Elgin Lions Club hears about Trees and Shrubs
Peter Orum, owner of Midwest Groundcovers, will speak to the Elgin Lions Club at their meeting at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road in Elgin. His topic will be trees and shrubs. The public is invited.
Orum, a native of Denmark, is well qualified to speak on this topic. After coming to this country in 1965, he educated himself in horticulture by working in the field and earning a degree in finance. He started Midwest Groundcovers in 1969 and the business has grown from humble dimensions to now produce around 30 million plants a year. It expanded to Michigan and Virgil, Ill., and now employs 275 people in peak season. Midwest Groundcovers supplies wholesale customers in several surrounding states and is the largest ground cover producer in Illinois.
Other businesses started by Mr. Orum include Midwest Trading which supplies horticultural products to other horticultural concerns and individuals. This company is the largest supplier of material for roof-top gardens in the Midwest. He also started a company that designs and installs sophisticated irrigation, fertilization and recycling systems for greenhouses and nurseries. He is also involved in field-nursery production in Illinois, seed orchard and Christmas tree plantations and forests in Northern Denmark and well as research and plant development in Denmark and the United States.
The meeting is open to the public. Those wishing to attend are asked to notify club president Bill Klawitter at billklaw@comcast.net or the Elgin Lions Club's phone answering service at (847) 289-4206 and leave a message. It is a meal meeting. The cost for the meal is $18, but attendees do not need to partake of the meal. When leaving the message, please indicate if a meal is desired. Advance notification is necessary to provide adequate seating and meals.
Members of the Elgin Lions Club are conducting their 29th annual Rose Day. They will be selling one dozen long stemmed roses for $15 between now and March 27 for delivery on April 3-5. Club members will also be selling roses at Elgin train stations during this time. This is a major fundraising event that began in 1984, and was so well received that it is now an annual affair. The roses can be ordered from any Elgin Lions Club member, or an order can be placed by calling (847) 289-4206. If you use the phone number, a Lions Club member will return your call to take the information needed for the delivery and to make arrangements for payment.