Lincolnwood Garden Club of Evanston Treasurer Jane Hampson’s favorite part of the club’s annual garden fair is — quite fittingly — the plants. 

“There’s a tree peony in my backyard that just opened its first bud today, and it’s this brilliant gorgeous bright yellow bud,” Hampson said. 

On Saturday, Hampson will participate in the Evanston Garden Fair at Ackerman Park on Central Street. A selection of perennial plants sourced from club members’ gardens will be sold at the event, said Lincolnwood Garden Club President Mary Anne Diehl. 

This makes the plants particularly appealing to community members, Diehl said, as the plants are already “well-established” in Evanston. 

“One of the reasons people like it so much is because they’re tried and true,” Diehl said. “If they’ve come out of somebody’s garden who lives in the Evanston area, then you don’t have to worry whether or not it’s a plant that’s adaptable to this climate and to this environment.”

There will also be “master gardeners” at the fair who will offer advice about plant selection and upkeep, Diehl said. 

Proceeds from the fair will be devoted to grants that benefit gardening-adjacent organizations. 

“Every penny we make goes to a gardening-related cause — everything,” Garden Fair Coordinator Lori Polster said. “We do not make a penny from this.”

In the past, Polster said the club has donated to Natural Habitat Evanston, the Global Garden Refugee Training Farm and Family Matters. Diehl said this year the club will decide where they will direct the grants after the fair. 

In addition to their grant program, the club engages with various facets of the community. As part of Evanston Township High School’s Geometry in Construction program, high schoolers work to build affordable homes. Diehl said the Lincolnwood Garden Club collaborates with new homeowners to do basic landscaping around their houses. 

“It’s a great program because it’s a joining of the high school, the community and the garden group, and it’s all meant to help the community,” Diehl said. 

The club also has worked with the Clark Street Beach Bird Sanctuary to plan a garden for the space around the sanctuary, which Diehl said was planted this past year. 

This spirit of service guides the club and their activities at the fair. 

“It’s very nice to be of help to the community,” Diehl said. 

By attending the fair, Diehl hopes the community understands how “wonderful” gardening can be. Polster said she wants attendees to leave the fair more educated about the types of plants that thrive in Evanston. 

Hampson, meanwhile, said club members are still learning from each other. 

“It’s fun to hear other people’s experiences, it’s fun to lament about how much damage we’ve had from rabbits this year,” Hampson said. “It’s a great camaraderie.”

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