December Garden Club Program

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 Our December meeting will be held at the Antioch Senior Center. The address is 817 Holbek Dr., Antioch, Il. 60002 

Doors open at 12:30 pm, meeting starts at 1:00 pm.    

Christmas at the White House

Just as there are 12 Days of Christmas (as in the song) this presentation showcases 12 Traditions of Christmas that have endured at the White House over its history.  From the very public National Christmas Tree to the very humble Cranberry Tree, these holiday decorations and events are presented in all their splendor along with the history behind them.  A look at our First Ladies and their individual contributions to White House Christmases through the years offers a fun perspective.

Turn Your Garden Into a B&B for Birds

This month's program was all about creating a backyard oasis for birds. Presenter Alyse Berman from Wildbird Shack showed us how to transform our backyards into a showcase of bird activity.  The right balance of food, feeders, water and shelter are essential elements for the perfect birdscaping design.  This discussion included: ideal locations for birdscape design, desirable food and feeders to attract your favorite birds, proper hygiene and squirrel prevention.

Our October meeting will be held at the Antioch Senior Center. The address is 817 Holbek Dr., Antioch, Il. 60002 Doors open at 12:30 pm, meeting starts at 1:00 pm.   

Spring Flowering Bulbs

This month's program was presented by Chris Cheney. Chris is a master gardener and a member of the Northbrook Garden Club. Her programs on spring bulbs walked us through the variety of bloom color, flowering time and plant height spring bulbs can bring to the landscape.  This presentation focused on selecting, planting, and caring for spring flowering bulbs.  We learned how to plant a bulb garden that is a burst of color from April through June, how to address pest issues and how to choose the right bulbs for our needs. 

Antioch Garden Club is back from summer break and we had a great time catching up with each other and watching a great presentation from this month's speaker. Our potluck luncheon never disappoints. We had an amazing selection of sweet and savory treats!!

Blending Herbs to Be an Herbal Gourmet

Our speaker this month is Marcy Lautanen- Raleigh.  She showed us how adding even the most basic herbs can elevate cooking to a gourmet experience! This lively program covered creating herbal mixtures to replace salt, enhancing flavors for healthier meals, and crafting herbal vinegars, butters, and spreads. We learned about flavor families, the best herbs for various dishes, and hands-on blending techniques to make delicious dips, dressings, and marinades. For mor information and recipes visit backyardpatch.org

Our last meeting before summer break was busy!  
Our program was presented by Eillen Davis. She is an Environmental educator with the Lake County Forest Preserve, and we learned how to add native plants to our home gardens.

This year's recipient of the Nancy Zitkus Scholarship was announced. Hailey Ross is a Grayslake High School graduate who will be attending Elon University in North Carolina. Her studies will focus on sustainability. Congratulations Hailey!! 

We also said thank you to our outgoing officers Judy C (Vice President) and Nancy Z (Secretary) and inducted our new slate of officers for the coming two year term:

Holly M, President

Susan U. and Betty S., Co-Vice President

Chris P, Secretary

Lana S, Treasurer (not in attendance)

We concluded our meeting with a potluck luncheon to celebrate another successful year! 

Our next meeting will be held in September. Check back in August for the details

Meeting will be held at the United Methodist Church, 848 Main St., Antioch IL

Doors open at 12:30 pm, meeting starts at 1:00 pm