July Gardenwalk will feature Genoa school
The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners announces its second annual Gardenwalk and Plant Sale, to be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 11, rain or shine.
Eight gardens and a “Point of Interest” will be featured: Howard and Donna Petersen, Sycamore; Pay-it-Forward House, Sycamore; Tom and Judy Harris, Kingston; Dave and Nancy Shuler, Kingston; Jack Pizzo, Clare; Ronald and Joyce Marten, DeKalb; Loreen and Jay Stravers, DeKalb; and Kathy and Junior Cochrane, DeKalb. The “Point of Interest” is Davenport Elementary School, Genoa.
The plant sale will be held at the DeKalb County Center for Agriculture, 1350 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the same day. In addition to numerous plants for sale, there will be a Garden Boutique, a Children’s Corner, Master Gardener Helpdesk and plant care handouts.
The Gardenwalk ticket donation is $10 in advance, $12 the day of the event. There is no charge for the plant sale. Tickets are available at the University of Illinois Extension Office (1350 W. Prairie Drive), Blumen Gardens, Buhr’s Landscaping and the Garden Market in Sycamore. Proceeds will support University of Illinois Extension programs.
For more information, call 815-758-8194 or visit www.extension.uiuc.edu
Petersen garden
Howard and Donna Petersen of Sycamore have developed their gardens for the last 15 years. Their property is better known as “Chapel in the Pines” and the landscape is planned especially for photo opportunities at weddings. The Petersens host about 100 weddings a year.
There are, as the name suggests, a number of large pine trees, most of them started from seedlings. There are 100-year-old maples in the front yard. There is a unique gazebo, brick walkways and patios, a chapel resembling an old country church, and a “Bridal Cottage.” Behind the chapel is native prairie. All are accented by flowering shrubs and flower beds.
Howard does not use unusual plants. His emphasis is on having bloom throughout the growing season, so while there are a few perennials such as cone flowers, iris and grasses, he predominantly uses annuals. Howard grows all his plants from seed, starting around Feb. 1.
Davenport Elementary School
The Point of Interest on this year’s Gardenwalk is the “Discover the Prairie” garden at the Davenport Elementary School in Genoa. It is a hands-on opportunity to aid in children’s understanding of the prairie ecosystem. Once all aspects – two gardens, a gathering area paved with a permeable surface and a surrounding mesic prairie – are completed, the area will be known as the “Classroom in the Prairie.”
“Kids can start learning the importance of environmental conservation and environmental enhancement,” said Ron Peabody, leader of the project, in a recent news release. “We are recreating something that probably once existed in this very spot.”
Last spring, volunteers from the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners, aided by kindergarten and first-grade students from the school, planted an assortment of native plants indigenous to the tall grass prairie region of the Midwest. There are currently three areas. The rain garden and a butterfly garden have been growing for a full year now.
The third area, the mesic prairie, is only a few weeks old and needs time to develop fully. The rain garden receives rain water from a downspout on the school building. The butterfly garden is populated with plants that are “butterfly magnets” and is certified as a Monarch butterfly waystation.
The area is intended not only to provide learning opportunities for the elementary school’s faculty and students, but to create an educational platform for the community. Informational signs mark everything so visitors can self-educate.
“We are really creating a prototype that we can take to any community where we have a spot of land,” Peabody said.
On the day of the Gardenwalk, several Master Gardeners knowledgeable in native plants will be available at the school.