SPRING & SUMMER LECTURE SERIES 2008

(Please note the changed lecture days due to

Spring & Summer format)

Held Thursdays at 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. and

Fridays at 10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.

at Chalet Education Center

3132 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois

Apr. 3 & Apr. 4:  SPRING LAWN CARE BY BILL LEUENBERGER                                & JENNIFER BRENNAN

Apr. 10 & Apr. 11:  PLANNING YOUR SPRING GARDEN BY KRISTIN LUDWIG FROM BALL HORTICULTURE COMPANY

Apr. 17 & Apr. 18:  CREATING ECO-GARDENS IN RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES BY DENNIS SWIFTDEER PAIGE 

Apr. 25 through Apr. 27:  GARDEN FAIRE AT CHALET – LECTURES IN EDUCATION CENTER

    Apr. 25:  1:00pm - CONTINUOUS PLANTING = COLOR by

                                        FREYA WELLIN & JENNIFER BRENNAN

    Apr. 26:  1:00pm - “KNOW MAINTENANCE™” PERENNIALS                                          by ROY DIBLIK of

                                       NORTHWIND PERENNIALS              

     Apr. 27:  1:00pm - RECOMMENDED PERENNIALS FROM                                        CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDENS                                        FIELD TRIALS by RICHARD HAWKE

May:  NO LECTURES - TIME TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN

Jun. 5 & Jun. 6:  HERBS BY TERRY HOLLEMBAEK

                               & NANCY MOMSEN

Jun. 12 & Jun. 13:  LANDSCAPING WITH PERENNIALS BY                                     DIANE NOLAND,  UNIVERSITY OF                                     ILLINOIS PERENNIAL PROFESSOR

Jun. 19 & Jun. 20:  SUMMER CONTAINER WORKSHOP:  Registration and materials fee required in advance, $54.99 plus tax (pot is included).  Call 847-256-0561 ext. 225.

Jun. 26 & Jun. 27:  MID-SEASON PERENNIAL MAINTENANCE

                                    BY JENNIFER BRENNAN

Jul. 3 & Jul. 4:  NO LECTURES – HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Jul. 10 & Jul. 11:  COOKING WITH HERBS –DAVE ESAU OF                                   DAVE'S SPECIALTY FOODS

Jul. 17 & Jul. 18:  NEW, BETTER SHRUBS FOR THE

                                  HOME GARDEN BY DAVE WANNINGER

Jul. 24 & Jul. 25:  HOW TO WATER PROPERLY

                                  BY TONY FULMER

Jul. 31 & Aug. 1:  HARVEST LECTURE

                                 BY JENNIFER BRENNAN

If you have any questions, please call Jennifer Brennan at 847-256-0561, x225. 

Lecture Descriptions:

SPRING LAWN CARE - Learn what to do now to help your lawn wake up and perform beautifully during the 2008 season.  Bill Leuenberger, Chalet Lawncare Division Manager, and Jennifer Brennan, Chalet horticulturist, will give you the routine to follow for fertilizing, weed control and maintenance.  Earth friendly practices will be covered as well as traditional techniques. 

PLANNING YOUR SPRING GARDEN - Kristin Ludwig, Product Manager, Ball Horticulture Company, will introduce the “must -haves” for Spring - the newest introductions of annuals and perennials to add to your shopping list. This is just in time to get organized AND excited for the new season.

CREATING ECO-GARDENS IN RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES - Learn how one community in the suburbs became the first “residential” association to become a member of the Chicago Wilderness by transforming their lawn into an unfolding range of multi-season color using prairie, woodland and wetland wildflowers, forbs, sedges and grasses. Dennis Paige, owner of Swiftdeer Paige, an Earth caring enterprise offering green lifestyle and native landscaping consultation., has been an interpretive naturalist and restorationist at Spring Valley Nature Center in Schaumburg for over 20 years.

GARDEN FAIRE AT CHALET - Join us for a fun weekend to start the gardening season. Each day has expert lectures, informative demonstrations, face painting and projects for children, Build-A-Pot for adults, plants, products and more. LECTURES ARE AT 1PM FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IN THE ED CENTER.

HERBS BY TERRY HOLLEMBAEK & NANCY MOMSEN - Learn the best performing herbs for the Midwest from Chalet’s herb growers, Nancy’s Meadow Herbs. Besides sharing how to grow them and how to use them, Terry Hollembaek, will give you the fascinating history of our favorite culinary, healing and fragrant herbs.   

LANDSCAPING WITH PERENNIALS - Diane Noland, University of Illinois Perennial Professor gave this lecture to professionals at the 2008 Mid-Am Horticultural Trade Show. Her organized tips based on principles of design and design strategies, like “Traditional Layering”, “Relaxed Massing” and “Creative Layering” give an excellent perspective to beginner and experienced gardeners alike. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her teaching ability is inspired.  

SUMMER CONTAINER WORKSHOP - Create a beautiful summer container garden for sun or shade in the Chalet Education Center.  Jennifer Brennan, Chalet horticulturist, will teach you the basics of container gardening and help you select the best plants for your site, sun or shade.  Use the secrets that the professionals use to keep your containers looking great throughout the entire season.  Registration and materials fee required in advance, $54.99 (pot is included).  Call 847-256-0561 ext. 225.

MID-SEASON PERENNIAL MAINTENANCE - by Jennifer Brennan . We gave the first episode of this lecture 2 years ago.  The reviews were fantastic, but everyone asked; “Please give this one again in the middle of the growing season.” So here it is – the “in-season” coaching session on perennial maintenance.  Learn the maintenance techniques to help you extend bloom display, prevent disease and insect problems and eliminate unnecessary work.  Jennifer Brennan, Chalet’s Horticulture Information Specialist, will help you maintain the best perennial garden in 2008.

COOKING WITH HERBS – Dave Esau, Chef / Owner of Dave’s Specialty Foods (www.davespecialtyfoods.com), has been invited to the Chalet Education Center to demonstrate how to creatively use the herbs from your garden (or the farmers’ market). He has had training in France, has worked at Le Titi de Paris, Charlie Trotter’s, and was chef at The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin, the only 5-Diamond resort in the Midwest. Enjoy the sights, fragrances and tastes at this fun demonstration. Dave’s motto is “Welcome to Dave’s Specialty Foods, where awesome food is standard and service is always with a smile.”

NEW, BETTER SHRUBS FOR THE HOME GARDEN – Dave Wanninger, Chief horticulturist at Beaver Creek Nursery will introduce you to some great shrubs that will spice up your plant palette. Many are improved varieties of plants you may already know, some are new introductions and unknown to the gardening public, and a few are old friends that deserve a new look.

WATERING INSTRUCTIONS - Chalet expert Tony Fulmer will discuss why correct watering is the most critical factor in the survival of plants in our gardens.  Many of the problems that we diagnose are due to inadequate water from previous growing seasons. Many people do not understand how to correctly water the different plants in their gardens.  Learn why, how, when and how much water to give to your plants when Mother Nature falls short.

HARVEST LECTURE - You started your seeds, transplanted the seedlings, ‘hardened-off’ the young plants, and planted them after the “frost-free” date.  Now the harvest is coming in!!!  How do you harvest correctly, extend the harvest and enjoy your crops?  Taste test some of Jennifer Brennan’s favorite recipes for classic “bumper crop” vegetables. Try Fresh Spinach Pesto, Tender Zucchini-Feta Pancakes, Lemon-drenched Zucchini Loaf, Baked Herbed Tomatoes, and Salsa.

Since 1997, the goal of our lecture series has been to provide the timeliest, most current and most accurate horticultural information as a free service to our customers.

Our Education seminars are led by our Horticultural Information Specialist Jennifer Brennan. Jennifer's degree is in Ornamental Horticulture and she is also an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional. Jennifer and our staff of horticulturists present the majority of the lectures, with occasional guest lectures by expert specialists when the subject matter warrants. All lectures are taped and the tapes are available to rent for $3.00 for 3 nights.

In response to customer requests we have added workshops for a nominal materials fee. In a typical workshop, Jennifer gives a brief lecture, demonstrates the procedure for making the finished product , and then answers questions while students are creating their project, which they will be taking home to enjoy. Questions regarding workshop registration and tape rental should be directed to Jennifer at (847) 256-0561 (ext. 225).

As an added bonus do watch Jennifer's monthly appearances on ABC TV / WLS Channel 7 News. Typically, weather anchor Tracy Butler does her broadcast from Chalet Nursery the third Tuesday of every month. In addition, she and Jennifer talk about what is horticulturally important for the month in three segments throughout the course of the Channel 7 Morning News (5:00 AM - 7:00 AM). Please join Tracy and Jennifer.