From secluded oases in the middle of town to lush crops of fruits and vegetables, gardens are a source of life and beauty throughout the community.
Rather than passing these gems by, the Secret Garden Tour welcomes people to stop and smell the proverbial roses — to appreciate the beauty of nature, and the hard work and creativity of local gardeners.
The latest installment of the tour, an annual fundraiser for the Owatonna Arts Center, is scheduled for Sunday, July 21. Anyone looking to join the self-guided tour can purchase tickets at the OAC or Kottke Jewelers, which include a description and the address of each garden.
The seven gardens in the upcoming tour have never been featured before. OAC Artistic Director Silvan Durben strives to keep the tour fresh each year, relying on word of mouth and even scoping out gardens as he drives around town.
The gardeners he finds are as varied as the gardens themselves.
George Townley started helping his parents in their garden when he was very young. He’ll be showing off a garden he’s maintained for almost a decade, which features a variety of flowers and vegetables. Townley also cares for two beehives.
Townley grows whatever he likes to eat — onions, radishes and turnips, to name just a few — and shares much of it with people he knows. He’s less enthusiastic about sharing his crops with deer and rabbits, who frequently visit to nibble his plants, but he begrudgingly accepts it.
“I get enough to eat, as long as they share,” said Townley.
He reserves the bulk of his contempt for Japanese beetles, an invasive species that feeds on a variety of plants. As much as he’d like to poison them, he doesn’t use pesticides because any chemical that would kill the beetles would also kill the pollinator insects he welcomes into his garden.
Despite the never-ending battle against pests, Townley doesn’t think of gardening as work, nor does he keep track of how much time he spends on it. Tending to his plants is a relaxing process, and he prefers gardening with “a beer in one hand and a hose in the other.”
“It’s something to do. It’s something to keep me outside,” he said.
Gardening may be work for Kim and Dave Purscell, but it’s a “labor of love.”
During the tour, they’ll be showing off a garden that was three years in the making, featuring a koi pond, a three-tiered water element and a variety of flowers including dianthus and coreopsis, as well as ferns.
Kim said she’s always enjoyed gardening, or “dirt therapy,” but she and Dave took their garden projects to the next level during the pandemic, learning how to build water features via YouTube. Her mother was living with them at the time, and the garden provided her a comfortable place to visit with friends.
The garden includes above ground and underwater lighting, a heater in the pond so they can keep the koi outdoors in the winter and bird feeders.
“At the end of the day, all the birds come in and take their bath in the waterfall and eat their dinner at our bird feeders,” she said.
Kim said she spends most evenings in the garden. It’s given them a soothing place to visit with neighbors, and they often receive passersby stopping to chat with them. Kim said she’s gone on the tour and admired the creativity of other gardeners in the past, and she’s honored to be included this year.
Durben said tour visitors should be mindful of where they’re walking and respectful of hosts’ property. He noted that much of art throughout history has strived to capture the beauty of nature, but gardening goes back to the source.
“God, nature, is the most beautiful artist ever. No matter what is created, man always tries to understand and duplicate. Artists have been painting beautiful flowers, beautiful landscapes, but they can only capture a small essence of it,” he said. “A garden is filled also with those beautiful lights and smells and perfumes that is the total experience.”
After the tour on Sunday, the arts center will also host the opening of a new show from local artist Andi Lynn Arnold, entitled “In the Garden of Life, Light and Growth.” Arnold timed the opening to coincide with the tour, feeling that people passionate about gardening would connect with her show.
The show explores the healing power of art and gardening. The opening will encourage visitors to share their own experiences and explore collective healing through a printmaking activity.
SECRET GARDEN TOUR The Secret Garden Tour is scheduled for 10 a.m to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. The Secret Garden Tour tickets are $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the event. Tickets are available at Kottke Jewelers and the Owatonna Arts Center. The tour is self-guided, and visitors will receive a list of locations with ticket purchase. After the tour, the arts center will host an opening reception for “In the Garden of Life, Light and Growth,” a new show by local artist Andi Lynn Arnold. The show explores the healing power of gardening and art, and the opening will include an interactive printmaking activity and opportunities for visitors to share their own stories of healing. 94ef05f1-53ca-4eb8-a316-4946fba9f684
Most Popular
Comments / 0