The 2019 Tour de Fleur Garden Walk

Certified wildlife habitats, koi ponds, a flower farm, and a downtown Evansville garden with 80 rose bushes and 120 azaleas were among the  spectacular sights to experience during the 2019 Tour de Fleur Garden Walk in Evansville on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23. Nine private gardens in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties as well as the always interesting Master Gardener Display Garden were adorned in their summer finery and ready for appreciative visitors. In addition,a plant sale was held at the  Display Garden.

Master Gardeners Display Garden (3501 E. Lloyd Expressway, Evansville)

Edge to Edge Gorgeous!

This fabulous garden is the pride and joy of the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association. The 1.2 acre property demonstrates the amazing variety of flowers and vegetables that can be grown in the Tri-State area. As SWIMGA’s home garden, the Display Garden is the site of public education events and weddings, as well as  a popular spot to relax and walk. Its 20 themed gardens  include a Sensory Garden, Cottage Garden, Rain Garden, Berry Patch, Iris Walk, Kitchen Garden, Shade Garden, All America Selections Garden, and a Vegetable Garden that donates over 10,000 pounds of produce to the Tri-State Food Bank each year — along with a gazebo and a restored log cabin.  The Master Gardeners volunteer their time in all aspects of the garden – from planning, tilling, planting, weeding, and harvesting. The greenhouse used to grow plants for the annual SWIMGA Plant Sale was the source of leftover plants sold at the Garden Walk this year.

Mike and Myra Teal (6611 Juniper Road, Newburgh)

A Certified Wildlife Habitat

This ranch home is located on a lake and their beautiful backyard is a certified wildlife habitat. The main theme of the garden is water, with a large Japanese Koi pond and several water gardens. Many bird houses, hummingbird feeders and bird baths make the garden friendly to nature. Recent additions include honeybee hives.

There are several decks with ample seating which allow views of the garden and lake from several different viewpoints.

Flowering plants, shrubbery, and bulbs make up annual and perennial gardens. Vegetables and herbs are found near the kitchen door, tucked in among the elephant ears and banana plants.

While the edge of the lake is surrounded with a variety of azaleas, hostas and ajuga, Japanese maples are scattered throughout the garden. Day-lilies and iris add to the color, while a pollinator garden attracts butterflies.

JT and Julie McCarty (1012 Creekside Court, Newburgh)

Rolling Hillside

Welcome to this fabulous garden with a large collection of unique woody trees and shrubs. Joining them are blooming azaleas, hydrangeas, crepe myrtles, and Chinese dogwoods. Wander along the water feature that starts midway in the back yard and leads to the upper terrace and patio. Located at the base of the waterfall, admire the hand sculptured garden art purchased from an African artist.  Situated in a very natural setting next to a woods, enjoy the beauty of the numerous bird feeders and birds. You won’t want to miss this rolling hillside, naturalized woodland with a large planting bed arrangement.

Absolutely stunning! There is so much to enjoy here!

Bill and Suzie Byers (8060 Wyngate Circle, Newburgh)

Meditate for a Moment?

Spend your time divided between two large courtyards and a lovely shaded garden. Enjoy the whimsey of the owner’s artistic mushrooms and painted animals that are nestled in the large courtyard garden by the 3-tier bubbling fountain. Relax on the stone bench in the shade garden and enjoy the view of daylilies, roses, astillbes, coral bells, hostas, ferns, and chocolate vines. There is a beautiful magnolia in the small courtyard, a peach tree in larger courtyard, and additional hydrangeas and azaleas for your enjoyment.

Viola Johnson (8066 Outer Lincoln Avenue, Newburgh)

A Place of Peace and Tranquility

This young garden of only five years, has slowly evolved into ten different distinct areas, offering resting and nesting places for all winged visitors. Walking through the arbor, you will find a lovely prayer garden complete with a few angel statues hidden among the roses, azaleas, hostas, ferns, iris, bee balm, and annuals. Mature crab apple trees, and a 30-foot maple provide the yard with significant shade to sit and admire the 500 gallon fish pond with a flowing creek and recirculating waterfall.

Continuing along a pathway, you will pass one of the garden gates that is always open to guests, allowing them to enter and wander through the garden. A lovely pergola is flanked by a flower bed of coral bells, day lilies, iris, hostas, camellias and hydrangeas.  Be careful or you’ll miss some secret and very private areas.

Come and enjoy the birds, read a book, or just reflect on the beauty!

Ricky and Cathy Johnson (6437 Colonial Avenue, Evansville)

Enjoy the Peace

As you approach this secluded yard, the welcoming deck sits at the back of the brick home, protruding out into the fish stocked pond.  Your eyes are drawn to the lake by unique plants ranging from beautiful pepper plants, to succulents, and tropical banana trees. In the background, you hear the bubbling fountain in the fishpond, where you see a variety of whimsical displays. The deck is covered with beautiful hanging plants and a trellis brings you out to stand in front of the greenhouse. The vegetable garden is abundant with tomatoes in the back yard.

Strolling down to the lake, there are two swings to sit and admire the peacefulness of the surroundings.  Tall trees throughout the yard – circled with hostas and ferns. Enjoy the yard art and hanging bird feeders throughout the yard, attracting singing birds from all over the Tri-State.

John and Donna Gross (2330 Windemere Drive, Evansville)

Respite from the Rush

You are invited to embrace the peaceful beauty found on a less than ½ acre lot. Surprises are found around each corner of this unique suburban refuge which features vignettes and garden rooms, where sunny plantings and shaded seating encourages reflection and solitude. The owner’s creative design and attentive care over the last 20 years has transformed this outdoor space into an oasis of calm.

Evergreen and deciduous trees supplemented with shrubs create privacy. Many layers of textures and colors from the perennials and annuals surround this cul-de-sac lot. Centering the garden is an elevated deck, designed and built by the owners, used for entertaining.  Mature dappled willows and numerous pots surround this area giving it a sense of seclusion.

This secret paradise is complete with arbor, dry creek bed, swings, benches, fountains, and hand-made bird nests, offering visitors the opportunity to experience a get-away haven.

Deron and Pamela Drach (740 W. Boonville-New Harmony Road, Evansville)

Humble Beginnings

A near acre lot in Darmstadt was just the blank slate the Drachs were looking for. Once a lawn of grass, the backyard has been transformed into habitat for pollinators, numerous species of birds and other wildlife.  A rustic fence, barely discernible through the landscaping, creates a blended zone, cleverly keeping pets and wildlife safe from each other.

Pond and stream were built using local lichen and moss-covered sandstone.  A woodland area gladly grows from a deep blanket of leaves brought by the truckload to smother grass, and create the floor required for native trees and a wide variety of shade loving forest ephemerals. Through the years the expanse of lawn was converted to beds of prairie wildflowers and marshland natives, leaving just enough room for a vegetable garden and meandering paths of lawn that lure visitors to explore what is just around the next bend.

Kathy Yearwood (8820 Darnell Road, Mt Vernon)

Darnell School Farm

Nestled just west of USI, Darnell School Farm offers a glimpse into the beautiful array of cut flowers Mother Nature has to offer.  The farm will be transitioning from cool season spring annuals to the bright colors of summer with many favorites in full bloom during the Garden Walk.  Benary Giant Zinnias; Chief cockscomb, Sunday plume and Ruby Parfait spicata celosia; Frosted Explosion grass, Chim Chiminee rudbeckia, Sunrich Summer Orange and Provence sunflowers, and Mrs. Burns lemon basil will be showing their colors, to name a few. The diversity in weather with each season offers the opportunity to grow a wide variety of flowers, greenery and herbs that flourish in the southern Indiana climate.

Visiting the Darnell School Farm is a great way to learn how cut flowers are produced on a small scale one-acre farm to end up in farmers’ market style bouquets.

Larry Miller (10 Chandler Avenue, Evansville)

Modern & Older Plants vs Modern and Older Architecture

Although the 1905 Queen Anne Wm. McCurdy house and the 1970 circular Redwood Wm. Gumbert’s house are built on the same lot and are attached, they couldn’t be more different. Upon purchasing the property in 1998, the owner commissioned Wayne Osborne to design the sidewalks, pathways, walks, gates, shrubs and ornamental trees.  In September he called Wayne back to revisit the design because many of the plantings had outgrown their space and needed to be removed.  The new design includes red Drift roses, blue chip Butterfly bushes, little Lime Hydrangeas, sun tolerant coleus, supertunias, sun patients and red head coleus, which are recently developed or Modern.

The older plants on the property are the very tall trees and over 80 rose bushes. The owner has always collected and propagated Azaleas of which there are over 120 on the property.

Check out the driftwood table which surrounds the base of the 90 foot Maple, and the three oval shade beds nearby planted by garden writer, Sally Roth. Guests are also invited onto the grand screened-in porch to check out the hanging planters with faces – handmade by potter friend David Rodenberg.