KAYSVILLE — Joan Tonn and Bill Rembacz, both of South Ogden, love touring yards. They enjoy the beauty of the landscapes and getting ideas for water features.
Tumbling water, blooming flowers and gardens filled with vegetables were all part of the first annual Kaysville Yard and Garden Tour on Friday and Saturday.
Yards varied in size from small, decorated front yards to huge expanses of grass and landscaping in one 11⁄2-acre yard. Seventeen yards welcomed visitors, who gleaned ideas for their own yards or simply enjoyed the gorgeous landscaping.
As Tonn and Rembacz walked through the vegetable garden in Robert Dunford’s backyard, Tonn said, “I think it is fascinating they did this — it’s not just a wooden box.”
Tonn pointed out the raised-bed gardens featured in Dunford’s yard.
Then, leaving the yard to go to another, Tonn looked into a nearby area.
“I think I come to these just to see if people can control (the weeds),” Tonn said.
Dunford’s yard wasn’t always the size it is now, nor was it as well-manicured. His daughter, April Dunford Stettler, was on hand to tell visitors about the gardens. She pointed out where the original yard line was closer to the home than it is now. She also described how the land behind the line has family-friendly landscaping, including a sports court.
“It used to be a horse and cow pasture,” Stettler said. “They tore out over 100 bushes.”
Not too far from the Dunford home is the home of Robert’s brother Jeff and Willie Dunford. They too have a family-friendly yard, which includes a pull-down screen where the family watches movies outside on cool summer evenings.
Water tumbles over rocks where the couple used their ingenuity to turn a huge pile of dirt into a garden with a waterfall. Willie Dunford also created unusual flower pots by using children’s colorful boots.
On another street, Lynn and Teina Forsberg, of Clearfield, visited the home of Beverly Smith. They commented on how much they liked the garden tour.
“I have enjoyed this very much. I think I like the water features the most,” Lynn Forsberg said.
He also liked seeing the pergolas and multitude of flowers.
“They are all different and very interesting,” said Teina Forsberg.
Beverly Smith and her family created a wilderness getaway in their front yard. Although the landscape changed after December’s high winds blew down two large trees, the yard still has the ambience the family wants.
“We lost two trees, but I struggled with the pine trees,” Smith said.
Her grandson Caleb Smith talked with visitors and explained some of the plant and rock history in the landscape.
Caleb’s grandmother named the waterfall “Two Moons,” in memory of Caleb’s deceased mother, who loved waterfalls. A family of quail is often seen playing in the water.
“I love the little things. They remind me of the woods,” Beverly Smith said.
Her son brought her a gnarled stump of a tree from a home he bought that used to be one of Brigham Young’s homes. The stump is nestled in the pine trees.
“It reminded me a little of the woodlands. I have a little bit of the woods when I bring my lunch out here in the evenings,” she said.
History is part of this garden, which has rocks and wood lovingly placed to give it the look of a forest instead of a city lot. Many of the items were part of Smith’s parents’ collection of rocks, fossils and seashells.
And Beverly Smith said her great-grandfather met the Pilgrims when they landed, so she and her husband designed and built a totem pole with the word “Kawonkonis” on it.
“It means greeting,” she said.
The Ramptons, in their garden, plant 30 flats of annuals and vegetables each year. Sounds of water coming from a tall waterfall can be heard when entering the backyard.
The variety of yards and gardens enjoyed by the touring visitors were in central Kaysville and scattered throughout town.
Tonn said, “This is the most fun tour. I am loving it.”
