If April showers really do bring May flowers, there should be some spectacular gardens this summer. Some of the most colorful will be on display during a variety of garden walks. Here’s a look at some you won’t want to miss …
• Six gardens and a conservation area will be featured in the 16th annual Garden Gait Walk and Craft Fair from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, June 10, in Lisle. Sponsored by the Lisle Woman’s Club, the walk begins at Lisle Station Park, 921 School St. Garden maps will be available at check-in and visitors to the conservation area will receive a free seedling. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the event. Proceeds benefit the club’s philanthropic causes and scholarship program. Info: lislewomansclub.org.
• Visitors to “A Garden Walk Through Time” will be able to explore eight gardens in West Dundee and Sleepy Hollow sponsored by the Elgin Area American Association of University Women from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, June 23. The gardens are easily accessible with a map. The four in West Dundee are mature, comfortable and easy to relate to for aspiring gardeners. In Sleepy Hollow, the gardens are more modern and manicured. Two artists, Susan Massion and Jean Pechtel, will paint at two of the sites. Tickets are $15 in advance and available beginning Friday, June 1. Tickets are $20 on the day of the walk and available at each garden site. Proceeds support scholarships for women. Info: facebook.com/FoxValleyGardenWalk/.
• The Pottawatomie Garden Club sponsors its biennial garden walk from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 14, featuring six gardens and a “Garden Gate Boutique.” Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 the day of the walk. The club awards scholarships to horticulture students and supports gardening and environmental projects. Info: pottagardenclub.org.
• Five Elmhurst homeowners’ gardens and one community garden will be on display from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, July 8, during the Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the event at Wilder Park, 175 S. Prospect Ave. The Elmhurst Garden Club sponsors a Faire Boutique in Wilder Park with free admission. Info: elmhurstgardenclub.org.
• Five residential gardens will be featured on the 2018 Garden Walk and Unique Boutique sponsored by the Arlington Heights Garden Club from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, June 24. The boutique is free at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont. Tickets for the walk are $15 the day of and $10 in advance at the Arlington Heights Farmers Market or any of the town’s Village Bank and Trust locations. Info: (847) 514-0414 or ahgardenclub.com.
• The Gardeners of Central Lake County sponsors a free, self-guided walk featuring five residential gardens in Sylvan Lake, about three miles southwest of Mundelein, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, June 23. Addresses and maps will be available at the group’s website, gardenersofcentrallakecounty.org, in early June. Visitors can start at any garden on the map.