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2013 PROJECT GREEN GARDEN TOUR

Project GREEN Garden Tour 2013
Sunday, June 23
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
$5.00 admission, 16 and under free

Our annual Project GREEN Garden Tour will feature five beautiful gardens, four of which are in Manville Heights and one is in east Iowa City. These gardens will feature native plants, houseplants used as annuals, hosta galore, meandering walkways, berms, ponds, and much more! The featured gardens are described below. You may start at any one of these gardens and then buy your ticket to see the rest." Click HERE for 2013 Tour Map.

As always, bring whatever you might need—good shoes, a hat or visor, sunscreen, notepaper, pen, sunscreen, and a water bottle.

RECYCLE!
Bring the empty pots from your purchases at the Project
GREEN Garden Fair in May to the Tour ticket table at #5 White Oak Place.

Before or after the tour, you can deliver your clean, heavier plastic pots with labels removed to any of the following:

Sue Terveer-Mullins, 1207 Marcy Street,
319-339-0984
Karrie Craig, 2415 Mayfield Rd.,
319-339-9403
Jan Carpenter, 110 No. 7th Ave., 319-338-8613
Judy Best, 3211 Shamrock Dr., 319-338-6604
Nancy Weber, 500 Whiting Ave.
, 319-337-3421

Randee and John Fieselmann, 933 Highwood St.
Randee learned about flowers and vegetables while growing up in a gardening family. She now tries to limit her use of non-native plants, except for houseplants that are often used as annuals in her garden. She loves to read gardening books and articles, has consulted with professionals, and she and John enjoy road trips to favorite places such as the Morton Arboretum, Minneapolis Landscape Arboretum, and Winterthur Gardens.

Her most important tip for garden planning may sound simple…but it is something many of us neglect to do! Randee studies the microclimate of each area within her own property, analyzing the hours of sun vs. shade, soil types and drainage concerns. Lesson #1 has been learned: sun plants struggle to grow in the shade, and vice versa! Another key consideration is the level of visibility for planting selections from different sightlines.

Paul and Joan Burns, 425 Beldon Ave.
For the past 15 years, Joan has enjoyed moving, dividing and sharing plants each year to tweak the look and health of their plantings. By removing overgrown privet and lilac hedges, various gardens now host a variety of plantings that include roses, coral bells, liatrus, bee balm, sedum, coneflower, black eyed susan, flax, lilies, baby’s breath, grasses, daisies, hosta, boxwood and hydrangea.

A stepping stone footpath weaves through a mixed garden of hostas and perennials toward a gated backyard. A border of arborvitae stands guards over a big hosta garden near a screened porch under the shade of a large maple. Dozens of hosta varieties include dwarf to huge sizes plus hues ranging from solid green to variegated. In a sunny spot, an herb garden flourishes with rosemary, chives, sage, tarragon, thyme and basil. A stone planter box created from materials from Stone City overflows with annuals each year.

John Chase, 419 Beldon Ave.
After moving to this home in 2003, John allowed his two Labrador “gardeners” to take over. But with professional help, he is now enjoying beautiful gardens and landscaping while maintaining a dog-friendly property. From the front porch, a grand swoop of color, texture and movement is interspersed with a walkway of pavers. Anchored by a magnificent fir tree, perennials, shrubs and a small birdbath attract birds and wildlife.

Within the fenced and gated backyard, pavers wind past the dogs’ cozy hideaway under the back stoop. Here a fieldstone patio, grill, and fireplace look out onto flowering plantings backed by a screen of junipers and a mature hemlock. A hot tub along the side fence is tucked into a construct of the same fieldstone, under a cedar pergola entangled with clematis. Another walkway heads toward a sauna and outdoor shower (properly disguised). Outdoor lighting throughout all of the gardens extends the long summertime hours.

Joni Jones, 516 Holt Ave.
A peaceful sanctuary of past and present, Joni’s garden is like stepping into a small world with its own sense of place. Perennial transplants from her previous home garden were brought along when she moved here five years ago. New additions include shrubs, roses, grasses and spring- and summer-blooming bulbs. More sun shines now after an evergreen recently blew down…always new problems to solve!

Peonies, iris, daylilies, roses and hostas offer foliage and flowers for a long bloom period, with the addition of annuals to deliver continuity of color. Shrubs with season-long interest add structure; vines provide vertical lines and privacy; groundcovers and mulch minimize weeds. Herbs and veggies are gaining ground in Joni’s garden, and she is experimenting with succulents. A rain barrel and compost container wards against drought, and the deck and pergola abound with vines, birds’ nests, hanging pots and floor boxes.

Shirley and Jack Lekin, 830 Walnut St.
A long-time favorite garden destination in Iowa City, this property didn’t start out that way! When the Lekins arrived in 1984, a deep, narrow lot held old, messy fruit trees and a patch of overgrown blackberries. Original plantings that remain include two bunches of early orange daylilies that make great companions to wild geraniums that bloom in June. The mostly sunny garden has been transformed to about half shade/ half sun.

Nineteen new trees and several Canadian hemlocks now form an evergreen privacy screen. A brick drive winds into a back patio created from salvaged pavers. Reconfiguring a completely flat yard, loads of dirt were trucked in to create berms that give height to the back flower beds. Other additions include two small garden ponds, a potting shed, and brick walks that wind among the hundreds of perennials. Shirley’s garden is a flower-lovers’ English-style garden brimming with color and charm.