2025 News
Inside and Outside the Garden
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John Williams Says Good-bye
John Williams, the Garden's longest-time member, notified the Board that he is leaving the RBVG. None of us should have been surprised, but we were, so much so that we gasped when we were told.. We all thought he would be gardening until he was 90, and he did. Unbeknownst to us all, John turned 90 last year.
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John joined the Garden at age 42, and one of the first things he planted in his plot was grapevines to create a natural border. They are as strong and beautiful today as they were forty-eight years ago when he began his garden plot.. He served as our Board President for ten years and was considered a President Emeritus. He introduced new and younger members to our Garden's history, and shared garden tips with all of us. When the Garden was in danger of being eliminated from the community, John helped lead the charge to save it, a battle that was won. Wearing his red baseball cap and his checkered garden shirt, he greeted every member with a hand wave and a smile as he walked up the path to his plot. He was always generous with his praise for plots that were exceptionally maintained and equally as generous with his complaints to the Board for plots that weren't.
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We should all be as fortunate as John to be able to garden until we are nonagenarians. He was proud to be a member of our Garden community, and we were proud to call him a friend and garden neighbor. John, you will be missed..
Opening Day, 2025
The Garden is now open for returning members. If you did not attend the annual meeting, please contact a member of the Board.
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If you use the Compost Station, plot 63W, for your garden debris, please separate it and place it in the appropriate bin.​​
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Meditation Garden Enhancement
At this year's Annual Meeting, a new design for the garden's meditation area was introduced. The new design was done by volunteer UC Student Nico Rose. The Meditation Garden is one of the first plots seen after entering the RBVG. This new design, approved by the Board this past January, is dramatic in aesthetics but still maintains the simplicity of our garden. Board Member Ana Sokovic is leading this project and volunteers will be needed to transfer and replant some of the existing plants and to help plant new ones. Many thanks to Nico for his vision!
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Our Pollinator Stations Matter
A recent New York Times article reaffirmed why every garden needs to protect pollinators, something the RBVG has been doing throughout its history. Currently, our Garden has six plots designated specifically as pollinator stations. These areas, along with the required flowered borders for members' plots and the main pathways, make our garden a haven for bees and butterflies every season. You can read the article, See How Butterflies Are Surviving or Not, in Your Area, in the March 6, 2025, edition of the NYT. A copy of it will be posted on the Garden's Information Board after May 1st. See how butterfly populations in the Chicago area are doing and feel pride in what our Garden has done and continues to do to keep these important members of nature and the world safe.
Rainbow Beach Park Redevelopment
