Glencoe Historical Society
at the
Eklund History Center & Garden

The following excerpt is from an article titled, “Ye olde gardens: Landscapes created as time capsules of earlier era,” written by Stephanie Fosnight, Staff Writer, and published in the July 13, 2006 issue of the Glencoe News.

Turn of the century

The still-new Eklund garden in Glencoe has already become a bird paradise and a gentle place for passersby to sit a spell. - Brian O'Mahoney/Staff Photographer

When Sara “Sally” Eklund bequeathed her family’s downtown property to the Glencoe Historical Society in 2000, it was on the condition that the long-neglected garden lot was to flourish again.

While iris, day lilies, hydrangeas, bluebells and peonies still bloomed on the lot, they were surrounded by invasive species, an unsafe brick walk and diseased trees. So garden committee chair Vivian Zahniser and other members of the Glencoe Historical Society set to work.

“Our vision was to come up with the essence of a garden that could have been around in 1900,” Zahniser said.

The society enlisted donations, volunteers and Mariani Landscape to begin the long process of renovating the garden. Boy scouts took out the old brick walk and Mariani created a historically appropriate design.

After three years of work, the garden has new structural elements like beds and brick walks, along with a wealth of new trees and flowers. A tough old granddaddy rhubarb plant that has survived for decades dominates one corner and ornamental ground cover disguises the areas that still need work.

“While I love the ferns and the ground cover, we need more of the shrubs,” Zahniser said. “We’re continuing to raise money to add pieces.”

When Zahniser started researching plants of a century ago, she was pleasantly surprised to discover just how many modern varieties would be at home in the Eklund garden.

“In the early 1900s, the botanical world just exploded,” she said. “Almost everything we have today was in use then. We had a wealth of plants to choose from.”

And so the Eklund garden is home to updated versions of classic plants, like a low-maintenance shrub rose.

Although there’s still plenty of work to be done, the Eklund garden has already become a sanctuary for many. Twittering birds swoop from tree to tree, butterflies hover over the flowers and residents eat their lunches on the quiet benches that seem a world away from the busy street outside the gates. “We have a few children in the village who think this is a secret garden,” Zahniser said.

The still-new Eklund garden in Glencoe has already become a bird paradise and a gentle place for passersby to sit a spell.

Visiting the gardens

The Eklund History Center & Garden is at 377 Park Avenue in Glencoe. For information about the July 29 benefit garden party Mrs. Sharpe Steps Out, call 847.835.0040. Tickets are $50 by July 10 and include cocktails, a buffet and the first viewing from the vintage Helen Sharpe Fashion Collection.