Home & garden calendar, Nov. 23-29

Send events for this calendar to homes@dailyherald.com with “calendar listing” in the subject line. Deadline is two weeks prior to the event.

Upcoming

Garden Club of Downers Grove: 12:15-3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, at American Legion Post 80, 4000 Saratoga, Downers Grove. Micheale, a florist with Designs by Heritage House in Downers Grove, will present “A Festive Touch.” It starts at 12:15 p.m. for refreshments followed by the club's general meeting then the presentation at 1:45 p.m. Visit gardenclubofdownersgrove.net or facebook.com/gardenclubdownersgrove.

Arlington Heights Garden Club: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, at St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, 717 W. Kirchoff Road, Arlington Heights. Molly Roche, the TreeKeepers Program specialist at Openlands, will talk about the growing community of tree ambassadors that care for the urban forest in the Chicago area. Roche has been a TreeKeeper since 2015 and is an International Society of Arboriculture certified Arborist. Social time at 6:30 p.m. with meeting and program at 7 p.m. Guests welcome. Visit facebook.com/AHGardenClub.

Poinsettia, Pottery, and Plant Sale: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake. In the greenhouse (Building D), there will be poinsettias (different colors) and houseplants of all sizes, all cared for by MCC horticulture students, as well as MCC Student Farm honey. In the student commons (Building B), there will be handmade pottery, all made by MCC art students. Visit mchenry.edu/events/.

Garden Club of ​Lake Zurich, “Adding Public Gardens to Your Travel Plans”: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, Ela Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich. Brock and Ruth Seney will talk about public gardens across the U.S. Ruth is a master gardener with the University of Illinois. Brock enjoys photography and has taken classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden. gardencluboflakezurich.org.

Westmont Gardening Club: 6:30-7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Westmont Public Library, 428 N. Cass Ave. Connect with other gardeners, beginners and experts alike, in exploring all aspects of gardening. Visit westmontlibrary.org.

Naperville Garden Club’s Cup of Cheer Home Tour, Holiday Market & Tea: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, for $45. Preview day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 for $60. Four homes showcasing festive holiday decor that combines the homeowners’ personal style with seasonal touches provided by the club. The tea features homemade cookies and beverages. Each ticketed guest receives a commemorative teacup and saucer or mug, with a new pattern introduced each year. The Holiday Market features handcrafted and curated items at the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, 908 W. Jackson St. (non-ticket holders welcome from noon to 4 p.m. Friday). Tickets available at napervillegardenclub.org or Baird & Warner Realtors, 836 W. 75th St., Naperville; John Greene Realtors, 1311 S. Route 59, Naperville; and The Growing Place, 25W471 Plank Road, Naperville. ​Online tickets for Friday on sale until noon Wednesday. Dec. 3. A 10% discount is available with the purchase of 10 tickets. Proceeds support the club’s community programs, scholarships, civic beautification projects, and educational initiatives.

Geneva Garden Club: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Stephen R. Persinger Recreation Center, 3507 Kaneville Road in Geneva. Cristin Adam or Maureen Natonson of The Growing Place will present “Design for Four Seasons.” The program starts at noon following lunch. Guests are welcome. Visit genevagardenclub.com/general-meetings/.

Mount Prospect Garden Club: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Mount Prospect Police Station, 911 E. Kensington Road. Stephanie Dalton will talk about “Container Design.” The meeting begins with social time, followed by the 10 a.m. business meeting and 11 a.m. speaker. Guests are welcome. Visit gcmp.weebly.com.

Des Plaines Garden Club: 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in the Frisbee Senior Center, 52 E. Northwest Hwy., Des Plaines. It will be a general meeting with raffles and fun with flowers. Visit desplainesilgardenclub.com or facebook.com/DesPlainesGardenClub/.

Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners: 6:45 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. Join the annual potluck dinner and white elephant gift exchange. All are welcome. Visit bataviaplaindirtgardeners.org.

Garden Club of ​Lake Zurich: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, Ela Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich. Club members and guests will be divided into groups to play plant and garden trivia. Have fun and win some prizes! gardencluboflakezurich.org.

Workshops

Winter Containers at the Garden: 10-11:30 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Be inspired by the winter containers at the Garden and learn ways to extend your own into the winter season. Then prepare a container with fresh-cut evergreen boughs and berried or brightly colored branches. Dress for the weather and bring pruners and gloves. $89/$112. Register: chicagobotanic.org.

Native Ground Covers: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, online. Kick mulch to the curb! Switch to a tapestry of native plants and create a more visually appealing and ecologically valuable landscape. Learn a variety of versatile species that will satisfy many garden settings. This class will be taught by Duncan Himmelman, Ph.D., college horticulture instructor, via Zoom. $65. Register: chicagobotanic.org.

Plant Stories — Tales from the Garden: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, in the Morton Arboretum Cudahy Room, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Join author and naturalist Cindy Crosby for an engaging journey into the adventurous stories behind the garden plants we know and love. Discover how these plants made their way to our backyards — thanks to the daring efforts of plant hunters across the globe and close to home. Along the way, explore how different cultures throughout history have viewed and celebrated them. It is for age 16 or older. $17-$24. Register: mortonarb.org.

Turn That Patch Into a Plan: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, on YouTube Live (link provided with registration) with a limited Zoom audience. Thinking about transforming your lawn into a native plant garden but not sure where to start? In this design workshop webinar, experts Zoe Evans (Plan it Wild) and Heather Evans (Design Your Wild) show how to reimagine your entire yard as a place that truly works for both people and wildlife. Discover practical design strategies, like using paths, destinations, and enclosure, that make outdoor spaces more restorative for humans while supporting pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. The workshop will be recorded and available to watch later if you can’t join live. Register: wildones.org/turn-that-patch-into-a-plan/.

Pine Bonsai Workshop: 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Studio, Grainger Center at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Pines make great bonsai trees and can be styled in many different forms. They have great bark and foliage colors, and are very flexible for styling. Explore basic pine bonsai care, soil type, feeding, needle pruning, de-candling, and wiring of trees. Work on your own pines after an in-depth presentation on care. Led by Chris Baker, curator of bonsai. $49/$62. Register: chicagobotanic.org.

Winterscaping — Beauty in the Quiet Season: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, in the Morton Arboretum Cudahy Room, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Creating garden landscapes is perhaps the most challenging in winter, when the color palette shrinks and emphasis must shift from colorful blooms to the form and structure of plants. In this talk horticulturist Heather Prince, learn how to evaluate plants for their architecture, their resilience to snow cover, and the simple pleasures of bark and berries — to create a garden that’s interesting to look at all year round. It is for age 16 or older. $42-$49. Register: mortonarb.org.

Garden shows

Super Seed Saturday: Saturday, Jan. 24, at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Hear from experts, explore behind the scenes, swap seeds with gardeners. Free admission to Super Seed Saturday events; preregistration is not required for the Seed Swap. In “Low-Water, High-Yield Gardening for Any Space” from 1-2 p.m., Peg Davis, a farmer, retired agriculture teacher, and heirloom tomato enthusiast, leads a hands-on workshop on sub-irrigation plantings (SIPs), water-saving systems that help plants thrive in any space. Creator of the heirloom “Peg O’ My Heart” tomato, Davis shares practical, organic methods for growing abundant, flavorful produce with minimal water use. Registration is requested for the free lecture, free tours of the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank, and the Rare Book Room. Admission is free for Garden members. Regular parking and admission fees apply for nonmembers. Visit chicagobotanic.org.