Master Gardener Tour set for July 12

The gardens chosen for the annual Norwalk Area Master Gardener/Historical Society Garden Tour this year are full of shrubs, flowers — both new and old favorites — and clever styling. From pleasant, comfy areas designed, planted and maintained by the homeowners to lavish plantings designed, planted, and maintained by local landscapers, the garden tour is always an enjoyment. The tour is set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on July 12. Tickets will go on sale beginning July 1 at Schild's IGA Supercenter (171 Milan Ave.). Beginning at 9 a.m. from July 9-12, tickets can also be purchased at the Historical Society's museum behind Norwalk Public Library on Case Ave. The tour is self-guided and will happen rain or shine. Tickets cost $10 each, and proceeds will benefit the Historical Society. Ticket holders are also eligible to win a Farmer Jones' book. For further information, contact 419-872-0124 or dabristols@wcnet.org. A garden location map will be provided with the ticket. The hosts this year are Jeff Savage (170 Benedict Ave.); Sandy White (38 Eagle Creek Drive); Jessica Yoquez (36 Eagle Creek); Clint and Ronda Minnear (191 Townline 131); Mike and Jan Rang (280 Peru/Olena Rd.); Jim and Char Busek (29 Jeffrey Way); Bill and Linda Miller (4334 Sand Rd.); and Miller's Landscape (4353 Sand Rd.). Jeff Savage's garden on Main Street is probably recognized by all. His landscape with ditch lilies (common daylilies) is interplanted with Hostas along the front walks. When the two bloom at the same time, it transforms the old reliable plants into a patch of beauty. Highlights in the landscape are pots of bright red geraniums and yellow Lysimachus nummularia, a creeping plant, all consistently used for color. A patch of bright Siberian iris adds brilliant blue. More color is found in the purple iron table and chairs on the patio. This garden is a mix of plants easy to grow, used with an artistic touch. Between Old State and New State on Peru/Olena Rd., Mike and Jan Rang have a great garden spot, just designed for visits and tours. Those who attend the tour can look for well-manicured gardens, plus surprises. Mike's newest idea is a 1924 Dodge parked in the flower bed, framed by his assortment of flowers. He has a gurgling waterfall that sings behind his house from a small stream. Steps take you down to the stream for a closer look. Lots of flowers and garden art, with something new, a replica of an old western village, complete with quaint old-time rooming, shared baths, and spittoons, built in his basement. Mike's wife, Jan, is a helper, but he runs the show. He has ideas and plant experiments rolling around in his brain all the time. Mike and Jan raise all kinds of hostas, coral bells, calla lilies and other shade plants. He has his colorful pots with seventeen flats of bedding plants still to be planted before tour day. One spot, a large urn with a statue and blooms, is a striking focal point. Another bed in the spring was very sedate with daffodils and tulips. At 38 Eagle Creek, Sandy White has a large garden of shrubs, flowers, planted pots and an outdoor kitchen. She gives all the credit for the landscape design to Bill Miller of Miller's Landscaping. Many pots, filled with great combinations of annuals create beauty. Shrubs chosen for foliage color blend into the plantings. Bright yellow barbary adds sparkle, and another bright yellow succulent in another patch does the same. There are yellow roses, hostas, Russian sage, tall grasses, coreopsis, hydrangeas, white Shasta daisies and black-eyed Susan's for lots of color. Strong design is featured in the areas of hard scape; round concrete blocks create a path to the house next door, 36 Eagle Creek, where Sandy's daughter, Jessica, lives. The blocks also bridge a small rivulet of water connecting the two houses. Jessica Yoquez's home next door also has Miller's guidance. But her husband has done some planning on his own. He has his own putting area with balls abounding as both houses border on Eagle Creek golf course. This house has two water fountains, lots of stone paving and dramatic plantings, Sedum 'Autumn Joy,' chrome green succulents with a yellow flower, large and new to most gardeners, orange coneflowers, an avocado tree, and other beauties are among the highlights. There is a pool with tables and chairs nearby. Clint and Ronda Minnear, a local plumber and Ronda, a math teacher in Plymouth, have a nice country home at 191 Townline 131. It once belonged to Clint's grandparents, filled with memories and treasures from the past. The gardens are designed, planted and maintained by Ronda, with help from her children. This garden is filled with common and loved perennials and annuals chosen by the actual planters. That means a lot of work, but it's also fun and rewarding. There are hostas, iris, coneflowers, roses and poppies that are done blooming. The poppies have gone dormant, but are now planted over with petunias. Country homes have outbuildings and other joys, like a large farm pond for swimming, a small place that, when heated, can be a winter greenhouse, or a plot for a big garden with berries, greens, and other healthy things. One building, once called the summer kitchen by Grandpa Jerry, is now home to lots of memories, like summer canning, summer picnics, summer company, with games and comfy chairs and even an outdoor porch swing. On the walls is artwork by kids in the past, treasures found in the field, unusual projects, and other things. Char and Jim Busek have a lovely home at the end of Jeffrey Way. It's surrounded with trees, shade, and sun-loving plants that tempt the deer. For that reason, there are fences around the beautiful lilies, lush hostas and hydrangeas. At the front drive, a group of brightly colored plantings catch your eye. Chrome yellow is a vibrant color, and it is used well for great contrast. A large, bright pink and gold plant on the upper deck can be seen as you approach the house, as can a 67-year-old croton, once belonging to Jim's aunt. Petunias and impatiens are planted around the house and echo the croton's colors. In back, areas close to the house are seas of ground cover, punctuated with hostas. Nearby, little iron chairs create a secret spot to dream; however, by tour day the chairs are getting a coat of new paint. In another corner, a clematis shows off its purple blue. The Buseks live on a cul-de-sac with a circle bed, which Jim keeps weeded, planted, and trimmed. His neighbor adds the mulch. On Sand Rd. off Ohio 61 east, Miller Landscape & Gardens is full of displays, garden goodies, trees, plants, flowers, and garden art. It's the place to park when you visit Bill and Linda Miller's house. Hidden far back are all the makings of a new look: rocks, soil, sand, trucks, and the works. Grub Brothers, a local food truck, will be at Miller's business. Tour walkers can grab lunch, look at great design, and maybe shop before or after going through the gates to see Bill and Linda's gardens. The gate to Bill and Linda's home is framed with a weeping purple beech. In the backyard is bright Chrome yellow. Even the common sedum 'Acre' is in the show. Throughout the gardens, the color is used for contrast, with lime green 'Annabell' hydrangeas, Japanese forest grass, eye-popping Japanese maples, and more. Window boxes near the back door are tilted, so the plantings hang down. The landscaping accents the water features. A natural look is achieved with plantings and trees. Water bubbling down the incline is recycled but natural. You can rest in the swing area and watch the colorful koi. They are yellow, too. Water lilies and water plants abound; all are gorgeous. Looking across the water, there are giant stepping stones and big round blocks of concrete. Linda, who helps but isn't the head honcho, says Bill is the designer. Around a turn, there is a pool, an outdoor kitchen, and tables and chairs for a great party place. Some thirty years ago, the area was an empty field.