garden

DO IT

A 4-year-old greenhouse business is growing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. “One of the areas we are looking for volunteers is as job coaches to work with our team members at the greenhouse and grounds,” says Laurie Staple, executive director of We Grow Dreams and a former special education teacher and administrator. A video on its Web site captures the inspiring project in West Chicago. Similar opportunities have just sprung up at Seguin Gardens & Gifts in Cicero, whose marketing director Julie Lerch says volunteers with gardening expertise are needed for the new, year-round enterprise.

Job skills for people with disabilities are nurtured at We Grow Dreams Greenhouse & Garden Center. SUBMITTED PHOTO

You can plant a simple flower or grow a garden with the help of the Morton Arboretum Annual Fall Bulb Sale.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, more than 150 spring-blooming varieties of bulbs in a variety of colors and sizes will be for sale at the Morton Arboretum Store in Lisle.

The list includes daffodils, crocuses, irises, hyacinths, snowdrops, 59 kinds of tulips and more. There will also be unusual bulbs, like the winter aconite and fritillaria.

Expert gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and provide their bulb-planting advice.
 

Simple pleasures bloom from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, at an open house at the Kruse House Museum and gardens in downtown West Chicago. The event dubbed “The Secret Garden at the Kruse House” will provide a rare opportunity to view the historic landscape of the four-square home at 527 Main St., which dates to 1917, and currently houses an exhibit titled “As Time Goes By,” celebrating old time pieces, clocks and watches.
 
The garden, which has been featured on HGTV’s show “The Secret Gardens of Chicago,” has largely remained a hidden treasure. Organizers of “The Secret Garden of the Kruse House,” now in its second year, hope to grow it into an annual event, and bring more recognition to the downtown horticultural gem.

A profusion of colors and textures will greet visitors, and West Chicago Garden Club members will demonstrate how to create accent bowls and troughs made from a hypertufa mixture. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Children are invited to revel in National Get Outdoors Day at The Morton Arboretum this Saturday, June 13, at 4100 Route 53, Lisle.

Around the country, organizations and recreation industry members are teaming up to host outdoor activities to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle.