Sandy Whiston hauls jugs of water to the flower bed she and Rudy Czech recently planted around the new sign at Indian Grove Park in Winfield.
As members of the Winfield Area Gardeners, Whiston and Czech are official caretakers of the sign. Through the club’s Adopt-A-Sign program, members donate plants and flowers from their own yards to embellish the park district’s 12 park signs throughout the community.
Peonies, black-eyed Susans, irises and daisies bring life to the new park at Indian Grove, where Whiston and Czech have given the bed a loose, natural look that blends well with the atmosphere of the village. In the spring they’ll add more to the new bed and also will put in some bulbs. “There’s no rule about how large the bed can be, as long as we maintain it,” said Whiston, who lives in Winfield.
“We are truly gardeners,” she said. “It’s not, `where are we going to lunch today?”‘
Because Kate Hopkins of Warrenville didn’t want to plan luncheons but wanted to get dirty and watch things grow, this is exactly the kind of group she was looking for when she joined the club a few months ago.
“The people seemed like nice, warm, normal people who do all the good stuff you want to do in a garden club,” she said.
Members dig into hands-on projects, learn from speakers and other club members as well as the club’s newsletter, share ideas, swap plants and donate plants and flowers to the community.
While many area garden clubs are well established, some more than 60 years old, Winfield Area Gardeners was started three years ago by Winfield Village Board member Rudy Czech and former Winfield Park District Commissioner Ed Dijak.
The group prides itself on its diversity. Members include men and women, young and old, experienced and inexperienced and a good ethnic mix that’s representative of America, said Winfield resident Fiona Ruman, president of the club.
“Everyone is welcome, and it’s wonderful because we enjoy the different cultures and learning about each other’s experiences,” she said.
The club works hand-in-hand with the village and park district, offering what it believes the area needs in the way of gardening. They also share their expertise and knowledge. For example, they’re a good source to help identify trees and plant material that others may not be familiar with in the parks.
When the village replaces six signs announcing to people that they are entering the village, the garden club will plant flower beds around the signs.
This is the third year members of the club have planted around the gazebo at Creekside Park, a popular spot for picture-taking for weddings, proms and homecomings. It’s about this time of year when soon-to-be brides call and ask what colors will be featured in the garden next summer because every year the club selects different colors for the park, Czech said.
They are also assisting the village in planting at the Village Green, the area west of the Village Hall that is part of the village’s Main Street Development Program, a downtown revitalization project.
The club has had such a positive impact on the community that last year the Winfield Park District awarded it a plaque for outstanding community service, which the district presented with a booklet of photographs of all the park signs the club had decorated.
“We stand for community service as well as education about gardening,” said Todd Williamson of Winfield, vice president of the club.
Mark Pawlowski, executive director of the Winfield Park District, gives the club rave reviews.
“I just started here in January, and without their help there would be no way, with the small budget and maintenance staff we have, that we’d ever come close to beautifying the parks as they have,” he said. “They have been an invaluable service to the park district.”
The 35 members meet at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Hedges Station, the village’s original train station; during the summer, it meets at a member’s home.
The club attracts members with a broad range of gardening skills–from Winfield as well as surrounding areas, including West Chicago, Warrenville, Carol Stream and Wheaton.
“When I joined, some people had been gardening for 20 and 30 years,” Ruman said, “and I didn’t know anything. We had just bought a house the year before, so I began getting more interested in gardening. It’s amazing how much you can learn in the club.”
Ruman said she has learned the names of many different plants, and now she is learning about the placement of plants in relation to their size.
“If gardening is something you enjoy, there’s nothing better than getting together with other people who enjoy gardening,” she said.
The club hosts a variety of guest speakers; for instance a speaker from the DuPage Conservation Society in Wheaton talked with members about alternatives to leaf burning, when it was still allowed in the village and many people didn’t want to stop.
The club strives to keep its programs well-rounded and diverse. Future plans may include an Adopt-A-Tree program whereby residents purchase a tree to be planted in the village for someone as a birthday gift or anniversary remembrance.
Also, the club would like to involve families and children. Czech said it would be nice to have gardening sessions on Saturday mornings to get kids interested in gardening, especially if it’s an activity they’re not exposed to at home.
The Winfield Area Gardeners get stronger and more innovative every year, Ruman said. “We do a lot of community work, which is one of our main goals. It’s our way of giving back to the community.”
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For more information about or to join the Winfield Area Gardeners, phone 630-653-0164.
