By Laurie Casey
Are you curious about native gardening? Have you been longing to see some real, live examples and talk to the experienced gardeners who created them? You’ll have an opportunity to do just that from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6.
“Birds, Bees and Butterflies: A Native Garden Tour,” sponsored by West Cook Wild Ones, the Interfaith Green Network and Green Community Connections, offers you an opportunity to visit 15 private and public gardens in Oak Park and River Forest that are brimming with life and beauty. The host gardeners are excited to walk you through these treasured spaces. Each stop on the tour is unique, reflecting each gardener’s interests.
You’ll meet a mix of master gardeners, passionate hobbyists and professional landscapers who lovingly maintain these emerald places not only for their own enjoyment, but to contribute to the health of our local ecosystem. Bring your curiosity and your questions. Whether you are just getting started or have an established native garden of your own, new discoveries await you.
You will learn more about what native plants are, how to grow them and how to include natives in your garden plans. The tour will include public and private native gardens at the peak of the season where you will see how vital and attractive native plants are to birds, bees and butterflies. The tour will include unique plants for shade, sun, rain gardens, and clay soil, and other applications will be highlighted. Information will be offered for participants new to native gardening and ideas will be exchanged among experienced native plant gardeners.
To register, follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/yagpbv7r Adult tickets are $10, kids 18 and younger are free. The tour begins at the Cook County Forest Preserve at the northwest corner of Lake and Harlem. Please contact judy.klem@gmail.com to learn more.