Home show will feature gardening for the first time
I'm tired.
Tired of having to pull on a parka just to take out the trash.
Tired of trying to find room for the snow I shovel off the driveway.
Tired of walking through ankle-deep salty slush.
I need to know that spring is coming, or better yet, summer. I dream of green growing things, of seeing peonies and pansies in my yard and eating homegrown tomatoes on my patio.
Joanne Kennedy of Glen Ellyn understands these dreams. They are on what she's built the newest addition to the Old House New House Home Show this weekend.
The twice-yearly show, now in its 21st year at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, has expanded to include a section devoted entirely to outdoor living, with gardens, decks, outdoor kitchens and more.
"I'm a gardener at heart," said Kennedy, of Kennedy Productions, which owns the show. "We knew the timing was right to bring a garden show to the western suburbs."
"Everyone has itchy fingers to get their hands in the ground," said Beth Wall, a show organizer.
Thursday, workers were busy hauling pavers, decking materials, mulch, plants, boulders and more to create outdoorsy spots in the DuPage Expo building.
One of the biggest, right at the entrance, is the pond garden designed by Aquascape Inc. of St. Charles. Kennedy figures it will stop people in their tracks.
Besides commercial vendors, there are booths for things like the University of Illinois Extension's worm composting demonstration, advice from the Midwest Pond and Koi Society and representatives from the Sierra Club.
One of the booths is from We Grow Dreams of West Chicago, a nonprofit greenhouse and garden center that provides jobs and job training for people with disabilities. They'll have plants for sale as well as handcrafted gift items made by the workers.
Roger Cook, the landscape expert from the "This Old House" home renovation television show, will speak at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The radio show "Your House Chicago" will broadcast live at noon Sunday.
Brice Cooper, host of HGTV's "Design on a Dime," will speak about kitchens at 11 a.m. and "going green" with eco-friendly materials at 2 p.m. each day.
Bill Aldrich, executive editor of Chicagoland Gardening, will give a presentation on perennial gardening at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. today and 12:30 p.m. Sunday with a representative from Heinz Bros. Greenhouse of St. Charles.
Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and free for children. There will be shuttle service between the DuPage Expo building and the Mega Center and ballroom at Pheasant Run's main campus.
A $1-off coupon is available at www.kennedyproduct ions.com. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Overall, there are more than 400 home products exhibitors.
"We're bringing a little bit of spring here and a little bit of fresh air to the expo," said Kennedy.