Your last chance to enjoy spring before the heat of the summer sets in could be spent touring some of the city’s most beautiful gardens.
The Lufkin Landscape Task Force will host its 11th annual garden tour from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 19. Tickets for the tour are $15 each and include entry into four fabulous private gardens and one peaceful park.
The always-anticipated tour serves several purposes, one of which is to let the community know what the LLTF does and drum up interest in the organization, said Conni Estes, garden tour chairperson.
“We want to reach people who are not only interested in gardens and flowers, but those who want to help the community,” she said.
The tour also serves as a fundraiser for the club’s latest project, the building of an amphitheater in Louis Bronaugh Park, she said.
While spending a morning touring the unique gardens is already a reward in itself, there are other benefits, Estes said.
“People will find good ideas for things to use in their gardens,” she said. “And, it’s a fun way to get outside and enjoy our beautiful East Texas weather.”
For more information about the garden tour, call Estes at 675-1760. Tickets can be purchased in advance from any Lufkin Landscape Task Force member, or on the day of the tour at any garden on the tour.
Louis Bronaugh Park Amphitheater Project
Located on Burke Street adjacent to City Hall, the Lufkin Landscape Task Force has already completed a number of projects at the park, including the beautiful Spirit of America Garden, which is surrounded by the Avenue of Flags.
Dedicated on Sept. 11, 2002, this beautiful garden was made possible entirely by community donations. Its stunning bronze eagle and flagpole pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and to the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, and the volunteers who tirelessly assisted in the recovery.
Fourteen American flags are now a beautiful addition to the Spirit of America Garden in the park.
Donated by interested citizens, the flags encircle the bronze eagle sculpture dedicated in honor of the victims of 9/11, along with serving as a memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
Plans are now being formulated for an amphitheater with all the necessities, including new landscaping and murals.
Take time to enjoy this peaceful and patriotic garden.
The garden of Bruce and Donna Chicoine
612 Crown Colony Drive
Upon arrival, visitors are instantly greeted by a multilevel flower bed filled with assorted daylilies, crowned by a backdrop of Knock-out roses. The daylilies are neatly labeled, giving admirers an understanding of the many varieties of daylilies.
The park-like setting of the back yard is complemented by the peaceful sounds of a rock water feature and a cozy gazebo to take it all in.
The garden of Dr. and Mrs. V.E. Brooks
4 Winged Foot Court
Dr. Brooks’ collection of antique roses is a must-see for any rose lover, taking over most of the front of the property.
After admiring the roses in the front, visitors to the garden can walk down a pathway covered with different varieties of climbing roses. The rose-covered path leads to the back yard, which overlooks the Crown Colony Country Club golf course and the lake.
The garden of Jeanetta Stewart
302 Crown Colony Drive
This beautiful garden begins with a stunning art piece that doubles as a water feature surrounded by a colorful array of perennials that overwhelms your senses.
As you travel through the front archway, you enter a Japanese garden overflowing with different types of ferns, setting a peaceful atmosphere as you enter the home.
At the back of the property, there is a water feature separating the yard from the shade garden. In the shade garden, visitors are faced with the choice of which unique path to take, where the use of different materials and plants on each path keeps the garden new and exciting each visit.
The brick path leads to a gazebo in the middle of a shaded garden overlooking the golf course and the lake.
The garden of Dr. Richard and Deborah Ruckman
664 Earl Largent Road
As visitors enter the gate to this must-see garden, they are guided to the home by oak trees lining both sides of the drive. The front of the home is outlined with evergreen beds edged with limestone.
In the center of the front bedding area, a low-growing hedge is shaped like a star.
To the right of the home is a large bed of evergreens surrounded by trails so the bed can be enjoyed from all sides. A “living fence,” this bed was designed to block several buildings from the main house.
The backyard landscape is designed around a sparkling pool, and the hot tub is surrounded by evergreens. This area has been built up, with different levels allowing many smaller “theme” beds to take shape, such as a rose garden and a daylily garden. The view overlooks a wooded area sloping down to a creek.
Directions: Turn right off Hwy. 94 onto FM 706. At the three churches, turn left onto Ben Dunn Rd. Bear left on Largent, following the signs and balloons.
The Center For Sight
2 Medical Center Blvd.
This established business has recently undergone a new landscape design to bring a fresh look to a frequently-traveled area.
With greenery and floral accents, visitors to the clinic and motorists passing by will enjoy the manicured and well-thought-out plantings.
Denise Hoepfner’s email address is dhoepfner@lufkindailynews.com.
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