Six gardens and seven artists will be featured on this year’s annual Northfield Garden Club tour, which takes place Saturday, July 13 and Sunday July 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $10 tickets can be purchased at all garden locations and is valid for both days.
This year’s theme centers around eco-consciousness during changing climate conditions.
Three of the featured gardeners do not have mown lawn areas that require weekly mowing, while the other three have developed traditional garden areas while minimizing the time spent on mowing to 15 minutes or less. Thus, three are no-mow and three are low-mow gardeners.
Nancy Huppert’s garden at 1320 Honey Locust Dr. is one of the no mow gardens. When she and her husband Mike Paulsen moved into their home two decades ago, both the front and back yards were all sod.
“Little by little, I’ve been carving up the grass, digging and dividing, bed by bed,” she explained. Over the last year, she’s completed the boulevard portion closest to the street.
Huppert, a teacher in Farmington, said she enlisted the University of Minnesota sustainable urban landscaping database and scoured many gardening books for ideas. She said she started adding native plants that attract native insects.
“I’m not a designer,” she said. “I’ve learned to add diversity, color and ground cover.” Looking good right now are her Siberian iris and the New Jersey tea plants.
But getting her garden where she wants it to be has taught her to be patient. “Getting there takes a while. You have to give the garden time to mature.”
And, as she matures, Huppert said she’s added more scrubs.
This will be Huppert’s first time as a featured garden on the annual tour. Huppert said getting her yard ready for visitors has been “a little nerve wracking.”
At Lori Moore’s low mow home at 2408 Pepper Ridge Court, water management is the focus of her sloping backyard garden.
After moving into their home in 2018, the following year Lori and her husband Jamie engineered a water flowing system that allows water exiting the roof’s rain gutter to funnel down a natural trench made out of river rock and landscaping rock. She said they were able to get their rocks from two local farmers happy to clear their fields.
The result was both attractive and functional.
Alongside the natural trench, the Moores planted lilies and small green plants like hostas, celosia and sedum. “It was my vision and his muscle,” explained Lori, adding that they did all the rock hauling and placing themselves using shovels and a wheelbarrow.
Since the Moores live next door to Elizabeth Olson, past president of the Northfield Garden Club, their neighbor had been trying to talk them into adding their garden to the tour for a couple years. This year, garden tour attendees can visit both Pepper Ridge Court properties.
Laura and Mark Heiman dwell in a piece of history. Built in 1856, the historic George Loomis House at 501 Washington St. is Northfield’s oldest home. Their home once sat alone high on the block, but now includes the corner property.
“We wanted to restore the house’s inviting connection to downtown while creating a livable outdoor space rich with flowers, garden patches and fruit trees, framed with local stone and historic touches,” explained Laura.
Rather than landscape simply with shrubs, Laura said she likes to add fruit trees, flowers, especially roses and native plants. “Ours was a quirky project,” said Mark.
“It was a true collaboration,” agree Laura. “It was probably about 60 percent Ryan Clary [of Landscape Dreams] and 40 percent our vision.”
As a glass flower artist, Laura will also devote a portion of her front yard garden to showcase her colorful, hand-blown glass bouquets she calls Meadowglass.
Garden Club tour
Club president Barbara Oertli explained that all of the proceeds from the tour are earmarked for the floral beautification of downtown Northfield, primarily the flowers the club purchases and plants for spring, summer and greens for the holidays. That beautification includes the Bridge Square planters, the hanging baskets along the pedestrian bridge, planters in front of the Municipal liquor store, the flowering bikes along hwy 3, at the Northfield public library, and the pollinator gardens at Lions Park.
“This year’s flooding may necessitate replanting along the riverwalk if it becomes accessible,” said Oertli.
For a complete list of gardens and artists, go to thenorthfieldgardenclub.org .
IF YOU GO The 2024 annual Northfield Garden Club tour will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at all garden locations. Proceeds to toward the beautification of downtown Northfield. The 2024 gardens and artists include: 1) Jo-Ryo-En Japanese Garden, 715 2nd St. E, featuring Andrea Turini’s jewelry. 2) Laura and Mark Heiman’s garden, 501 Washington St. and featuring Laura’s glass flowers. 3) Nancy Huppert and Mike Paulsen’s garden, 1320 Honey Locust Drive featuring Sharon Draeger’s landscape, nature and wildlife photography. 4) Lori and Jamie Moore’s garden, 2408 Pepper Ridge Ct. featuring Craig Swenson’s pyrography. 5) Elizabeth Olson’s garden, 2412 Pepper Ridge St. featuring Rebecca Tolle’s oil paintings. 6) Barbara Zaveruha and Glen Castore’s garden, 5873 145th St. E, featuring Barbara’s pottery and Jim Ericksen’s metal works.
Most Popular
Comments / 0