Garden Walk 2022

The Historical Society of Forest Park (HSFP) was founded in 1975 and was led by Dr. Frank Orland for more than 25 years. Currently, we are a volunteer board led by an Executive Director. We believe in bringing Forest Park’s history to the community through different engaging events, our community display, and online exhibits on our website.

Become a Member

Premium - $5 Monthly

Premium Plus - $10 Monthly

Discounted Basic - $20

Basic - $30

Shared - $50

Patron - $250

Benefactor - $500

www.forestparkhistory.org/membership

Forest Park is located on the indigenous homelands of several tribal nations: the Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Potawatomi, Myaamia, and Ochethi Sakowin. We acknowledge the painful forced removal of these people from their ancestral lands by European settlers. We commit to building relationships with descendants of these tribal nations who still call this area home and to sharing the history and contributions of native peoples with the Forest Park community.

Raffle

1 ticket for $5

5 ticket for $25

Get you free ticket at 540 Ferdinand. Drop off your ticket and buy more at 930 Dunlop

Prizes

$500 Southwest Gift Card donated by Michelle Melin-Rogovin

$250 Air B&B Gift Card donated by Michelle Melin-Rogovin

Two free tickets to the 2023 Garden Walk and Journeyman Distillery bottles of Field Rye, Field Vodka and Field Gin. Journeyman Distillery had an incredible opportunity to collaborate with the Field Museum’s 125th Anniversary by utilizing botanicals that were introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the same year the museum originated. Take a step back in time with the turn of the century spirits. (Donated by HSFP Member Kristen Lyons)

Come to the 930 Dunlop Home to drop off your free raffle ticket and see the other raffle prizes! Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20

Map

435 Circle Ave

Lauren & Brad Burjan

Built: 1904 Purchased: 2016

Built in 1904, this Forest Park home was purchased by Lauren and Brad Burjan in 2016 when the interior of home was gut rehabbed by a local developer with everything new. In the past six years, the Burjan’s created indoor/outdoor living by adding French doors in the kitchen exiting out to a new Trex composite deck. The Burjan’s learned that the previous owner lived in home for 50+ years until their death and found business certificates in the garage for a TV repair company that appears to be operating out of the third car garage/work space.

The outdoor landscaping was overhauled with new sod, new perennials, and new stone patio. The front yard landscaping was completely overhauled in 2020 with the addition of Pink Dogwood tree, variety of grasses, hostas, lavender, sedum, dahlias, and other perennials. “We just love the Dogwood tree when it blooms pink in the Spring!”

Lauren’s mom was very into gardening when she was a little girl. “The green thumb just stuck! Once we moved into our Forest Park home and finally had the space to truly garden… it became more of a passion for me. My garden style is eclectic – there is no rhyme or reason but I do love focusing on a palette with pinks and purples when choosing flowering varieties. Gardening is an escape and time to just be one with nature. In a hectic world full of deadlines and stress, gardening is the one place you can just be Zen and not feel overwhelmed.”

“My husband and I absolutely love being a part of the Forest Park community! Not only am I a Forest Park resident, but also a realtor that tremendously enjoys helping other families find their house here in Forest Park to call home!”

When not in the garden, Lauran and Brad are puppy parents to two French Bulldogs, Baza who turns 1 year in July and Vito who was born at the end of March 2022.

pick up your raffle ticket here!

540 Ferdinand Ave

John Buno & Rose Mattax

Built: 1906 Purchased: 1993

John Buno and Rose Mattax were first motivated to garden so they would have less lawn to mow. “Less lawn to mow, like that would mean less work for us. Joke’s on us!” This northside Forest Park home was built in 1906 with John and Rose purchasing the home in 1993.

The garden style is a focus on plants that attract birds, butterflies, and bees. “Our favorite part of the garden is in the back, just southeast of the garage. Over breakfast, we can watch and enjoy the hummingbirds, goldfinches and monarchs. Gardening results in creating a thing of beauty, always in progress of course, and knowing we made it happen gives us great joy.”

John constructed both patios in the garden and made those patios from bricks discovered in the homes yard! Besides creating a tranquil setting, the homeowner Rose Mattax is a flower essence practitioner, so knows about the energy of many of the flowers in the garden. Ask her more about this while you visit her home!

Save this date!

25 June 2023 for the Garden Walk of Oak Park & River Forest

The Walk is a joint effort between:

The Garden Club of Oak Park and River Forest (GCOPRF)

We welcome new members! Residency in Oak Park or River Forest is not required. Membership includes access to a monthly program of speakers on informative topics, a festive May luncheon, discounted tickets to our June Garden Walk, summer Tea, and Holiday Boutique.

We also offer field trips, hands -on projects, access to classes and publications offered by Garden Clubs of Illinois and the National Garden Clubs.

For more information and to join, please visit GCOPRF.org

The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory (FOPCON)

We have worked with the Oak Park River Forest Garden Club for 28 years to organize our Garden Walk, held in late June.

We are hosting “A Taste of Uncorked” the 4th Friday of each summer month with music, beer, and wine in the Rubinstein Garden at the Oak Park Conservatory. This fall we will again have several virtual events on garden related topics. Our Toddler Exploration Time and Story Hour are geared for younger children.

Visit our website FOPCON.org for details.

911 Circle Ave

Hunt Family

Built: 1909 Purchased: 2017

The 911 Circle Avenue house since December of 2017 has been home to the Hunt Family, Meghan the gardener, Andrew enjoyer of garden and Amelia the daughter and garden helper. Not knowing much about the home build in 1909 except the prior owner grew lots of tomatoes, the Hunt Family has removed two large trees from the back yard that were dead and diseased and replaced them with apple trees and more sun to garden in. The Hunt family loves the hydrangea bushes out front and the row of peonies out back that were present when they bought the house.

Describing her garden style as perennial cottage, Meghan comes from multiple generations of gardeners. She grew up planting vegetables and talking all things organic with her dad who always had a garden just like his father and grandfather before him in Ohio. “I inherited my love of flowers from my mother. I like the layering but slightly organic flow of cottage style. So much of my garden has been shared or swapped with other local gardeners. I also have a few plants from my mother’s and grandmother’s house that bring my joy each year they return.”

Meghan adds, “I love losing hours in the dirt. Being outside connected with the earth and what it has to teach me. And as most gardeners will agree, the only thing better than being in your garden is talking about it! My garden continues to evolve and I enjoy the hot tub and fire pit in cooler weather. I love my garden beds and arches as they fill with food for my family.”

Besides her garden, ask Meghan about the Hunt Family chickens and how she is working to get them added to Forest Park village legislation.

914 Lathrop Ave

Casey & Nick Castle

Built: 1916 Purchased: 2020

Casey and Nick Castle in 2020 bought their 1916 build home on Lathrop Avenue and started to redo most of the landscaping and gardens because gardening is in Casey’s blood!

Growing up, Casey’s grandpa started a generational tradition of gardening as a family. She remembers going to visit her mother’s family in Iowa on summer weekends helping in their gardens. Her grandpa was part of Trees Forever in his town and helped plant new trees in several areas around town. “It’s a tradition that has carried down and now I enjoy spending time gardening with my mom and siblings, in my yard and theirs. We have heritage plants, some of our roses and peonies that have been passed from one home to the next, from my grandparents to my mom to my siblings or our yard. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected to those traditions my grandparents started, even though they’ve since passed.”

“I love low maintenance gardening and really enjoy those big overfilled English gardens where everything is just sort of popping up everywhere. Unless something is really invasive, like the ivy that was covering the entire side yard when we bought the house in 2020, I sort of leave it to do its thing. Plus that means almost no weeding! I love getting my hands in the dirt and being able to envision and create spaces that I enjoy. I feel so connected to the universe around me when I’m gardening and love our little magical fairy garden that we are in the process of creating. And all the wildlife that our yard attracts is a HUGE plus! One of our other favorite things is seeing the neighborhood interact with and appreciate our gardens. We have a few fairy houses and other decorations tucked in among the flowers in our front garden and one of our favorite things is to see some of the little kids in the neighborhood that will stop by to see if they can spot the fairies or see the dragon moving around.

Ask Casey and Nick about the clover yard that they are creating. In sections you will notice the tearing out of the old grass and replacing it with white Dutch micro clover because it’s nitrogen rich, has naturalized to the area, dog resistant, drought/flood resistant, thrives in most soil conditions, crowds out other weeds, is VERY low maintenance, and attracts all sorts of pollinators and wildlife.

911 Lathrop Ave

Bremner Tomlinson Home

Built: 1909 Purchased: 2017

Just purchasing this corner home in 2021, the Bremner Tomlinson Residence is a bungalow style home built in 1925 and has all new first floor windows. The current residents give credit to the prior owners for the landscaping, “I (Adriane Tomlinson) have to give credit to the previous owner for her landscaping. She would have enjoyed being invited to be in the 2022 Garden Walk.”

Enjoying the beauty that gardening brings to her home, Tomlinson describes her garden “style” as natural and wild with the current style of the garden created by the previous owner who truly enjoyed gardening. The current owners are in the process of “taming” the garden.

“It’s such a reward to see your garden come to life after your hard work. My favorite part of my garden is my pumpkins in the backyard. It’s my first-time growing vegetables and these were grown from seeds. I am so excited to have my own pumpkins for Fall!”

930 Dunlop Ave

Michelle Melin-Rogovin and Mark Rogovin

Built: 1913 Purchased: 1983

Since we’ve owned the house, we added the dormer in 2001, and most recently replaced the front and back porch and backyard sidewalk.

During our dormer construction found two time capsules, one in the roof from the 1980s and one in the stairs from the 1940s, from two prior owners. We wrapped up most items and created a new time capsule for future owners to find.

The owners left us photographs, news clippings, letters, and items from the time (a fedora hat, a child’s toy, a plastic sign). During construction, we also found a Walgreens prescription bottle, and we received help from the Walgreens company dating to 1928.

Memory Garden/Cottage Garden

Mark was always loved gardening and taught me everything I know about it - our garden was designed by him and originally started as a large organic vegetable garden with butterfly/pollinator plants. I love the fact that it continues as a memory garden for my husband Mark and contains many of the plants he loved. The garden contains sculptures and elements built by Mark (the benches, the arch over the back fence, the ladder trellis) as well as the planned elements he designed.

Over the decades of gardening, we’ve shared vegetables and plants with many neighbors and friends to help them start gardens and enjoy home grown vegetables.

Drop off your raffle ticket and buy more here!

122 Elgin Ave

John Sahli and Rick Wager are no strangers to the Historical Society of Forest Park garden walk. In 2018 they were on the first garden walk in the Forest Park area sponsored by the HSFP. Their gorgeous garden of coleus plants was a favorite and they won first prize for the best garden that year. Their win was showcased on the cover of the Forest Park Community Guide

The Sahli/Wagner garden has stunningly colored foliage in the combinations of green, yellow, pink, maroon. The plants in the garden have a wide variety of leaf sizes and overall shapes. Rick has perfected how to grow coleus plants and shares many with fellow Forest Park residents and friends. The coleus plant is rather easy to grow and propagate, in fact, the plants root so easily that you can even start cuttings in a glass of water. They can also be propagated by seed indoors about eight to ten weeks prior to your last expected spring frost. The coleus is a tender annual and highly susceptible to cold temperatures. Each fall, Rick therefore digs up and pots all the varieties found in his garden and brings them indoors to grow over the cold months. Besides growing from the plants found in his garden, he has taken clippings and propagated plants from public plant displays in the surrounding area and from other gardens.

Rick is an active member of the Forest Park Arts Alliance and the Garden Club of Forest Park. Rick welcomes questions about his garden, the Arts Alliance and the garden club! Thank you for being a “re-visit” garden and come take a photo booth picture in his year while on the walk!

As winner in of the Garden Walk in 2018 in this house isn’t eligble to win this year.

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Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child, one community at a time.

The Forest Park Kiwanis Club is

proud to sponsor the following organizations in our community:

209 Scholarship

Forest Park Scout Troop 107

After Party

Please join us for an after party this evening!

Saturday, July 16th at 6:00 PM at McGaffer’s Saloon Patio

Come celebrate with the Historical Society of Forest Park Board, homeowners and friends for appetizers as we draw the raffle ticket winners and announce the “Best in Show” from the garden walk!