then why are your peppers plump while your pothos is pooping out? Your fuchsia is flowering but your ficus is fizzling. David Wachholz will explain the major differences between indoor and outdoor gardening including watering, pruning, fertilizing, light requirements, and other environmental considerations. He will also describe some of the more commonly used indoor plants along with their care and maintenance. Finally, attendees will learn to recognize and treat various plant pests and diseases. This will be an interactive class with live houseplants. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own plants or foliage from home.

David Wachholz has twelve years of experience working in the interior horticulture industry.  He has worked in sales, service, and management for companies such as Amlings, Tropical Plant Rentals and Foliage Design Systems. He currently works as a service technician for Plant Parenting Inc. and resides in Rogers Park.    

April 28, 2009, 7 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

Marc Frazer, retired landscape architect
Mindy Heidekat, Heidekat Design, Inc.

Marc Frazer has a BFA in landscape architecture. He has been designing landscapes and gardens for the Chicago Park District and residents around the region for over 30 years. You can enjoy his talents close at home in the yards of his neighbors in Lakewood Balmoral. He is particularly well known for designing texturally rich ground-hugging gardens for shady front yards and abundantly layered low-maintenance plantscapes. Marc is currently retired and enjoying his own semi-wild garden in the city.

Mindy Heidekat's training and experience in design and love of gardening were brought together in 1998 when she officially opened Heidekat Design Inc. She hasn't had a moment's rest since then. Most of Mindy's work is one on the North Shore, where she creates landscapes that respect the architecture of the house and the property's topography. She works closely with the homeowners to choose plants that reflect their home and personalities and to create exquisite vingettes that showcase the seasons.

What is exciting garden designers? How about elevation changes and baffles as space modulators? Ponds and rock gardens? But how can Joe the gardener build a professional-looking garden for little or no money? And what does Joe usually overlook or underemphasize? Colme hear from two top design professionals and be inspired! Walk away with some easy, cheap design ideas that pack a wallop. No talent required.

May 26, 2009, 7 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview, 2nd floor)

Harry Rhodes, Executive Director, Growing Home
http://www.growinghomeinc.org/

Harry Rhodes has been with Growing Home for seven years. He initiated the first year of growing organic food and training people in 2002, and has overseen the growth of the organization, helping it become a model transitional job program concentrating on urban agriculture. He has a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Wisconsin, and serves on the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council and on Advocates for Urban Agriculture's Steering Committee.

Growing Home provides job training for homeless and low-income individuals in Chicago through a social enterprise business based on organic agriculture. Staff and program participants grow produce on a rural certified organic farm and on urban land, selling the produce at the Wood Street Farm Stand, at farmers' markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. 100% of the proceeds made from sales of organic produce are used to improve Growing Home's training program and pay for upkeep of its farm sites. Come learn why Growing Home farms organically and how it is able to work effectively with ex-offenders and the homeless. Learn how Growing Home is helping shape the future of agriculture and improve food security in Chicago.

June 30, 2009, 7 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview, 2nd floor)

Jack Barnette
US EPA

Jack Barnette is a Senior Environmental Scientist  at the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago. Mr. Barnette works on a number of environmental and energy related issues including indoor air quality, emergency preparedness, radiation protection, nuclear power, ambient air quality, air monitoring, alternate energy sources, energy conservation, and habitat protection. Mr. Barnette has been working on environmental issues since 1977.

Landscaping with native plants improves the environment. Native plants are hardy because they have adapted to the local conditions. Once established, native plants do not need pesticides, fertilizers, or watering. Not only is this good for the environment, it saves time and money. A native landscape does not need to be mowed like a conventional lawn. This reduces the deman for non-renewable resources and improves the water and air quality. The periodic burning (or mowing when burning is not practical) required for maintenance of a prairie landscape mimics the natural prairie cycle and is much better for the environment. Landscaping with native wildflowers and grasses helps return the area to a healthy ecosystem. Diverse varieties of birds, butterflies, and animals are attracted to the native plants, thus enhancing the biodiversity of the area. The beauty of native wildflowers and grasses creates a sense of place, both at home and work. The native plants increase our connection to nature, help educate our neighbors, and provide a beautiful, peaceful place to relax.

August, 25, 2009, 7 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

Val Box, President, GrowTech Inc.

Val Box started GrowTech, Inc. in 1993. Her mission is to search out and make available high quality, ergonomically designed pruning tools that are lightweight, have a superior cutting leverage, hold their edge for a long time, and minimize fatigue and muscle strain. Val grew up in Germany where she also earned her diploma as Retail and Wholesale Merchant. During her apprenticeship in the commercial tool department of a hardware wholesaler and retailer, Vale learned to distinguish between the quality, size, and purpose of the tools and how to match them with the intended application. When Val first had the opportunity to market her currentl line of tools in 1987, her frist trip was to the agricultural/horticultural department at Auburn University for a first hand evaluation of the tools. Auburn University in Alabama was Val's first destination upon arriving in the United States. She knew she would receive honest feedback from the participants. The professors and students were amazed how comfortable the tools felt in their hands and how easy and well they performed. This feedback inspired Val later on when the opportunity arose to start her own company to make these benefits available to professionals as well as avid gardeners.

Val will present information on how to keep tools that are always really sharp, chose the perfect hand pruner, commit HORI HORI in your garden (we can't wait to hear what this is), prune roses without drawing blood, prune up high without the hazards of climbing a ladder, save your back and dead head without bending down, and much more.

October 27, 2009, 7 pm
RP Presbyterian Church (Greenleaf @ Greenview), 2nd floor

Richard Eyer, Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc. 

Richard Eyre is a 40 year conifer collector turned nurseryman and he has turned his
passion into a thriving business, Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc.  Rich feels dwarf trees are plants of the future and he only grows the trees he personally likes.  He is particularly fond of Asian plants and his collection reflects his interest of 100 or more Pinus parviflora cultivars.  In 1968, Rich found the Brooklyn Botanic Garden gardening series on bonsai and dwarf conifers in his Peace Corps book locker in Bolivia.  It was in the Amazon jungle that he dreamed of raising rare conifers for a living.  Upon his return, he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology.  His plant knowledge was acquired through his association and mentoring of plant experts such as Dr. Ed Hasselkus (University of Wisconsin), Chub Harper (Dwarf Conifer Specialist and Horticulturist), and Jerry Morris (Rocky Mountain Conifer Expert and Arborist), Joe Stupka, Peter Girard, and Ed Rezek.
     In 1988, he realized the dream with his wife, Susan and mother, Margaret, when they launched   Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc!  This nursery is situated on 6 acres of kettle moraine in Woodstock Illinois, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.  The site features 50,000 + trees with 3500 cultivars of conifers and unique deciduous plants, plus 500+ hostas, 100+ daylilies, 100+ iris, 100+ alpines and numerous other plant collections.  The nursery emphasizes dwarf plant material specially suited for modern downsized spaces.  All tree selections exhibit a unique quality whether it is a superior growth habit, outstanding color, unusual texture or extremely slow growth.  Landscape sized specimens are grown for the collector, home owner, landscape contractor or landscape architect.  In 1990, another 30 acre farm was purchased and now is filled with 100,000 specimen quality conifers!  New display gardens feature a pond around a 100 year old lilac plus stunning conifers and rhododendrons.  The nursery is listed as a ‘great find’ for Best Conifers in the August 2004 Chicago Magazine “The Best of Chicago 2004’ issue. 
     Rich is an active member of the Conifer Society.  He is a past Vice President of the Central Region of CS and he served on the Board of Directors for the national CS for three years. In 2001, Rich received the prestigious ‘Award of Merit’ for his dedicated support of CS.  Rich also is a member of the OGA, IGA, ILCA, ANLA, NRGS and several other plant societies.  Rich has been featured on the Victory Garden, HGTV, Great Lakes Gardening television shows plus has been written about in Chicagoland Gardening, Chicago Home and Garden, American Nurseryman, Chicago Tribune, Midwest Living, Fine Gardening, Home, Birds and Bloom magazines and several books.
     Rich and Susan have displayed their trees at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier and Rosemont since 1994 and have won several awards for the quality of the plants and design of the garden.  Heifer International is their favorite charity and all speaking fees, site visits fees and perennial plant sales are donated to HI.   

Rich will present an in-depth lecture on dwarfs of giant interest in the landscape. Conifer growth rates are defined from miniature to large sizes. Rich Eyre explains what makes these trees better than their forest relatives for modern downsized spaces and his slides feature how to select the appropriate tree based on growth habit and sun requirements. He illustrates how to use garden conifers in small or narrow spaces, foundation plantings, and shady places. Conifers provide four seasons of interest with unique color, texture, and form and can be used in a presidium with a mixed perennial border. Rich will inform participants about the best Midwestern dwarf conifer sites to visit and give testimony to the Conifer Society and mentoring its experts.

In lieu of a speaker fee, a donation will be made to Heifer Project International, providing farm animals to help solve hunger and nutritional problems.

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