2026 UPCOMING EVENTS
Agenda
6:00-6:30 PM – Social Hour with Refreshments
6:30-7:00 PM – Club Business Meeting
7:00-8:00 PM – Presentation
Township of Schaumburg building at One Illinois Blvd., 1st Floor, Hoffman Estates, IL
February 5, 2026 – Winterscaping: Beauty in the Quiet Season
Creating four-season landscapes is perhaps the most challenging in winter when the color palette shrinks and emphasis shifts to form over flower. This inspirational talk will consider plants for their architecture, resilience to snow cover, and the simple pleasures of bark and berries.
Heather Prince has been a part of the green industry for more than 20 years in numerous facets from public to private gardens and retail to wholesale nurseries. She is a professional garden writer and trained horticulturist specializing in trees, shrubs, and natives with a passion for connecting people with plants.
March 5, 2026 – Design with Color for Lasting Impact
Discover how to use color to create stunning landscapes. You will explore how to use color strategically to create harmony, highlight focal points, and add year-round interest. Learn simple, effective strategies for creating seasonal palettes, plant pairings, and design highlights that boost curb appeal.
Diane Smith is the owner of the Perennial Professionals, a landscape design and installation company. With 28 years of hands-on experience, Diane blends practical design principles with an artist’s eye, helping homeowners transform their landscapes. Her work emphasizes thoughtful plant selection, dynamic color choices, and solutions that work with the natural conditions of each site. Diane also teaches at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she enjoys making landscape design accessible and inspiring for gardeners of all levels.
April 2, 2026 – I’m Not Really a Garden Expert, I Just Play One on the Radio
Mike Nowak speaks on a wide range of gardening issues – why we need to rethink our attitudes regarding insects, why pesticide is usually the worst response to a garden problem, why weeds always win, why fertilizing is overrated, why a lot of garden design is overrated, why some garden design could help, why expensive plants are easy to kill, why there’s no such thing as a native garden yet it’s still important to grow native plants, and why folks sometimes do the weirdest things in the name of gardening.
Mike celebrated 25 years talking about gardening, the environment and green living on his program. Before going “strictly internet,” Mike hosted programs on WGN Radio and several others. He was co-host of the local TV program Dig In Chicago. His award-winning column was on the pages of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine. In 2014, he published his first book, Attack of the Killer Asparagus and Other Lessons Not Learned in the Garden. He is also a popular speaker on the garden club circuit.
May 7, 2026 – The Blended Family: Integrating Natives into Traditional Gardens
Learn about the benefits of adding natives to the garden, while keeping lifelong favorites. Hear about easy-going varieties and those that need a watchful eye and firm hand. Discover keystone species for the biggest bang for your native buck.
Ann Baker is a retired high school teacher and nurse educator, an NGC Environmental Consultant and a NGC Landscape Design Consultant. Energetic, enthusiastic and funny, Ann has shared her gardening stories and knowledge with community groups and garden clubs.
June ?? 2026 – ANNUAL PLANT SALE
August 6, 2026 – MEMBER FORUM – Ask Our Experts
Get answers to those pesky questions you’ve been asking yourself. Maybe you don’t know where to start, or don’t have time to research, or get conflicting information, maybe it pops up once a year & is gone again. This meeting will give members a chance to pick the brains of our gardening experts on an array of topics.
September 3, 2026 – To Be Announced
October 1, 2026 – To Be Announced
November 5, 2026 – To Be Announced
December ??, 2026 – MEMBERS ONLY HOLIDAY PARTY
