Where
Various Locations throughout Wichita, Kansas AreaGarden Tour 2017 Sponsored by Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program
Tour six landscapes with varying themes and plant selections in the Wichita, Kansas area.
Tour dates and times:
Friday, June 2nd from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 3rd from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 4th from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10.00 per person and allow admission to all seven gardens.
See below for garden descriptions and details.
A Shady Hosta Haven
127 S. Pinecrest; Wichita, KS 67218
Everything about this garden is cool...literally and figuratively! Step into the shady back yard on a hot day and you'll say, 'Ahhhh.' Feast your eyes on a sparkling pond surrounded by ground cover cascading over the bank of lush plantings. Janie Chisholm is a true 'hostaholic' with more than 20 varieties of hostas. Did you know hostas really do better if they have some morning sun? Or to watch them for the easily spread HVX virus? If you want more hosta tips or inspiration for creating your own little paradise, this is the garden for you. Come in. Be cool!
A Shady Garden of Unusual Whims
1341 N Valleyview St; Wichita, KS 67212
Lush and spectacular, this full, shady retreat is punctuated and brightened by colorful splashes of annuals. In this garden, Extension Master Gardener and retired professional artist, Floanna Crowley, displays annuals she propagates and overwinters. An abundance of unusual plants illustrate that garden selections can be made on a whim and sometimes, plants that shouldn't grow in Wichita, will. You'll be sure to learn about determination that defies the norms of Kansas gardens, organization to catalog plants and trees, propagation to keep annuals returning, and an appreciation for the unusual. This is the garden to visit to get your creative juices flowing. Don't miss it!
Formal Garden with a Soul
55 N. Norfolk; Eastborough
This isn't your ordinary formal garden. While it has hundreds of boxwoods and a tidy arrangement of formal landscaping, this garden's soul and friendly atmosphere are embracing. In three years, the Eicherts transformed a mud pit and putting green into four rooms: the Croquet Lawn, the Parterre, the Cote d' Azure and the Kitchen. Picture a croquet game among whimsical giant rabbit topiaries, stroll through the French-inspired Parterre, or dip your fingers in the pool surrounded by tropicals and arborvitae. The Eicherts don't distinguish between indoor and outdoor spaces. They live in their garden and you'll want to, too.
Transition: Adapting to a Changing Garden
948 Porter; Wichita, KS 67203
What do you do when a 100-year-old silver maple tree comes down, changing your yard from shade to sun? Or when a lingering drought knocks your plants down and electric bill up? This garden has answers. Melody Mynatt's experience in xeriscaping, hardscaping and her personal motto - find the right plant for the right place - were helpful in renovating her garden, but her positive attitude was invaluable. She views the death of a big tree as bringing new life to her garden - opportunity to stretch her creativity and imagination. Come on in...stretch your creativity and imagine possibilities for your garden.
Vineyards: Napa Valley in the Heartland
Prairie Hill Vineyard at Stockemer Farm
21421 W 37th Street North; Colwich, KS 67030
Did you know that before Prohibition, Kansas was a leading producer of grapes in the US? Vineyards are making a comeback in Kansas and you'll experience some of Napa Valley right here in Sedgwick County at Prairie Hill Vineyard. Planting his first grapes in 2002, Dan Stockemer presently grows several varietals and he learned, as you will, that proper pruning is key to growing grapes. The grounds, uniquely Kansas, offer more than grapes. The pastoral setting of ponds, a waterfall, rustic cabins, flowering trees and delicate roses will immerse you in a romantic, eclectic blend of country, vines and roses.
Pots, Rocks and 'Out-of-the-Box' Thoughts
8102 Meadow Pass; Wichita, KS 67205
From training vines to cover a dead, but picturesque, tree trunk, to planting in 50-plus pots to overcome aggressive tree roots, the Ulmer's garden clearly demonstrates 'out-of-the-box' thinking. Full of design and ingenuity, the Ulmers built a dry creek and retaining wall to combat drainage issues, laid stone pathways, created rock borders, amended clay soil, and laid an hourglass-shaped patio. Geri cleverly re-purposes garden items and artfully prunes trees and shrubs. Packed with design and problem-solving ideas, this is the garden to get you thinking outside your box!