By Ann Cipperly
Whether you are interested in creating a backyard haven, improving landscape areas, adding a garden accent or enhancing a small space, the 10th Lee County Master Gardeners’ Spring Tour will provide a wealth of ideas Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. From spacious landscaped grounds to creative small plots, this year’s garden tour opens eight of Auburn’s and Opelika’s most flourishing and stunning outdoor spaces.
Faye Andrews is the Auburn garden coordinator, and Judy Jones is the coordinator for Opelika gardens. Since the garden tour is held every other year, the tour committee begins a year in advance to find a variety of gardens to present on tour.
“The committee looks at different gardens to find a variety that will meet everyone’s interest,” says Faye. “These include a little garden one person can do without any help, while another garden will interest a trained horticulturist with ideas to take home.
“There are also a woodland garden, city garden, backyard garden and a garden behind fences that you wouldn’t know was there,” she adds. “Some of the gardens have statues and accents that enhance the plants. Owners are excited about being on the tour so they can share their hard work and ideas with other gardeners.”
“It amazes me how much work, devotion, planning and vision these gardeners have,” says Judy. “It is truly a labor of love. All of them are amazing, and the owners have put a lot of work into them with some also having professional help. Backyards are their havens, and garden enthusiasts can get ideas for their own yards.”
Master Gardeners and community volunteers serve as captains at each garden. Captains direct tourgoers on where to walk and point out plants of interest. They will also answer questions. Many plants have signs with names and care information.
“We learned from the last tour that people would go to the largest garden first and spend a lot of time,” says Faye, “then they rush through the others. We suggest people look at the tour booklet and the stories about each garden to decide which ones they would like to see, then start the tour.”
The tour committee is always looking for gardens to feature on a future tour. They appreciate suggestions.
Proceeds from the tour are used to maintain three demonstration gardens, Grandma’s Garden in Loachapoka at Pioneer Park, Kiesel Garden at Kiesel Park, and Caroline Dean Wildflower Trail in Opelika next to the Municipal Park. Funds are also used for grants to organizations that use horticulture to educate, scholarships to Auburn University horticulture students and other programs.
Tour dates are May 17 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 18, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets go on sale in April and are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the tour. Tour booklets serve as tickets and can be picked up at the first garden. It can be used for both days. Tickets are sold online through Zeffy.
The Lee County Master Gardeners, part of the Alabama Extension Master Gardeners, have 90 members and 87 friends of Master Gardeners. Projects and other information can be found at http://www.leemg.org.
Master Gardeners’ president is Charlot Rittenbaugh, and tour manager is Beth Dorman. “Both of them have graciously included our entire membership to volunteer in some manner,” says Faye, “to make this a successful and enjoyable tour.”
“As Alabama Extension Master Gardener volunteers and ambassadors,” says Beth, “we aspire to teach all generations, inspire a lifelong pursuit of research-based knowledge, serve as environmental stewards and draw all people to the joys of gardening.”
The 10th Lee County Master Gardeners’ Tour
Green Thumb Delight
An Auburn University horticulture graduate built his home three years ago and started envisioning his garden in phases. The yard gets full sun with dry shade from trees at the bottom of the property near the natural-stocked pond.
He re-graded parts of his yard after building the pool to channel water down the side yard using small dry creek beds leading to larger ones.
The owner considers the perennial bed by the pool to be one focal point of many in the yard.
He does his own maintenance, fertilization and minimal weed eating in approximately three to four hours a week, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful sunsets over his pond.
Peaceful Path
In 2006, the homeowner began the journey of turning the home’s original construction site into cottage garden charm and natural woodland beauty with Japanese maples. Camellias encircle the front and back yards.
From the full sun front yard, a stone path winds into a shady back yard. Natural stone patios are nestled around the lawn with a cozy fire pit seating area and a meandering dry creek.
The path leads to a full sun garden with passalong perennials. Peaceful Path stands as a living testimony to growth, connection and peace. Butterflies, birds and curious furry creatures add their own touch of nature’s whimsy.
Total Wooden Acreage
The owner started the garden in 2013 with a total wooded acreage. Except for a handful of native azaleas, everything in the garden has been planted by the owner.
A highlight is the raised bed vegetable garden. A small turtle pond was initially built to supply water for irrigation, but a well later replaced the pond.
Perennials in the garden provide year-round color. The owner’s vision has expanded over the years to include walking paths and water features, which are nestled on the contour of the property and aid in water drainage.
“We have been blessed with many (too many to count) flowers, cuttings, bulbs and trees from family and friends,” the owners say. “When we walk around the garden, it brings a smile and sweet memories of each person to mind.
“We look forward to sharing pass-along-plants as we have experienced the joy they bring first hand.”
Mary’s Garden
When the house was purchased, it was seven years old and had the original formal plantings that had become overgrown. There weren’t any plantings in the back of the lot that stretched out with grass that met subdivision plantings of magnolias and maples along a busy street. A fence was built to enclose the back yard.
The yard has more sun than shade. A variety of trees were planted and the beds expanded along the back and sides. Plantings in the front yard were added for a softer, less formal look.
The self-taught owner learned tips on gardening by watching her mother and through research. She gardens like her mother and adds plants she loves, which are occasionally a mistake.
She maintains the garden herself except for heavy work she is no longer able to do and lawn care.
Growing Vertical in a Small City Space
The owners moved to this 1930s-era house in 2019 and found a long-neglected yard. They decided to keep the older desirable plants, camellias, azaleas and boxwoods, and replace problem plants.
The Greenstalk tower is used as a space-saver to grow 60 plants and herbs. For whimsy, elements of mosaic art and fairy gardens are tucked here and there.
The owner has been a Master Gardener since 2020. The owners’ children are horticulturists and provided a major part of the original installation in 2019.
A Woodland Garden to Share
The owner has always loved flowers. Her passion for colors and textures of flowers, trees and shrubs is reflected in her courtyard design and in the bountiful woodland walking paths.
The orientation of the house gives morning sun to her courtyard, which she replants twice a year, adding seasonal annuals and tropical plants for late spring and summer. In the fall, cool season plants are added to a base of perennials and container plantings.
A peaceful respite from a busy world, her garden offers visitors an opportunity to relax and enjoy the color and fragrances of the many plants.
Relaxing Retreat
The property was a blank slate four years ago. It is still a work in progress with new ideas to create beauty and satisfaction on a daily and seasonal basis.
Some of the features include an Amish constructed greenhouse, a Provence stone wall with a fountainhead and iron basin, a rustic pet hutch and a hand-built pergola on a floating platform deck.
Tropical plantings are used throughout to create a lush environment with three inviting seating areas.
Gold Hill
Beginning in the 1950s and for many years thereafter, Mrs. Isabell Ensminger in Gold Hill separated the landscape and gardens from the farm. The home was enveloped with plantings of magnolia, japonica and sasanqua camellia, gardenia, holly, dogwood and Japanese maple.
In addition, native oaks and pine were incorporated into the landscape.
For the past 10 years with assistance of a horticulturist and arborist, the owners have been restoring many of the trees and plantings while eliminating invasive species such as Chinese privet.
Unfortunately, some plantings have been lost, including a portion of the dogwood alley that lined the main driveway. The surrounding landscape and garden continue to evolve, influenced by concepts of the “outside rooms” from England and Charleston.
New plantings of boxwoods, crepe myrtles, hydrangea, distylium and roses are now incorporated.
