Big Turnout at CCGA’s Second 2016 Perennial Distribution!

Despite the hot, muggy and threatening weather, representatives from 84 community gardens came to the CCGA Resources Committee’s Second 2016 Perennial Distribution at New Horizons Garden!  Each community garden representative received over thirty plants.  Elite Growers again provided over 2600 perennials (prominent among them were  carex ‘Ice Dance’ ; silene ‘Short & Sweet’  ;  rudbeckia ‘Prairie Glow”: veronica “Eveline”, ‘Christy,’ and ‘Whitewater’; lychnis ‘Orange Gnome’:  hemerocallis ‘Autumn Red’:  centaurea; prunella; dianthus;  pulsatilla; stachys superba, and coreopsis.  ) and Rush University Medical Center donated over 500 drought-resistant perennials and shrubs. In addition, Clare Johnson of the Botanic Garden brought us several boxes of bare-root perennials, bulbs and corms (Stargazer lilies ; Bleeding Hearts ; Mixed coneflowers ; Holland pride mix (orange dahlia, orange Asiatic lilies, orange gladiolus, orange single freesia) ; Pretty in pink mix (pink dahlia, pink Asiatic lilies, pink gladiolus, pink oxalis) ; Blue hardy blue geraniums ; Lilac time dahlia ; Mixed Astilbe ; Arabian night dahlias) donated by Empowering Gardens.  The Resources Committee was fortunate to receive the superb assistance of Angela Taylor and her group of dedicated Garfield Park Community Council summer student workers, as well as over twenty-five dedicated community gardeners.  Together, they sorted all the plants into groups in record time (before nine thirty!) and by the time a rainstorm blew in at ten thirty, almost all the registrants’ cars were loaded.  Thank you, everyone for making this a great event!