Emporia’s annual garden tour, sponsored by Lyon County Extension Master Gardener volunteers, has been scheduled for Saturday. There are six gardens on this year’s tour; five private and one public garden all of which will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. After a hiatus in 2012, area master gardeners have worked diligently to arrange a strong comeback for 2013.
Ben and Jessie Stallings , 1301 State
When Ben and Jessie Stallings moved to Emporia in 2008, Ben Stallings was looking for a place to practice the permaculture principles he had learned while visiting eco-villages all over the country. Permaculture is a landscape design system that emphasizes the ecological connection among plants and animals, while producing food and other useful products for people.
None of the ground has been tilled. Stallings uses a technique called “sheet mulching” to prepare the soil for gardening, using cardboard and large amounts of organic matter, and soil fertility is maintained by top-dressing with compost and mulch.
The garden is dominated by a young pear tree, raspberries, strawberries, and chocolate mint. All these perennials were planted the first year along with annual vegetable crops, and no additional planting has taken place since; the perennials have spread under their own initiative.
The other front garden features a grafted English walnut tree and a variety of plants that tolerate the juglone that walnuts produce. At the front of the yard is an experiment involving two ash trees which were susceptible to pests last year; this year one is surrounded by mulch and beneficial plants while the other remains unprotected.
The side yard features three grape vines and two hardy kiwi vines, along with decorative plants, primarily irises.
In the back yard, a convertible greenhouse grows annual vegetables year-round, primarily greens. In the winter it is covered in plastic; in the summer its fencing supports peas and pole beans. The permanent greenhouse frame is not an obstacle since the ground is never tilled. The strawberry pyramid is a work in progress. The raised bed in the backyard is growing asparagus and rhubarb as well as a variety of beneficial herbs and some potatoes that have gone native!
Composting and storage of mulch (last year’s leaves) takes place along the north face of the neighbors’ fence, where little will grow due to the frost shadow.
West of the garage are black raspberries, hazelnuts and sunchokes. Stallings also maintains a tomato garden for a neighbor two doors to the north, along the alley.
John Doreen King , 824 Rural
John and Doreen King purchased the house at 824 Rural the summer of 1986. Lots of work was needed before their family could move in. It took a few years before attention could be turned to landscaping. Each season a project would be started as time and money was available.
John King built a front porch with flower beds on either side of the steps. The area was in deep shade so landscaping began in large ceramic pots. Container gardens are the backbone of their yard as color may be moved where needed as the seasons change. A French drain on the north side of the yard provides better drainage. Tree removal allowed more sun, and a visitor can enjoy clematis, roses, golden aster, crapemyrtle, iris, yarrow. Knockout roses and variegated liriope. Native stone has been put down for walking paths.
The backyard is very small and has been transformed to an oasis. There are rain barrels, a compost barrel, and four raised vegetable beds. A beautiful raised bed with two 8-foot spiral junipers and flowers is along the garage. A wood deck with awning and a cobblestone patio both provide seating. The oasis has hostas and ferns in a secret garden with a clematis covered arbor, yellow climbing roses on a trellis, jasmine, a butterfly bush, Japanese maples, hibiscus and lots of geraniums. Doreen King has a love of taking cuttings from her hanging baskets so there are many Swedish ivy, sprengeri fern, airplane plants and wandering Jew plants.
The herb garden is well established and the scent of rosemary is a favorite. Both the front and backyard have a large variety of plants both annual and perennial. Nothing is wasted in this yard; if it is standing still there may be a plant in it.
Angela Courtney Perry-Smith , 413 Union
Step back into time as one pulls up to 413 Union Street owned by Angela and Courtney Perry-Smith. The home is 134 years old and contains many of the original features. The yard has always consisted of two lots, which makes the property fairly spacious. A detached garage that was added on to accommodate bigger vehicles and a small stable is on the property, which has the original features and is currently used as a gardening shed.
When the home was purchased in 1996, it had been a rental home for several years and was in need of TLC. The Perry-Smiths love to renovate homes and own a lawn mowing and landscaping business so the home has received an entire makeover, inside and out.
After some major repair work was completed on the inside of the home, work began on the outside. The property has huge oak and maple trees and the front yard has a Bradford pear tree. Narrow beds surround the house utilizing both perennials and annuals. The color and texture of plants continues along the fence. The above-ground pool in the backyard reflects Angela Perry-Smith’s work ethic, as she completed the work by hauling and leveling the sand, chat, and stone. Small flower beds have been added throughout the yard.
In 2010, a patio was added using some of the original sidewalk. A sandbox was added on the south side of the pool. In 2011, flowerbeds were placed on the north side of the house. In 2012, the flower ring and windmill and in 2013 flowerbeds and a eco-friendly garden was added to the side back yard. The Perry-Smiths have filled the beds and containers with roses, geraniums, irises, hostas, petunias and a variety of perennials. All the beds are outlined and contain native stone.
The next project will be to enlarge the garden, using eco-friendly techniques and the beds will continue to grow with flowers of yesterday.
Gary Rita Romine, 2415 Westview Drive
Gary and Rita Romine moved to this location in 1992. The peonies along the north had never bloomed. They transplanted them and with a little TLC they bloom each year. A pine, globe locust, and two Bradford pear trees are located in the front yard. St. John’s wort and Knockout rose bushes align the front of the house. Several annuals are planted in planters to add color.
In 2004 a room was added on and the following year the courtyard was landscaped with addition of a water feature that is stocked with koi. Fountain grass, a dwarf lilac bush and liriope surrounds the water feature. Accent lights and a moon light in the tree accent the waterfall. Hostas, daylilies, clematis, coneflowers, and annuals align the patio and deck. Birdhouses, rabbit stepping stones and bird feeders decorate the courtyard. Annuals are planted throughout the courtyard to add color. The huge cottonwood tree provides a home for a Balitmore Oriole. Gary Romine built a pergola swing stand. The patio is an area that is quiet with the sounds of a waterfall and birds singing. The flowers and plants add to the serenity of the area. It is a great place for morning coffee.
Last year a dry creek was added along the south fence. Hostas, fountain grass, liriope, and a yard bench with begonias are scattered among the rocks. A butterfly bush, forsythia bushes, Rose of Sharon bushes, a burning bush and a snowball bush provide color during different times in the backyard. Planters with annuals and yard decorations are scattered about the yard.
Gary Romine built two raised garden bed and tends the vegetable garden.
John Gail Weakley, 616 West St
John and Gail Weakley purchased their home nearly 30 years ago, October of 1984. The yard had been neglected with dead shrubs and grass so the first month was spent tearing out and getting ready for winter. The next spring only a few trees were planted, one being the cedar that is still in the front yard, and new grass. When their middle son was approaching High School graduation the deck and patios were added to the back of the house with flower beds and a privacy fence.
That same year, Gail Weakley had traveled to Tennessee and stayed at a bed and breakfast with a formal English Garden. She fell in love with the look and came home with plans of creating a similar space in their back yard. Bricks from the old Olpe State Bank were retrieved from a field and used to create a path to the water fountain. Lots of hard work gave them the look they were after with the use boxwoods around the water fountain.
In 2007 the Weakley’s had two new grandchildren and Gail Weakley decided she wanted a flower and vegetable garden that the grandchildren could get their hands in and dig. To keep the formal look, boxwoods were planted along one edge and an arbor on the other side. Sitting in this garden, it gives you another perspective of the yard, allowing the grandchildren to plant, weed and take an interest in the ground.
Many friends and family have been generous over the years in sharing their knowledge and plants to the Weakley yard. Gail Weakley enjoys the perennials as well as the annuals for summer color, and different shrubs (crapemyrtle, Rose of Sharon, and burning bush).
The back yard especially has been a place of gatherings with family and friends, so it is fitting to have a pineapple, (meaning hospitality) placed on top of their water fountain.
Master Gardener Demonstration Garden
The K-State Research and Extension Master Gardener Demonstration Garden on the Lyon County Fair Grounds was built in 1998 by Master Gardener volunteers with the help of many local businesses. The garden consisted of beds made out of different materials to demonstrate various possibilities for constructing landscape or garden beds. An elevated bed was established to allow accessibility for gardeners with physical impairments.
Like most gardens, this one had its challenges. It was established in a drainage area and consequently stayed very wet. Also, being on the corner of the arena, livestock would occasionally walk through the gardens causing considerable damage. In 2005, Master Gardener volunteers made many improvements to the gardens. A drainage area was created at the back of the gardens, a split rail fence was constructed around the perimeter, and soil was amended.
The gardens now serve as demonstration plots for herbs, Prairie Star and Prairie Bloom flowers and ornamental grasses. Prairie Star annual flowers and Prairie Bloom perennial flowers are ones that have been tested across the state and have proven to perform well in the challenging Kansas climate. Lists of these flowers are available at the Extension office, www.lyon.ksu.edu, or www.prairiestarflowers.com.
Tour proceeds are used for horticulture education events in Lyon County. Tickets are $5 and available from any Master Gardener volunteer, K-State Research and Extension office or can be purchased the day of the tour at all tour sites.
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