Visit six special gardens on July 12

By Cliff Johnson
Carver/Scott Master Gardener

Here’s a good deal: On Saturday, July 12, for 12 bucks, you can tour six Carver and Scott county gardens, each with a particular theme: rain and bog gardens, integrated pest management, gardening for wildlife, heirloom gardening and water-wise gardening.

The 2008 Carver/Scott Master Gardener tour is a drive-to-it-yourself event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can start at any of the six gardens and simply follow a map to the other five stops. You can purchase your ticket at the first stop or in advance for $10 at Cal’s Nursery in Savage, Chaska Farm & Garden, Minnesota Valley Garden Center in Shakopee, or University of Minnesota extension offices in Cologne or Jordan.

Master Gardeners will be present at each site to answer gardening questions.

Here are highlights for each of the six gardens:
• 1073 Falls Curve, Chaska: An inviting patio welcomes you with a border hedge of roses. Two arbors with roses and wisteria draw you to the sloping backyard of “many rooms.” Boulders and walkways guide you past an espalier apple tree, a waterfall and pond.

• 7151 190th Street West, Jordan: This is the site of the Master Gardener display gardens at the Scott County Fairgrounds. This collection of 16 gardens illustrates styles and themes that work in Minnesota’s planting zone 4. Permanent gardens include prairie, butterfly, xeriscape, miniature, dry flower, edible flower and hummingbird. A playhouse is part of the tropical children’s garden. University of Minnesota vegetable and annual flower trials are conducted on the site. A large rain garden demonstrates the use of plants to absorb runoff from the parking lot.

• 2727 180th Street East, Prior Lake: Named “Belle Terre” (beautiful land), this garden is interspersed with artwork and antiques, and includes several garden areas with individual color schemes. A vegetable garden, blueberry patch and garden shed add interest. The garden’s highlight is a large waterfall and pond that have been showcased several times on the tour of ponds.

• 5299 Candy Cove Trail S.E., Prior Lake: Ten gardens featuring sculptures and cobalt-blue accent pieces offer an oasis for wildlife and a haven for quiet seclusion. This site includes a pondless waterfall, more than 1,000 annuals and a variety of shade and sun-loving perennials.

• 4260 140th Street N.E., Prior Lake: This five-acre homestead, nicknamed “Toad Hollow,” features a Shakespeare garden with plants found in the author’s writings. A future “secret garden” will include a magnificent arch created by an enormous willow tree on the property. The owner of this garden says she has seen every bird in the Minnesota Bird Book in her yard, as well as deer, fox and woodchucks. Plants include vegetables, heather and wildflowers.

• 1833 Countryside Drive, Shakopee: This is a three-year-old garden at a newer suburban home. It features a kidney-shaped perennial and shrub garden and a hillside garden with drought-tolerant plants at the top and a butterfly garden below. Rain barrels are used to reduce runoff and to water garden plants.

For more information on the tour, call Scott County Extension at (952)492-5410 or Carver County Extension at (952) 466-5300. A tour brochure can be viewed at this website: www.extension.umn.edu/county/scott/mg/index.htm.