Submitted by Botany Belles & Beaus Garden Club
BALDWIN, WI – The Community Garden Tour Returns! Five lovely gardens in and near Baldwin on Saturday, July 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are featured on the summer 2024 BBBGC tour. From restful to vibrant, from annuals to perennials, all reflect the gardening style of the owner. The gardens may contain similar plants, but no two are alike. This garden tour is sponsored by the Botany Belles and Beaus Garden Club (BBBGC) and is possible because of gardeners willing to share their properties with the community. Thank you all!
There are no tickets, but the free will offering will help fund the Blue Star Marker Memorial to be installed at Windmill Park in Baldwin, Wisconsin by the Garden Club and the American Legion Post 240 and Unit Auxiliary.
The gardens don’t need to be visited in any particular order. Two are located in Baldwin, Rick Rock’s is north of town, and Halvorson’s is south of town on the way to Kerry Licht’s. See them all or as many as your schedule allows. The gardens featured on the BBBGC tour are:
1 – Rick Rock – 1054 240th St., rural Baldwin
For 40 years, Rick has enjoyed landscaping homes and businesses. The gardens at Rock Landscape are spread out over five plus acres and serve as Rick’s classroom for horticulture and landscape design ideas. They are comprised of a wide diversity of hardy perennials, several species of lily, many peony hybrids, dwarf conifers and unique shrubs. There is an emphasis on hosta plants, with 1,500 cultivars on display. Large nursery beds serve mail order and retail sales. Patios, retaining walls and large stonework serve as structure. The landscape architecture that is unfolding is an inspiration to all.
2 – Phillip and Deborah Van Someren – 490 6th Ave., Baldwin
Welcome to our garden, a work in progress for the past 43 years. It continues to change as older plants die and former sunny spots become shady. Two constants have been the desire to plant garden rooms and the desire to have something beautiful to see from inside of the house. We have been tempted to plant unusual plants, but as the years pass, we work with only things that can survive our winters! As the gardeners age, they have found planting anything near ground level is a challenge and hence, you will notice lots of pots which require less bending. Hope you will enjoy your walk.
3- Judy and Dale Crowley – 353 Bluebill St., Baldwin
We purchased a lot and built a home four years ago in Baldwin. First we moved in larger evergreen trees which left a small backyard. We decided to start a small flower garden behind our home with plans to add more perennials each year. This year has been challenging with lots of rain and hungry rabbits. We enjoy looking out our back window to see the flowers or sitting on our patio in back, which brightens our day.
3a – Amanda Finke – Behind Crowley’s garden
When I purchased this home in 2018, there was a large wooden raised bed in the backyard in full sun and several perennials that provided color beginning in late spring: iris and peonies, then daylilies and daisies, followed by more daylilies and bee balm, and finally in late summer, sedum and flowering hostas. Slowly I’ve expanded the backyard perimeter and recently added the southern border this spring. Last year I added a garden arch and climbing rose. Ten more raised beds have been added for growing dahlias (40 varieties), but also tulips and zinnias. I love the borrowed view of my backyard neighbors’ space, the Crowley’s, especially their evergreens during the winter.
4 – Karen and Tim Halvorson – 452 187th St., Baldwin
We moved here in 1990, drawn to the big yard and quiet road to raise a family. It was a bit neglected, but luckily we both enjoy yard work! Now we have 55 acres that include wooded areas, a waterway, three ponds, and a lot of critters. There are 25 acres in CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and 15 acres in a first year prairie restoration that we took out of rented farmland. We’ve planted dozens of trees and perennials over the years and the sunny areas are saved for the vegetable gardens. I collect hollow tree stumps (w/Tim’s help!) that make unique flower planters for annuals. Try to find all 10! We aim to provide a place that is friendly and welcoming to the birds, pollinators, and visitors!
5 – Kerry Licht – 76 158th St., River Falls
(A long driveway on the north side of Hwy M across from Cannon River Horse Ranch)
My gardens are planted for fun and personal enjoyment. Also, I like to “trial” new plants to see how they will perform, and have a mixture of perennials and annuals. My business is called “Barnyard Botanicals,” and I have nine greenhouses that I maintain and sell plants from during the month of May each year. Hope you will enjoy strolling through the gardens.
Come out and stroll through the gardens on the BBBGC Community Garden Tour Saturday, July 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.!
