SWAN-Elgin

Elgin is well-known for its Painted Ladies, but in the 1920’s a new style of house began sweeping the nation–the Craftsman Bungalow.  First developed in California, the Craftsman Bungalow was 1 to 1-1/2 stories high, with a low pitched roof with a wide, unenclosed eave overhang, and a full or partial width front porch.  The Southwest Area Neighborhood has a stunning collection of Craftsman Bungalows plus several gardens which we, once more, invite you to see.

Please join us for Part Two of our Bungalows & Blooms Walking Tour this coming Saturday, July 24, at 9:30 AM.  We will meet in the driveway of 626 Orange St. on the corner of Orange and Gertrude.  Parking is on both sides of Gertrude and on the north side of Orange.  We will visit 27 bungalows–exterior only–plus 5 extra gardens from Wabash to Orchard this time.  It is a little over a mile long and will take approximately 1 -1 1/2 hours to complete.  There will be more “jerkinhead gable roofs” and “piano windows” to see.  As last time, a booklet telling about the architectural features of the houses and the historical information of the first owners will  be furnished. This is a joint effort of SWAN and the Elgin History Museum.

Jennifer Fritz-Williams, Historic Preservation Specialist with the City of Elgin and Pat Hill, neighborhood resident and bungalow owner, will lead the tours.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased the day of the tour.

SWAN’s very own Pat Hill is featured in the summer 2010 “Nature’s Garden,” a special interest publication of Better Homes and Gardens. The feature includes a six-page photographic spread of Pat’s prairie garden when it was in bloom last summer.

‘Nature’s Garden’ is on newsstands now, at grocery stores and book stores.

The Courier-News also published a short blurb about Pat’s feature.

Congrats to Pat, and thanks for helping beautify our neighborhood!

Last October, SWAN received a grant of $1000 from the YMCA  Activate Elgin Program and a grant from the America the Beautiful Fund to provide free vegetable and flower seeds. The YMCA grant will be used to provide $50 to 20 homes in SWAN. The money must be spent on gardening materials or equipment. To obtain this grant you must complete an application. Recipients will be determined and notified by April 18^th. If you receive the grant, you must purchase your garden materials or equipment and submit the receipt to SWAN for reimbursement.

Anybody that is interested in obtaining free seeds may do so by requesting them on the application or by contacting Mike Curtin. There are plenty of seeds for everyone.  Please take advantage of this unique opportunity.

If you are looking for cost-effective garden ideas to enhance the look of your property, consider the various packages offered by the Kane-Dupage Soil & Water Conservation District.  This organization offers a butterfly package, a humming bird package, and a rain garden package for only $62 per package.  The last day to order these packages is April 30^th.  If you are fortunate enough to receive a YMCA grant, then the cost of these packages to the homeowner is only $12.

We also need volunteers to help plant trees on Saturday April 17th.  We will be planting between 1500-2000 trees in Burnidge Woods and need 20-30 volunteers. Again, contact Mike Curtin at michaelcurtin31@gmail.com if you’re interested.

By Valerie Blaine | Columnist

Any discussion of plant allergies must include Goldenrod, a classic example of misguided ire. Goldenrods grow profusely in fields and forests, flowering in earnest come fall. Why hasn’t anyone declared war on these noxious weeds? Well, because they are not noxious weeds.

Read the rest of this entry »