PRESENTATIONS BY LINNEA KOCH
BOTANIC GARDEN & GARDENING PRESENTATIONS
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Linnea Koch watched her mother create beautiful gardens around her family's homes. They gave her a love of flowers and gardens. She and her husband Wolf have traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe over the last 40 years, visiting many lovely public gardens. She is an Illinois Master Gardener with a special interest in native shade plants, and has given many talks on local landmarks, shade gardening and some of the wonderful gardens here and in Europe.
This updated version of Shady Characters presents shade gardening in a new light. It is more than hostas and impatiens. Linnea discusses creating two different shade gardens from a patch of lawn under heavy tree cover and shows the progression of her own garden over a period of years.
The Philadelphia region features 30+ gardens within 30 miles of the city. The first program in this series features Chanticleer, in Wayne, PA. Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE is the second featured garden. Linnea shares the history of each garden and takes you on a tour of both estates guiding you through meadows and woodlands of spring blooming plants.
The first program in the series of Gardens of Europe is on the small island (or Insel, in German) of Mainau, a botanic garden in Lake Constance surrounded by Germany, Austria and Switzerland which is owned by Swedish nobility. Linnea briefly presents the 5000 year history before touring three seasons of island plant life.
The second program in the Gardens of Europe series takes you outside of Amsterdam. Keukenhof translates as kitchen garden. Linnea gives a short history of the property and just who owned this keukenhof and adjoining land.
NORTHWEST ILLINOIS BARN PRESENTATIONS
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The Whiteside County County Farm Bureau has been organized an annual Barn Tour from 2008-17, providing a unique opportunity to visit 10 barns each year and experience a little of the old “country life”. Linnea Koch, a local Graphic Designer and Photographer, has covered these Barn Tours with her camera. While she includes the traditional “Barn Portrait,” her work features many of the easily missed details: architectural details, windows, latches, hooks, baskets, bins, locks, hand pegged timbers, along with tractor and equipment collections, as well as cows, chickens, goats and other farm animals to illustrate farm life. She has published five DVDs documenting the first decade of Whiteside County Barn Tours and collaborated with singer-songwriter Pete Jonsson who provided original music with a rural, folk style that complements the photography.
Linnea provides presentations of the Barns of Northwest Illinois varying in length between 25 minutes to two hours. Topics are organized along the individual DVDs above and may consist of material from any individual DVD or a combination of two or more.
Whiteside Co. Barn Tours 2008-13 — 31 minutes
Portraits and details of the 57 barns from the 2008-13 tours are included on this DVD. This photo trip which covers the region. As this is a retrospective tour, only music accompanies the photos.
Whiteside Co. Barn Tour 2014 — 21 minutes
The 2014 Tour explores the northeast corner of the county. Narration includes information and stories about the farms from the farmers, as well as comments from the visitors.
Whiteside Co. Barn Tour 2015 — 27 minutes
The 2015 Tour covers the north central area. The narration covers information about the barns as well as Linnea’s personal perspective of a “suburban girl” moving out to farm country.
Whiteside Co. Barn Tour 2016 — 25 minutes
The 2016 Tour includes the farms and barns of the western edge of the northeast corner of the county. The narration includes details about the farms and discusses the differences and similarities between barns in the Midwest and their European ancestors.
Whiteside & Lee Co. Barn Tour 2017 — 34 minutes
The 2017 Tour includes the farms and barns of the eastern edge of the county and western edge of Lee County. The narration discusses not only the farms on the tour, but the rebirth of old barns as new spaces for entertaining and commerce.
The Barns of Northwest Illinois