The Garden Club of Barrington
Founded 1925 A member of The Garden Club of America
History of the Bald Cypress Garden
The Citizens Park Bald Cypress Garden (the Garden) began in 2010. At that time, The Garden Club of Barrington ( the Club) donated three Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum, trees in honor of the 100th anniversary of The Garden Club of America(GCA). The tree species, a past recipient of the GCA Montine McDaniel Freeman Horticulture Medal, was chosen because it is native to this area and is a good choice for the soil conditions.
Planting Day in 2010
The trees thrived in this environment, but over time began to be smothered by invasive plantings, particularly phragmites and black willow. This condition became the focus of the Club’s plan to honor the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted. He is considered the founder of American landscape architecture and is best known for designing the grounds of New York City’s Central Park, the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C., and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Phragmites at Citizens Park in Fall of 2020
The GCA encouraged all 199 member clubs to find a way to honor his 200th birthday by focusing on the importance of stewardship of our public spaces and to focus on the parks in our community. Since one of his famous mottos was, “Parks are where nature meets community”, this site at Citizens Park seemed ideal for our Club.
In the winter of 2021, the Club reached out to the Barrington Park District and Lake County Forest Preserve to gain permission to proceed with the plan to free the trees from invasive planting and create a native pollinator garden.
In the spring of 2021 we worked with Roy Diblik, owner of Northwind Perennial Garden and an honorary member of the GCA, to plan the garden.
Planting Begins in 2021
On June 21st, 2021, Roy drilled the holes and members planted the plugs for the Garden. Club members worked more than 200 hours in 2021 planting, weeding and watering the initial garden.
2022 - Adding Shrubs
In 2022, the Club received a Partner for Plants grant from the GCA to fund shrubs for the back border of the Garden and to replenish and enhance the native plantings. It was another year of many hours of weeding, watering and nurturing this very new garden.
2022
2023 - Extending the Garden
In 2023, the Club again received a Partner for Plants grant from the GCA. This time, the funds were used to extend the garden bed to the north and add a layer of native shrubs to help keep invasive plantings from returning.
Planning for the Future
In 2024, the weeding has continued on a regular basis and the native plants can be seen throughout the summer in full bloom. As 2025 approaches, plans are in the works to once again enhance the area and honor our Club’s 100th anniversary.
