Zone 6 Garden Club to host annual garden tour

By NIKKI PATRICK
The Morning Sun
June 15, 2010
PITTSBURG — There’s a good reason why the Zone 6 Garden Club has its fundraising garden tours every two years.

That’s how long it takes to plan the tour. The 2010 tour will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

“We have to have the tour gardens chosen at least one year in advance, so people can get their gardens ready,” said Gail Greenwood, who is serving as tour co-chairman with Opal Trites.

She added that the club has a committee to help garden owners with last-minute details. “This year everybody wants to do it all themselves,” Greenwood said.

“These are all hands-on gardens,” Trites said. “These people all work hard on their gardens.”

“No two gardens are alike, and I truly think the tour offers something for everybody,” Greenwood said. “Gardeners will come away with a lot of new ideas, and those who aren’t gardeners will just enjoy walking through these beautiful gardens.

On the tour will be the garden of Bill and Bobbie Askew, 206 E. 24th Terrace, which features several garden “rooms” created by a diverse planting of shrubs, trees and flowers, including roses, echinacea, daylilies, red hot pokers, ornamental grasses, a palm tree and tropical bananas; Tim and Kristie Bell, 310 Webster, featuring a garden cottage and many heirloom and antique items; Kala Spigarelli and Taka Kido, 814 S. Catalpa, with three deck levels of outdoor living space, a koi pond and water fall; Patrick O’Bryan and Tim Towner, 505 Elmwood Lane, with a blooming patio area as well as a garden filled with cutting flowers that are used throughout the house; the Martin garden, 1721 J.F. Kennedy, with flowers as well as vegetables, strawberries and thornless blackberries and ponds with water fountains; and the community garden, 705 E. Centennial, which provides fresh produce for the Wesley House food bank and also makes plots available for families who don’t have garden space at their own homes.

“The community garden is located behind the First Christian Church, and the ladies of the church will offer a luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday,” Trites said. “Cost will be $6 for sandwich, salad, dessert and beverage.”

“Our garden tour tickets are also $6, so this makes it a very nice, affordable way to spend a summer day,” Greenwood said.

Proceeds from the garden tour help support and fund many garden-related projects, educational programs and city beautification efforts.

“This is our way of giving back to the community,” Greenwood said.Among the projects the Zone 6 Garden Club has funded are the butterfly garden at the Pittsburg Public Library, landscaping the stone Pittsburg Welcome sign by Four Oaks Golf Course, landscaping and trees at Immigrant Park, the garden behind the Hotel Stilwell, neighborhood intersection island gardens on Crestwood Lane and at Quincy and Woodland Terrace, planting trees at Friendship Fields Girl Scout Camp and helping the community garden.

“We’ve also purchased one of the Pittsburg Beautiful urns for downtown Pittsburg,” Greenwood said. “This year volunteers from Pittsburg Beautiful will be taking tickets at the tour houses, and we appreciate their help. Just about all of our club members are also helping with the tour in one way or another.”

After Saturday, the 2010 tour will be history, but that doesn’t mean that club members can relax.“We’ve already started working on the 2012 tour, and have a couple of gardens lined up,” Trites said. “Anyone interested in sharing their gardens on the tour in 2012 is welcome to call me or Gail.”

Tour tickets are available in advance for $6 from club members and at Carla’s Country Gardens, the Home Place and Kitchen Place, In the Garden and Paradise Mall. They may also be purchased starting at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the tour for $7 at the Gardeners’ Market in Immigrant Park.

Source: http://www.morningsun.net/topstories/x1980746211/Zone-6-Garden-Club-to-host-annual-garden-tour