Glen Ellyn Garden Walk Benefits Homeless Families

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. - May 13, 2013 - PRLog -- The Glen Ellyn Garden Walk, sponsored by Bridge Communities, is an annual rite of passage from spring into summer.  Each year, delightful gardens range from formal to whimsical, grand to diminutive, created primarily by the homeowners themselves.  

This year’s Garden Walk takes place Saturday, June 15th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and features six private gardens, including an environmentally-conscious garden, a designated natural wildlife habitat, and more.  A trolley will circle the route, transporting guests from garden to garden.  

Master Gardeners from University of Illinois DuPage County Extension will be available to speak on gardening topics and answer gardening questions.  

Tickets are $25 through June 13th and $30 beginning June 14th.   Children’s tickets are offered to children 12 years and younger for only $15.  Tickets can be purchased at www.bridgecommunities.org, and beginning May 14th at: McChesney, 460 Crescent Blvd., BMO Harris Bank, 405 Pennsylvania Ave., Just the Bookstore, 475 N. Main St., Stacy’s Corners Store, 800 N. Main St., 7-Eleven, 3S035 Park Blvd., Keller Williams, 45 S. Park Blvd., and Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust, 500 Roosevelt Rd.

American Gardens, Bruss Landscaping, Inc., Coldwell Banker Charitable Foundation, Glen Ellyn Bank & Trust and Quaid & Rooney Distinctive Real Estate are generous sponsors of the Glen Ellyn Garden Walk.

All proceeds benefit Bridge Communities Transitional Housing Program, connecting homeless families in DuPage County to permanent housing, financial stability and self-sufficiency.  

Featured Gardens:

Anderson Garden:  Enjoy the extensive variety of lovely plants that are allowed to self-seed and can be found popping up in different areas of the garden.  Spring bulbs are left to naturalize and everything in the garden is lovingly tended without pesticides or chemicals.  The homeowner makes all her own compost and the results can be seen in spectacular lilies, unusual perennials, hostas, ferns, shrubs and mature trees.  There is a sense that a true gardener lives here who is concerned for the environment.  As you meander down the pathway, you will notice this is a working garden, with garden tools at the ready and a potting table ready for the next task.

Browder Garden:  When a century old Walnut tree dominates and graces the back yard it doesn’t allow for much else to grow, but this garden exhibits beautifully what can be done with a little imagination.   A beautiful stone patio and fireplace sets the scene for a welcoming outdoor family room where vintage artifacts provide a pleasing transition between the old and new.  Wander to the back of the home and linger at the dining table where the family enjoys al fresco meals surrounded by colorful window boxes and planters.  The home, built in 1893 provides a stunning backdrop to this outdoor retreat, encouraging family and friends to stay a while.

Bushman Garden:  A respite of quiet and calm, this garden encompasses varying shades of green and white as its color palette.  Entering the gardens you will be greeted by a statuesque European Beech spreading its branches in welcome.  Walking further you will find mature specimen conifers intermixed with unusual shrubs and a variety of ground cover and hosta.  Passing climbing vines and grasses you will enter the back gardens through a Japanese Tori Gate.  There you are greeted by a quiet oasis echoing the front gardens and home to a variety of trees including Hemlock, Weeping Alaskan Cedar, Acrocona, and a peony tree.   A haven for many bird, fox, and rabbit visitors this garden is a place to stop and take a breath.

Kummer Garden:  Whether you are looking to make a dramatic statement for a front door or ideas for a patio or balcony, this beautiful container garden will inspire you.  The 15 containers are carefully chosen to provide a colorful design element to complement the variety of plants.  You will see plants selected for their beautiful texture, form and color to include hot pinks, lime greens and purples for maximum impact.  Mary Ellen loves container gardening for the flexibility it provides to experiment with a variety of plant material, and provides an interesting garden year round, with spring bulbs, summer annuals, fall flowers and winter greens.  This garden has something for everyone.

Ridge Garden:  Designated as a natural wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and the Glen Ellyn Backyard Wildlife Program, this mature shade garden is a haven for birds like the Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, and Mourning Doves as well as Fox Squirrels, White-tailed Deer, and Red Fox.  Wind your way through the lush shades of green, ponder by the pond, or rest a while on the shady patio. Hosta lovers see how many hostas you can name. Although the yard is adorned with 15 various white and red oak trees, there is still room for a vegetable garden and strawberry patch. You may find antiques and whimsical items among the many plants and various ground covers.  These homeowners really dig what they do!

Yob Garden:  created in 2009, the property is surrounded by planting beds of grasses, perennials and colorful annuals.  A beautiful limestone and brick pavilion with a stunning fireplace is the focal point of the garden and is a delightful gathering place for family and friends.  Hidden speakers in the planters provide the music when relaxing, entertaining and celebrating family birthday parties and bar-b-q’s.  This is outdoor living at its best and a garden to be enjoyed year round.

Bridge Communities, Inc. is a dynamic, grassroots organization committed to transforming the lives of homeless families in DuPage County through partnering with talented, resourceful individuals and groups in the community.  Its program of transitional housing, mentoring and supportive services empowers families to increase life skills and earning power to promote self-sufficiency, sustain permanent housing, and break the cycle of poverty.  What began by co-founders Mark Milligan and Bob Wahlgren when they decided in 1988 to help homeless families has become a powerful current of change in the lives of hundreds of extremely low to low income at-risk families.  To make a donation to support homeless families served by Bridge Communities, or to find out how to support Bridge in other ways, please call Amy Van Polen at (630) 545-0610, ext.12 or visit www.bridgecommunities.org.

Digital photos of the gardens and the event logo are available via email; please contact Jennie Gates at (630) 545-0610, ext. 19 or jennie.gates@bridgecommunities.org.