Northtown Garden Society
Chicago, Illinois
Hydrangea
Planting the Garden 2011
Titia Crespo and Pete Leki - Waters School , 2016
L to R: Jean Francione, Principal Jacklyn Delaney, Eva Mannaberg (NGS), and Jamie Mandolini - Boone School, 2016
NGS members, Natalie Peterson (L) and Nancy Brekke (R) present a check to Jamie Mandolini (C), 2017
Green Room 2014
Green Room 2012
Cactii Terrarium
Cleanup Crew 2014
L to R: Ginny Davis, Eva Mannaberg, Lee Holohan, Lucy Radycki, Shelly Greenberg
Late Spring 2017
Mosaic Marker created by Ginny Davis 2015
First Year Planting 2010
The Plaque made by Frank Glapa
The Dedication Picnic 2012
Waters School Gardens
Boone School Garden, 2017
Comments from Jamie Mandolini at Boone School in the spring of 2017:
"Our plans for the garden are as follows: A pre-K teacher has already been out to the garden and planted the "Three Sisters," (corn, beans, and squash) in conjunction with his classes study of their Latino heritage. I really liked Nancy's suggestion of planting marigolds and using them for the Day of the Dead in another cultural heritage project. This is something I will do with my students as well as planting a Pizza Garden that will include herbs and tomatoes. Another project taking place in the garden is being done by the fourth grade students. They are taking on a real world math problem, involving fractions, and dividing a plot into fractional parts. Then, according to the students' choices, they will plant different fractions of the garden with different crops.
After speaking with you all, I also think that we will get some new potting soil and replenish the ground level beds so that they are ready for new plants."
Waters School Garden
Prep for gardens, Boone School, 2017
The Summer Cleanup Crew 2017 L to R: Marilyn Shipley, Holly Gallegos and Ginny Davis
Gardening
The Courtyard Garden at Bethany Retirement Home
Beginning in 2017, two NGS members, Dorothy Bird and Nancy Jane Lauren, have helped with the design and maintenance of the Courtyard Garden at the Bethany Retirement Home. With the addition of the gardens, which includes a vegetable garden for residents, the space has become a welcoming and happy place for all residents.
Rose of Sharon Garden 2016
Triangle Garden 2017
In 2017, two local schools, Boone and Waters, have received $300.00 each in order to further their school gardening projects. Boone will grow vegetables in raised beds and Waters will use the grant to continue its Sustainable Garden Project.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Scholarships
Supporting Park District Programs
Our Community Outreach Program for 2017 has granted scholarships to 4 children to attend Warren Park Day camp. In the past, we have provided funds for a day care graduation party and purchased swimming pools for summer campers.
Pictured on right are three of the four 2017 campers, brothers, Samuel and Nathan, and Sebastian who we have supported for 3 years.
School Gardens
Supporting Local School Gardens
Pete Leki, award-winning environmental activist, gardener and Ecology Program Coordinator at Waters Elementary School spoke about the process of converting an asphalt parking lot/play area to native plant and community gardens. To see a video of Mr. Leki discussing his work at Waters School, click here.
The Rose of Sharon Garden was the dream of NGS member Sharon Walsh whose untimely death in 2011 prohibited her from enjoying her dream. It is named in her honor.
The garden is located on the south side of the sidewalk leading to the Warren Park Field House, 6601 N. Western Ave. It is planted with pink roses, Russian Sage, cranesbill "Rozanne", hostas and daffodils.
We have been maintaining the Triangle Garden on the east side of Indian Boundary Park, 2501 W. Lunt Ave., for many years. It was redesigned as a mostly shade garden in 2010 as the tree canopy spread.
The plantings are a mixture of shrubs and perennials with a patch of shade annuals to provide a bit of color. A nice selection of shade perennials including ferns, hostas, anemones, hydrangeas, coral bells, turtleheads, astilbe and ligularia can be found. In the spring, species tulips, daffodils, crocuses and other spring bulbs burst forth.
We have been maintaining The Green Room, located in the Warren Park Field House, 6601 N. Western Ave., for many years. It contains a variety in indoor plants including a terrarium containing cactii. It provides a nice respite to get away from a snowy, cold winter.
Gardening
Gardening
Green Room
One of our missions is to provide services to our community. We do this by maintaining gardens in local parks, maintaining the Green Room at Warren Park, providing summer camp scholarships to children in need and providing financial support to local school gardening programs.