Helpful tips on spring planting from Schaumburg Park District's Spring Valley Nature Center

1. THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2018
c i n
Movie guide 2
Comics 4
Classifieds 5
dailyherald.comdh
5
NC3
Northwest Suburbs
Submitted by the Mount Prospect
Historical Society
This summer, the Mount
Prospect Historical Society will
offer a variety of programs,
including its popular Life as a
Prairie Girl, which allow partic-
ipants to step back in time and
experience life like our ances-
tors did more than 100 years
ago.
The society’s campus is in
downtown Mount Prospect,
and makes use of the Dietrich
Friedrichs House Museum,
the 1896 Central School and
the Dolores Haugh Educa-
tion Center. All buildings are
air-conditioned. Here’s a look
atseveralactivities:
• The Growth of Mount
Prospect from 1960 to the Mil-
lennium, 7 p.m. Thursday,
June 13, at the Mount Prospect
Public Library, 10 S. Emerson
St.
After World War II ended
and the GI’s returned home,
Mount Prospect experienced
a boom in population and,
in 1962, Randhurst Shopping
Mall opened. Society Execu-
tive Director Lindsay Rice talks
about the economic and resi-
dential growth that swept the
village in the 1960s, 1970s and
1980s.
• Life as a Prairie Girl I and
II. 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to
3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 19, for
girls entering second through
fifth grade. $25. Registration
deadlineJuly7.
In the first session, make
dolls, try old-fashioned chores
and games, learn about helpful
plants in the garden and make
your own lemonade “from
scratch.” The second session,
for those who have already
completed the first session,
includes sewing, making a
paper doll chain, whipping up
a no-bake summer treat and
plantingaflowerinatincan.
• The Science of History! For
boys and girls entering third
through fifth grade. 9:30 to
11:30 a.m. Thursday, July 26.
$25.
Design and build paper
towel tube “Lincoln Log”
cabins. Celebrate Illinois’
bicentennial with a tribute to
oneofitsmostfamouscitizens.
• Living the Revolution:
A Patriotic Experience. For
boys and girls entering third
through fifth grades. 1:30 to
3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26.
$25.
Children explore what it was
likegrowingupduringtheRev-
olutionary War. Find out what
school was like, what games
were popular, and try some
food and drinks. Create your
own secret codes or use invisi-
bleinktosendmessages.
All programs except the first
one are at 101 S. Maple St. Visit
www.mtphist.org or call (847)
392-9006 for program details
andregistration.
Historical society programs take visitors back in time
C O U R T E S Y O F M O U N T P R O S P E C T H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y
Girls try their hands at sewing in the Mount Prospect Historical
Society Education Center.
Submitted by Schaumburg Park District
From butterfly gardening
and native plants to fresh veg-
gies in the backyard, spring is
the time to sprout new ideas
for the landscape.
Schaumburg Park Dis-
trict’s Spring Valley Nature
Center, 1111 E. Schaumburg
Road, is the perfect place for
inspiration.
“We’ve got a lot of great
ideas to get you started this
spring,” said Dave Brooks,
manager of conservation ser-
vices for Spring Valley. “A lit-
tle time and patience can yield
some gorgeous results in the
garden.”
Spring Valley’s own garden-
ing pros offer these tips below.
Be prepared
Getting garden beds ready
for planting can begin as soon
as the snow melts, Brooks
said. Remove weeds down
to the roots and turn heavily
compacted soil to a depth of
six to eight inches. Add mush-
room compost or black dirt to
condition the soil.
“Cleaning up and prepping
planting beds can start well
before planting time,” Brooks
said. “Planting time in our
area will usually be anywhere
from late April until late May.”
Go native
When choosing plants, con-
sider varieties native to north-
ern Illinois, which are tolerant
of the area’s winters and sum-
mer heat. They also are more
likely to be resistant to insects
after adapting to local insect
populations over thousands of
years.
“Native plants are almost
always long-lived perennials
that will thrive and beautify
your landscape for many years
without replanting,” Brooks
said. “In the case of prairie
plants, they also are often tol-
erant of poor soils and, in fact,
will, over time, help improve
drainage in heavy clay soils.”
Native plants also are a
great prospect for beginning
gardeners or people who feel
like they don’t have a green
thumb or a ton of time to com-
mit to a garden.
“These types of plants are
used to thriving in the wild
with little human care,”
Brooks said. “As long as
they’re not being smothered
by weeds, they will thrive for
many years to come.”
Prairie plants that add color
and character to the gar-
den include the purple cone-
flower, New England aster,
black-eyed Susan and com-
mon milkweed — a must for
monarch butterflies.
Bring the kids
Little ones love to get messy
— which makes them ideal
candidates for helping in the
garden, said Amanda Ander-
son, environmental educator
for Spring Valley. Invite your
children to assist in the vege-
table garden with the weeding,
wateringandevenplanting.
“We know here at Spring
Valley that if children can see
where vegetables come from,
they’re more likely to eat their
vegetables,” said Anderson,
who coordinates programs for
the Kids’ Garden at the Nature
Center.
For vegetables, Anderson
recommends starting out with
radishes, cabbage and kale,
which can tolerate the cooler
temperatures at the start of
the season. Radishes also yield
a faster harvest — around 30
days—greatforyounggarden-
ers who might be impatient
aftersowing.
Beans, tomatoes and pep-
pers cannot be planted until
after the danger of frost has
passed.
Contain yourself
No yard? No problem! Sun,
quality soil and sufficient-
ly-sized containers are all
that’s needed for lovely patio
gardens at townhouses or
condos, Brooks said.
“Sun is the key,” he said.
“You can grow just about any-
thing in containers except
things that need a lot of space
like squash and pumpkins.”
Spring Valley Nature Center
is hosting an upcoming week-
end of gardening events for all
ages, including Family Worm
Farmers, a composting class
set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday,
May 19.
Also on May 19, Harper Col-
lege is hosting an Illinois Heir-
loom Gardening class from
noon to 2 p.m. at the Nature
Center. Participants must regis-
ter for the heirloom gardening
class through Harper College
at www.harpercollege.edu/ce/
enrichment/Nature.php.
A Native Plant and Heirloom
Vegetable Sale takes place 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May
20, at the Spring Valley Nature
Center, with gardening experts
available to answer questions
on home composting, attract-
ing birds and butterflies to the
backyard, creating rain gardens
andotherlandscapingtips.
For information, call (847)
985-2100orvisitparkfun.com.
How’s your green thumb?
Schaumburg Park District offers gardening tips and tricks for planting season
C O U R T E S Y O F S C H A U M B U R G P A R K D I S T R I C T
Amanda Anderson, environmental educator for Spring Valley, tends to plants in the greenhouse for the Kids’ Garden.
Schaumburg Park District’s
Spring Valley Nature Cen-
ter, 1111 E. Schaumburg
Road, is offering a weekend
of gardening-related events
May 19-20:
• Illinois Heirloom Garden-
ing, noon-2 p.m. May 19
(register at https://www.
harpercollege.edu/ce/
enrichment/Nature.php)
• Family Worm Farmers,
1-2:30 p.m. May 19
• Native Plant and Heirloom
Vegetable Sale, 10 a.m.-2
p.m. May 20
A weekend
of gardening events
C O U R T E S Y O F S C H A U M B U R G P A R K D I S T R I C T
Dave Brooks, manager of conservation services for Spring Valley, prepares to plant anemone
canadensis near Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground.
Retirement Pleasures
and Pitfalls
• 9:30-11:30 a.m. the second
and fourth Thursdays of the
month, Alcott Center, 530
Bernard Drive, Buffalo Grove.
A discussion and social
group for seniors. Retired,
semiretired or soon to retire
seniors interested in making
new friends with like-minded
people are welcome to join.
For ages 50 and older. Visit
sagesofbg.wordpress.com.
Palatine Library
Genealogy Group
• 7-8:30 p.m. the second
Thursday of the month,
Palatine Public Library, 700
N. North Court, Palatine. Join
others interested in genealogy
for a session of sharing tips
and learning about new
research tools. To sign up, call
(847) 358-5881, ext. 167, or
visit www.palatinelibrary.org.
Trunk Sale
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday,
May 12, St. Emily Parish,
1400 E. Central Road, Mount
Prospect. Parking Lot Trunk
Sale/Flea Market. Come to
buy or sell. Get the best of
multiple garage and yard
sales all in one place. Sellers
pay $25 per parking spot
and keep all the money they
make. For information, visit
www.stemilyreled.org.
Cake Auction
• 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday,
May 12, Norton’s U.S.A., 400
Lageschulte St., Barrington.
A live cake auction to benefit
Relay For Life. If you are bak-
ing a cake to donate, bring it
to the store by noon Saturday,
May 12. Then return for the
auction. Cake previewing at
2:45 p.m.; auction starts at
3 p.m. For information, visit
www.nortonsusa.com.
Environmental Fair
• Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, May
12, Schaumburg Township
District Library, 130 S. Roselle
Road, Schaumburg. The 2018
Environmental Fair is free.
Participants learn how to join
the community in protecting
the environment. Tables with
information will be available
in the lobby and participants
can attend a variety of
presentations and workshops
throughout the day. The fair is
co-sponsored by the Village of
Schaumburg’s Environmental
Committee and the Scha-
umburg Township District
Library. Visit bit.ly/2qf7xjR;
contact Martha Dooley at
mdooley@schaumburg.com
or call the library at (847)
985-4000.
&Out
about