Master Gardeners to host Gardenwalk July 11
The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners announce their 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 in 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 at reasonable prices, there will be a “Garden Boutique,” a “Children’s Corner,” Master Gardener help desk and plant care handouts.
A required 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, Blumen Gardens, Buhr’s Landscaping, and the Garden Market in Sycamore. Proceeds will benefit University of Illinois Extension programs.
For more information, call 815-758-8194 or visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/gardenwalk.
Pizzo garden
Jack Pizzo has been gardening all of his life, having started as a child by helping his grandfather. He earned a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from the University of Illinois and is a licensed landscape architect. He started a landscape business, which has now become a restoration business and native plant nursery.
His 40-acre lot was at one time native Illinois prairie and wetlands. For the past six years, he has worked to restore it to its original state.
Pizzo’s “garden” is best described as a natural landscape and prairie/wetland restoration, the result of a lifelong passion to restore the native flora and fauna. He practices what he preaches. He has restored wetlands and created prairies on most of his land.
The landscape is entirely native plants and the lawn is buffalo grass, which was mowed only five times last year. He has identified 114 species of birds on his land, even though he is surrounded by 20,000 acres of corn and soybeans. Some of these are seldom seen in this area. The deep roots of the native flowers and grasses have broken up the clay soil and allow more than 2,000,000 gallons of rain water to go back into the aquifer.
Pizzo owns a series of large prints from Audubon’s “Birds of America and Quadrupeds of North America,” each lithographed and hand-colored. The prints will be on display the day of the Gardenwalk.
Harris garden
Tom and Judy Harris of Kingston have been gardening more than 60 years, but have only been in their present home for four. That has been enough time for them to create a “backyard paradise” on a subdivision lot.
At first, Tom began developing a Japanese garden, which included rocks, water, gravel, winding paths, weeping trees and evergreens. To include a water feature, he created a small pond and waterfall of blue rocks. Later, to add color, he made a shift in plant life. His goal today is to have 100 different types of blooms at each stage of the growing season. He describes the garden now as a combination of cottage, shade and Japanese.
Judy enjoys birds, humming birds, bees and fish, and feeds them with loving care. The garden has become an excellent location for meditation and appreciation of nature.