Garden Centers: The Growing Place

When you have so many good things to share, where do you start?  The Growing Place is a locally owned plant nursery with locations in Naperville and Aurora, Illinois.  (All images on this post are from their Naperville location)  One of my favorite things about visiting The Growing Place is their extensive garden vignettes which they call their Learning Gardens.  Each small garden includes everything from an eclectic garden and miniature garden to gardens designed for the specific environment such as sun, shade, dry and moist conditions.  They are full of colors and textures as well as designed to have plants with visual interest throughout the growing season.  Whether you are a garden novice or a professional, there is something for everyone in their Learning Gardens.  Each plant is carefully and neatly labeled so if you see something that you love, you can find it yourself or ask one of the staff to tell you more about.

So, let’s talk about the staff.  In my last visit to The Growing Place Naperville, no less than 4 people asked if there was any question they could answer or if I needed any assistance.  Not in a up-in-your-face kind of way, but in the we-love-what-we-do kind of way.  You will never, ever get that at a big box store garden center.  I had a nice chat with a staff member about a unique plant that they were carrying and although I knew it is an unusual plant, she knew everything about it’s growing habits and was pleased that I had noticed the plant among all the other beauties nearby.  Kudos to The Growing Place for helpful and knowledgeable staff.

Special notes:

• The Growing Place offers classes and events throughout the growing season for adults and children.  Take a moment to add one to your calendar.
• They carry one of the largest selections of succulents and miniature garden plants and accessories that I have seen around Chicago.  If you are interested in either of these or are an expert in them, you should stop in and see what they have.
• Need a gift for a gardener or maybe a unique housewarming gift? I absolutely love some of the one of a kind pieces that they carry.

The Growing Place

Locations: 25W471 Plank Road, Naperville Illinois 60563 and 2000 Montgomery Road, Aurora Illinois 60504
Nursery Open: July through October, check website for additional information
Frequent Buyer Program: Growing Rewards, free to join at either location
Other Services Offered: Garden advice, landscape design and installation and container design
Website: http://www.thegrowingplace.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.growing.place.garden.center

Farmers Markets: How to Find One Near You

My family loves fresh produce and my husband and I try to support local growers.  Whether we are shopping for fresh fruit to make jam, in season produce for homemade baby food or just to find something that looks delicious to make for dinner, Farmers Markets are a frequent destination for our family.  My husband searches out his favorite buckwheat honey, I’m always perusing plants and my 8 year old can spot fresh baked goods in 4.7 seconds.  We must not be alone because according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois is third in the entire US for the numbers of Farmers Markets we have.  I found that statistic to be both surprising and encouraging.

I live in a Chicago suburb that doesn’t have its own Farmers Market which means we travel around from place to place visiting different Markets in the Chicagoland area.  They are all so different and have amazing growers from all over the Midwest.  I absolutely encourage you to support your local Farmers Market, but consider visiting another nearby as well.  Since they often are held on different days and time in different locations, you can choose one available when you are.

Illinois has done a spectacular job creating a one stop search resource at the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s website where you can search by town or county.  They also have a fun Facebook page that you should like that features Illinois Farmers Markets.  They provide a great piece that shows you what is in season and when in Illinois:

To go one step further, Illinois also created the Buy Illinois Challenge to encourage residents to purchase local goods to support our local economy.  You can search their site for additional Illinois products including wineries (yes, please)

There are also website directories of Farmers Markets at FamersMarketOnline that lists Markets by state and also at LocalHarvest.

Tis the season… the Farmers Markets are brimming over with bountiful harvests right now.  Have a chat with the wonderful people who sell what they grow and are happy to see it move along to the next person who will enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Search one out near you and come back here to tell me about it!