Garden events are listed by location and month, with exception to the featured centers below.
Featured Centers: The following centers have multiple events. To make it easier to locate their events they are listed separately.

For more events see the Autumn and Pumpkin Festivals list.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Platt Hill Nursery

Heinz Brothers Greenhouse

The Natural Garden

The Growing Place

Chicago Botanic Garden
www.chicagobotanic.org/school
1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe. Tel. 847-835-5440.

Parking $15. For a complete list of classes and activities see the web site. For green industry professionals living in the northern suburbs looking to take classes closer to home, the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden now offers classes at the Grayslake campus of the College of Lake County. Contact the CBG for more information.

September

12-14
28th Anniversary of the Roadside Flower Sale hosted by Chicago Botanic Garden volunteers. A one-of-a-kind display and sale of natural, handmade plant and floral arrangements. Also: wreaths, potpourris, montages and note cards. 10 am-4:30 pm.

18
Harvest Wreath. Create a wreath that celebrates the bounty of the fall season. Adorn a wreath base of branches with the foliage, dried flowers and seed pods of the season. Bring clippers, gloves and large flat box to transport your finished wreath. All other materials are included in the $99 fee.

25
The Annual Great Perennial Divide Collection. Divide your perennials and bring them to the Chicago Botanic Garden so they can add new life to more than 250 community gardens across Chicago. Bring your field-dug plants, labeled and potted in plastic pots (preferred) or bagged, and garden tools to the Garden’s Parking Lot Three between 9 am and 3 pm. Info: 847-835-8352.

26
"Perennial Pathways: Steps to Sustainable Gardens," the 18th Annual Perennial Plant Symposium. For professionals and avid gardeners who are looking to adopt a more organic approach to gardening. Topics include Greening Your Lawn, Turf Alternatives, Maintenance, and What Are the Components of a Sustainable Landscape? 9 am-3:40 pm. $163 through Aug. 29, $187 after. Includes coffee, lunch, parking and handouts.

October

4-5
Bulb Bazaar. Large selection of top bulb varieties, including hard-to-find specialty bulbs. All have been carefully researched and selected for their superior performance in Midwestern gardens. See the online catalog at www.chicagobotanic.org/bulb. 10 am-4 pm. Free admission. Parking fee applies.

10-17
Sukkah Display In honor of the Jewish harvest holiday Sukkot, created by the Chicago North Shore Section of the National Council of Jewish Women. Families are invited to take part in arts and crafts activities to decorate the Sukkah from 11 am to 4 pm on Oct. 12. Info: 847-853-8889.

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Platt Hill Nursery
www.platthillnursery.com

2 Locations:
222 W. Lake St., Bloomingdale
(630) 529-9394

2400 Randall Rd., Carpentersville
(847) 428-6767

Some classes have limited seating; please call to sign up! Events offered at both locations.

September

13
Winterizing Your Pond. Find out how to winterize and close your pond. 10 am.

20
Planting Bulbs Now for Spring Color. Get loads of early spring color! Learn about the planting and care of tulips, daffodils and many more! 10 am.

October

11
Overwintering Your Roses, Perennials & Grasses. Let Platt Hill Nursery's experts explain the proper techniques for overwintering your prized roses and perennials. 10 am.

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Heinz Brothers Greenhouse
www.heinzbrothers.com
2010 E. Main Street, St. Charles.
(630) 377-6288

September

9, 13 & 17
Fall Planter Demonstrations. Learn about cold-weather-tolerant plant material in various color ranges and useful techniques. Care and fertilizing will also be discussed. September 9, 6-6:30 pm. September 13, 9:30-10 am. September 17, 6-6:30 pm. Free, please call for reservations.

11 & 13
Fall Container Planting, More than just Mums. Let Heinz Brothers help you select and plant many cold-tolerant foliage and flowering plants. Fall planters are a great transition element and can last into cold temperatures with no problems. September 11, 6-7 pm., September 13, 10-11 am. $15 includes soil, fertilizer and instruction. Additional class materials are plant material for 10-inch container $25. 12-inch container is $35, and a 14-inch container is $45.

13
Fall Pond Care and Maintenance. Learn the process of putting your pond to rest this fall and into winter. Topics discussed will be fish, plant dormancy, debris removal and water and pump treatments. 1-2 pm. $10.

30, Oct 2, 4, 6 & 8
Scarecrow-Making Class The scarecrow class is a fantastic time for all ages. Heinz Brothers provides everything needed for your scarecrow, so come and have fun without the clean up. 6-7 pm. except for the Oct 4 class, which meets at 3-4 pm. $15.

October

11, 14 & 16
Pumpkin Painting. Great for all ages! Come paint a pumpkin at Heinz Brothers and take home a masterpiece to display. Oct 11 from 2-2:30 pm. Oct 14 & 16 from 6-6:30 pm. $5.

18, 19 & 21
Pumpkin Centerpiece. Make a beautiful centerpiece for fall gatherings! Use a pumpkin, an ivy plant and fall decorations to complete your very own pumpkin centerpiece. October 18 from 11 am-noon. October 19 from 2-3 pm. October 21 from 6-7 pm. $16.

23
Carnivorous Plants. Kids, come and learn about insect-eating plants. Each child will receive a carnivorous plant to take home and care for. 6-7 pm. $10.

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The Natural Garden
www.thenaturalgardeninc.com.
38W443 Highway 64, St. Charles.
(630) 584-0150

September

13
"Bee a Honey." Laura Andersen will discuss the habits and life of the honey bee. Come and learn the value and special rewards of bees. 10-11 am. Free.

13
"Planting Natives in Your Own Backyard." Don Zouras, board member of The Wild Ones, will demonstrate through before and after pictures of how he converted his bland suburban lawn into a beautiful, natural landscape of native forbs and grasses. 12:30-1:30 pm. Free.

13
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Jack Shouba will show which plants are 'good' (ones that we should encourage), which plants are 'bad' (those that we should discourage), and the 'ugly' (those plants which cause serious problems and should be eliminated). 2-3 pm. Free.

14
"Snakes, Toads, Turtles and Bugs, OH MY!" Becky Lambert of Peck Farm will bring her collection of local wildlife to The Natural Garden. She will discuss the importance of keeping healthy, local habitats for these essential creatures. A fun, hands-on presentation for the whole family. 11:30 am-12:30 pm. Free.

14
"Frogs in a Nutshell." Join Pam Otto, Manager of Nature Programs at the St. Charles Park District, as she teaches about the thirteen species of frogs native to the Chicago area. Learn to identify these amphibians by sight and sound. 1-2 pm. Free.

14
"Monarch Tagging." The Natural Garden's Janie Grillo will demonstrate how to tag monarch butterflies for their annual migratory trip south to Mexico. This is a fascinating task! 2-3 pm. Free.

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The Growing Place
www.thegrowingplace.com.
Call Carol 630-355-4000 to register for all events.

2 Locations:
Naperville on Plank Rd. 3 blocks west of Naper Blvd.
(630) 355-4000

Aurora on Montgomery Rd. 2 blocks north of Ogden
(630) 820-8088.

Pre-registration is required for any of the "Payment due" workshops.

September

27
Close Your Pond Right, Questions & Answers Naperville location. Learn how to avoid over-wintering damage, how to store plants and keep fish safe. This is also a great time to ask any questions you may have. 10 am.

October
4
Four Season Gardening Both locations. Tour TGP gardens with an expert gardener and share their secrets to creating an attractive garden throughout the year. 10 am.

11
Harvest Decorations Both locations. The Growing Place Designers create beautiful fall decorations in containers, on doors, in front yards. Be inspired by their ideas. Stay after the demo and create you own with their help. Fee: cost of materials.10 am.

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