Well attended Wicker Park Garden Club's seed workshop delights attendees

Doug Wood describes plant habitats

The Plant Propagation from Seeds and Cuttings Workshop sponsored by the Wicker Park Garden Club included approximately fifty attendees who were presented with two aspects of gardening, the original habitat of the plants and the how-to of starting plants from seeds and cuttings.

Each participant was in one session with Doug Wood who talked about the importance of knowing about the origins of the various plants. By knowing the habitat where a plant originates, gardeners will be more successful when planning and then starting new plants as well as caring for existing ones.

Denise Browning (r) and Richard Tilley (third from r) share tips about maintaining plantings

Richard Tilley and Denise Browning then covered the does and don'ts of starting plant from seed, giving special tips learned throughout their many seasons of gardening.

"The session is very informative and the interaction of participants is great too," said Scott  van der Weele from the Lawerence and Western area where a group of neighbors have gardens along Gunnison and Ainslie Streets.

Richard shows some potting techniques

Northwest-siders Lila and Leon Kudzia were very happy to learn how to save seeds from their plants and how to take care of a plant that is currently dying.

Denise explains use of a heating pad

Elizabeth Crowley of Roscoe Village who has gone to several of the Garden Club Lectures was delighted to add this workshop to her gardening education.

"I try to be a gardener but today I learned so much and there is so much more to learn," explained Mary Korb, a thirty-two year Ukrainian Village resident. "I love begonias and it is very costly to buy from the garden centers. So now my husband is going to have to build a little area in the basement for me."

Luiza Ruge and Karl Ludeman talk about their afternoon of learning

"We're thinking of starting a garden in the spring," said Luisa Ruge. "I tried to grow plants from seeds before," explained, "but it never worked. Now I know that it has to do with the distance from the light source, number of seeds and water." "And then there are the little tricks from Richard like using a little pot in the middle of a big pot when filling the soil in the big pot. That makes it so much easier to then plant the plant," said Luisa.