Seven enthusiastic Club members worked with the Village of Wilmette Engineering and Public Works staff to plant several areas in front of Village Hall with new perennials. As part of a district grant, our Club donated $5,200 to help defray the $,700 cost of the 1,368 new plants. The planting crew of Club members were George Pearce, Beth DeWall, Corinne McClintic, Susan Fisher, Jim Bowman, Jim Waite, Mike Bailey and John Kessler. Not pictured: key team member Corinne McClintic.
Seven enthusiastic Club members worked with the Village of Wilmette Engineering and Public Works staff to plant 6 beds in front of Village Hall with new perennials. As part of a district grant, our Club donated $5,200 to help defray the $7,700 cost of the 1,368 total new plants the Village is planting in 14 different areas around Village Hall. Kate Amoruso, Assistant the Director in the Engineering & Public Works Department who also designed the gardens, says of the new plantings: "The landscaping at the Hall was a little tired and only really had one season of interest. We wanted to install something that would provide four seasons of interest, compliment the new streetscape plantings (going in next year), and reduce the annuals we plant each year (which saves money outright and also eliminates the need to water). I also chose plants that will require little maintenance, and attract pollinators."
The team were real pros as they dug, loosened the potbound roots and set 250 plants into the rich soil. Plants that have a new home include Allium 'Summer Beauty', Coreopsis lanceolata, Echinacea 'PowWow', Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei,' Liatris spicata "Kobold', Penstemon digitalis, Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward," Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation", and Sporobolus heterolepis 'Tara." We look forward to seeing these new plants bloom in Summer and Fall 2021. The planting crew of Club members were George Pearce, Beth DeWall, Corinne McClintic, Susan Fisher, Jim Bowman, Jim Waite, Mike Bailey and John Kessler. Not pictured: key team member Corinne McClintic.