Variety is the spice of upcoming Greensburg Garden Center garden tour
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Greensburg Garden Center’s upcoming garden tour will transport participants to outdoor spaces reminiscent of the British Isles, the tropics and places in between.
Set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 31, the tour will feature seven gardens arranged along a self-driving route that begins in New Alexandria, reaches out to Irwin and ends in Greensburg.
“The main feature of this tour is the variety among the gardens, that’s my take,” said event Chairperson Mary Ann Artman. “They’re very different, one to another.”
Artman recommends that tour-goers take time to talk to the garden owners as they peruse the plantings.
“The garden is really a reflection of the gardener,” she said. “You really learn so much and get so many tips when you meet the gardeners.
“That’s what is really so important about garden tours.”
Garden sites include:
• New Alexandria: The property is entered via a road originally built for a railroad that transported coal out of nearby mines. Formerly an orchard, the grounds have been transformed into an English-type garden with a pond, various perennials and 45 dahlias. There is a maple tree started from a sapling obtained from the Charles Lindbergh estate and an oak tree from England’s legendary Sherwood Forest. Sculptures from local artist Jack Mayer will be on display.
• Export: This garden, started in 1972 in the midst of clay soil and lots of poison ivy, is now a haven of perennials, roses, herbs, annuals and a collection of mints. It includes a pond, various container water gardens, a rock wall planted with sedums and creeping plants and a swing shaded by wisteria. Many plants are divisions obtained from friends and family. If weather permits, various quilted items will be displayed on the back patio.
• Jeannette: An old wagon used in a Brookville lumber mill sits along the driveway, and antique farm equipment also is on display. A greenhouse, wood shop and separate garage all have their own gardens. Every year, about 1,000 plants are started from seed in the greenhouse. There are numerous great trees, including Bald Cypress, European Beech, Gingko, Larch, Dawn Redwood, Red Buckeye, Serviceberry and Weeping River Birch. In keeping with the naturalized setting, a natural pond with no filter or pump was built last year and sustains fish, frogs and plants. Visitors can view stained-glass items constructed by owner while enjoying refreshments on back porch.
• Claridge: There are six main gardens and numerous vignettes on the acreage, dating from 2000. The owner’s goal now is to “work smarter, not harder” by using more shrubs, trees and large perennials placed close together cottage-style. Angels are a recurring theme among hydrangeas, boxwood, lilies, tropical milkweed, cup plant, bee balm and a large variety of hostas. New this year is the shade sail, installed to take the place of a prominent tree lost last year. A gazebo creates a place of rest in the wooded area.
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• Irwin: The owner has created a tropical paradise, in remembrance of living in California and Florida. Many of the plants, collected while traveling or acquired in trades, are not considered hardy in this area, so maintaining them involves much experimentation and trial. Upon moving in in 2012, the owner dug up 1,200 square feet of grass to accommodate 87 plants brought along, later adding more beds. Currently, the grounds hold 9 palms, five species of banana, 20 varieties of figs, 11 varieties of crape myrtle, five varieties of calla lily, Fatsia japonica, hardy agapanthus, crinum and trunking yucca.
• Irwin: This Certified Pollinator garden was started in 2002, with a goal of achieving more privacy. The entire backyard was lined with 1,200 Belgium blocks, with 20 tons of topsoil added to give a raised garden effect. The husband-and-wife Penn State Master Gardener team also added a pool, fencing and outdoor kitchen. Two ponds with waterfalls contain koi and plants. The landscape includes such notable trees as Kousa and Florida Dogwoods, Weeping Atlas Blue Cedar, Seriyu Japanese Maple, Weeping Alaskan Cedar, Paperbark Maple and a Tricolor Beech. The garden won first place in a 2010 Home Depot Garden Contest.
• Greensburg: This tidy garden is the owners’ personal oasis. The fenced-in patio contains an in-ground swimming pool and koi pond with waterfall. Trees, shrubs, perennials and many annuals surround the entire space. Flower pots brim with coordinated annuals. A trumpet vine-covered arbor frames the rear of the patio and leads to a secret hideaway patio. Along the walkway to the rear is a small vegetable garden.
Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance. On tour day, tickets will be available for $25 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the garden center office in the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road.
A brochure with garden descriptions and driving directions is included with the ticket.
Details: 724-837-0245 or greensburggardencenter.net.