MWGCM’s 2019 Public Garden Tour
Tour seven exceptional gardens in the Western suburbs of Minneapolis. Choose from two ways to see the gardens. Go by air-conditioned motor coach for a leisurely trip to all seven gardens. The bus trip includes a box lunch and conversation with fellow gardeners. Or drive-yourself with a ticket that includes the location of each garden. Proceeds help fund MWGCM’s scholarship for Minnesota students of horticulture.
Details
Date: Saturday July 20, 2019
Time: Gardens open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $35 per person air-conditioned motor coach with box lunch
$15 in advance/$20 day of the tour per person drive-yourself ticket
For both bus and drive-yourself tickets, contact Denise Rust, dkkrust@hotmail.com or 763-221-1466. She can also answer any questions you may have.
The Gardens
Darlene and Chuck Addison, Minnetonka
This is a hosta collector’s garden with over 500 varieti
es artfully arranged, meticulously cultivated and every one labeled. In the front yard is a host of miniature and small hostas, including many hybrids. The lower backyard has larger hostas, many of the old reliables and several of the newer varieties. In the back yard is a wisteria-covered arch. This garden is constantly changing as the owner divides, moves, and replaces hostas every year.
Ralph and Lindsay Bashioum, Wayzata
This 1/3-acre garden is highlighted by over 40
different fruits and vegetables from around the world. Many of the gardening techniques were inspired by “kitchen gardens” of the Loire valley in France to produce a lot of fruit in a compact space. Excess fruits and vegetables from the garden are donated to nearby French bistro, Bellecour, where they may turn up on special menu items.
Barbara Burgum, Wayzata
The Burgum garden was recently
featured in the
Northern Gardener Magazine and the
StarTribune. Her spectacular gardens accent her historic Craftsman style house on Lake Minnetonka. A 40-foot pergola frames a large cottage garden featuring vegetable beds, pollinator friendly annuals and perennials, and supports flowering wisteria and clematis. The lake side slope is a mix of native prairie plants and other drought tolerant selections. This garden was recently added to the Smithsonian’s Garden Clubs of America archives; a rare honor.
Steve Kelley and Arla Carmichiel, Long Lake
Steve Kelley is the 4th generation to
work in the Kelley and Kelley Nursery in Long Lake, directly across the street from the Kelley and Carmichiel 3 ½ acre property. They are both gardeners by profession and share a love of perennials, woodies and container gardens. They have a special soft spot for ferns, epimediums, hellebores and anything not typically found at local nurseries. Their back terrace is awash with pots of fancy-leaved begonias, ferns, salvias and succulents.
Lynn Messman, Minnetonka
T
his property has numerous front and back
gardens consisting of both sun and shade perennials. The gently sloping backyard features a 2,600-gallon pond with waterfall, which holds koi, goldfish and various types of water plants. Whimsical and appealing garden art, bird houses and sculptures dot the landscape.
Marsha and Paul Theis, Eden Prairie
This garden grabs your attention
with vibrant color, lots of blooms all season long, different textures, and a large variety of plants, shrubs and trees. Garden sculptures, pieces of art and structures are incorporated into the gardens. The plantings and potted plants in the front yard are intended to enhance the house. In July, the gardens in the back feature multiple blooming annuals and perennials, hostas, some vegetables, herbs and raspberries.
Marilynn and Tom Torkelson, Eden Prairie
This yard is landscaped for
water quality and wildlife with over 150 species of native trees, shrubs, flowers, sedges and grasses. There are three rain gardens, a shoreline restoration, sunny borders and small woodland plantings. These deep-rooted native plants filter stormwater, while providing food and shelter for birds and many pollinators.
