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Gold-Medal Olympic swimmer Matt Grevers signed autographs and met fans at Chalet garden center, Sept. 27, 2008. Chalet senior landscape architect Ed Grevers and his wife Anja welcomed their son back from the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won gold medals in the 4×100m medley relay and the 4×100m freestyle relay, and a silver medal in the 100m backstroke.

A preview of the event was featured in the Sept. 11, 2008 edition of Pioneer Press North Shore.

Cooler weather gives grass a great boost of energy as it gears up for winter, making early fall a good time for lawn maintenance. In the Sept. 7, 2008 edition of the Chicago Tribune, reporter Beth Botts asked Bill Leuenberger, Chalet’s lawn care manager, and Paul Tukey, founder of safelawns.org, for “10 things to do by fall to keep (or get) your grass looking great.” The first piece of advice is to mow the lawn. Set the blade so that the grass grows three to four inches. Taller grass means deeper, stronger roots. It also shades out many weed seeds so they can’t sprout. After mowing, leave the clippings. They will decompose and return their nutrients to the soil. Fall is the best time of year to reseed and over-seed. Whether clearing a spot for new grass or scattering seeds over patchy places, make sure it is well watered for thicker grass in the spring. Click here to read the article.

Daily Herald and Pioneer Press featured Chalet’s free fall education series on gardening and garden design topics in their calendar of events listings. These include times and directions as well as information on “Fall Lawn Care,” a free demonstration by horticulture specialists Jennifer Brennan and Bill Leuenberger on how to fertilize, core-aerate and re-seed your lawn this fall. Listings appeared Aug. 28, 2008 in Pioneer Press and Aug. 30, 2008 and Sept. 6, 2008 in Daily Herald.

The summer 2008 issue of Garden Decor, a quarterly supplement to Home Accents Today and Casual Living, spotlights Chicago’s Chalet (page 8-12). Since taking root in 1917, Chalet has become a prosperous, award-winning operation located on 16 acres in North Chicago. The article by Susan Dickenson takes a look at some of Chalet’s history and some historical moments. Chalet was named the 2007 Innovator of the Year by Garden Center magazine, but innovation has always been a key part of the company. In 1954, L.J. Thalmann (founder) built a 9,500 square foot garden center, which was something almost unheard of at the time. L.J. (Larry) Thalmann III joined the company in 1984 and has since become, and remains, the store’s president bringing a vision of “excellence in service, quality and value in a culture that is supportive and rewarding to employees.” As part of his vision, Thalmann created the Chalet College, attended by staff members in the off-season for training and review. Thalmann said, “I take a great deal of pride in watching our company get a little bit better each year… I love working with people who share in that pride, and want to be a part of something special.” The article also mentions that Chalet has more Illinois Certified Nursery Professionals than any other garden center or landscape firm in the state. With a rich history and a promising future, we look forward to Chalet’s continued success and innovation.

Bill Leuenberger of Chalet visits WGN for a “Lunchbreak” on WGN News at Noon, Thursday, July 24, 2008. He shares the importance of aerating the lawn and says fall is the best time to do it. He advises hiring someone to come and aerate the lawn, as the machine tends to be heavy. Once the lawn is aerated, bring out the grass seeds and fertilizer, spray for fertilizer, give the yard a good watering and enjoy a fresh green lawn.

Click here to watch the video.
Click over to “Lunchbreak” and scroll down to “Lawn Maintenance.”

Towers Productions (Chicago) is producing a new show for the Discovery Channel that uses Chalet, Wilmette, as a “set” in one of the episodes. Taping was at the Wilmette location. Working title is “Undercover.” The show is a profile docudrama that recreates various undercover sting operations to show how crimes were solved. The topic of the show in which Chalet is being used as a “set” regards an undercover DEA operation in the 1980s, which took place in an outdoor bar/café in Columbia. The producers were for a tropical-looking patio setting and Chalet delivered. Chalet’s participation will be very brief tight shots – 10 seconds in two scenes, but the “Undercover” episode will air worldwide in January (date not yet set). Chalet will be given credit at the end of the show.

Chicago Tribune contributor Barbara Mahany’s report, “Gardening is dirty work, here’s how to come clean” was featured in the July 26, 2008 edition of Myrtle Beach Online (South Carolina) Home & Garden section. The article features confessions and advice by gardeners who just can’t resist diggin’ in the the dirt. One piece of advise on how to stay clean comes from horticulturalist, Jennifer Brennan, at Chalet Nursery. She suggests slathering her hands with petroleum jelly or goopy lotion, “You have to use so much you think you’re using way too much,” says Brennan. “Rub it in your cuticles, so you seal the cellular walls, and then the dirt can’t get in.”

For more simple solutions and simply great advice, read the rest of the article here.

In the July 24, 2008 Grayslake Review, Ken Goze interviews Chalet’s Tony Fulmer and Troy Ripley about the rise of the pesky pest terrorizing North Shore, Illinois residents: the gypsy moth. These critters will eat anything leafy and green and are laying eggs in backyards, to hatch next spring. Ripley says he’s been waging war with the moths in his own backyard, nearly covered in tiny caterpillars. Fulmer advises using soybean oil-based pesticide to suffocate the eggs and advises against just knocking them to the ground - since they will survive and hatch in the spring.

Click here to read the full article.

Chicago Tribune contributor Beth Botts suggests reading “Roy Diblik’s Small Perennial Gardens: The Know Maintenance Approach” (American Nurseryman, 132 pages, $24.95) in the July 13, 2008 Home & Garden section. With a design like that of a cookbook, Botts says the book will help with one of the trickier tasts for gardeners: combining perennials. The plants are all tested at Diblik’s Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, Wis., near Lake Geneva. Northwind supplies many of their plants to Chalet nursery in Wilmette.

With summer underway, Chalet is the go-to place for Chicagoans to get supplies for their garden. It is no surprise to us that it was recently featured in the North Shore Magazine as one of the best local businesses (July 2008, pg 53).

The Sunday, July 6 edition of the Chicago Tribune featured Chalet twice in their Home and Gardens section. The first mention was an article titled “The dirt of cleaning up dirty gardeners,” by Barbara Mahany, featuring Mud Gloves available at Chalet (Section 15, page 4). The second mention was in “Fleur du jour,” featuring Steve Kooyenga describing why he loves the Echinacea Purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’ cone-flower (Section 15, page 8).

Of course, there’s more to do than just shop at Chalet’s Garden Center. The July/August issue of Chicagoland Gardening features several listings of Chalet in their “Calendar of Events” (page 78). These events include: “Cooking with Herbs,” featuring Dave Esau, Dave’s Specialty Foods, on July 10-11; “New, Better Shrubs for the Home Garden,” with Dave Wanninger, July 17-18; “Watering Instructions,” Tony Fulmer, July 24-25; “Harvest Lecture,” July 31- August 1. Also, Pioneer Press promotes lectures with Dave Wanninger, Tony Fulmer and Jennifer Brennan in their July 3 issue in “Items: Home & Design briefs.”

The title of this blog comes from an article by Ideal Bite. Posted on their website, July 7, this “short but sweet” article features mid-summer planting tips from Chalet’s Jennifer Brennan.
Click here to read this article.

For more information on Chalet, visit their website by clicking here.