Pay-It-Forward House featured in Gardenwalk
The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners announce 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 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the same day at the DeKalb County Center for Agriculture, 1350 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore. In addition to numerous plants, there will be a Garden Boutique, a Children’s Corner, Master Gardener Helpdesk and plant care handouts.
The required Gardenwalk ticket donation is $10 in advance or $12 the day of the event. There is no charge for the plant sale. Tickets are available at the University of Illinois Extension office, 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 web.extension.uiuc.edu.
Pay-It-Forward House
Because the Pay-It-Forward House is a respite home for families to stay while visiting loved ones in critical care at the neighboring Kindred Hospital, the focus of the garden is to bring a sense of beauty, tranquility and peace to all who enter. Work started on the garden five years ago, with volunteers having gardening experience ranging from novice to 20 or more years. Many individuals and organizations have helped and are inspired to hear from the guests how much the garden helped them through a difficult time.
The garden design keeps with the Victorian style of the house, focusing on four seasons of interest. The yard has many mature trees, so is mostly full to dappled shade with just a few areas of sun. There are mixed borders of evergreens, trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials, annuals, groundcovers and spring bulbs. Many of the plants have been donated by individuals, organizations and nurseries. Some guests have donated plants in memory of loved ones. One guest travelled more than three hours to donate her dad’s prized collection of daylilies and to say how much the garden helped her and her family.
There is a path between Pay-It-Forward House and the hospital, lined with flowers and other plants. The entrance from the hospital to Pay-It-Forward House is framed by a clematis-laden trellis. The garden area has seating of many kinds, from a swing, wooden chairs, a bistro set surrounded by an open gazebo, to a traditional concrete bench to recycled tree trunks. There is a large patio on the back of the house with more seating, decorated with planters and greenery.
It is the garden committee’s hope that the trickling of water from the tiered fountain, the fragrant blooming flowers, and the rustling of the grasses will provide a sensory experience for guests, visitors and volunteers that will bring them peace.