Something beautiful for everyone

DEERWOOD - There will be a little of everything and a lot of color at a self-guided garden tour on July 14 that will feature eight gardens in Crosby, Ironton, Deerwood and Aitkin.

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The garden tour, sponsored by the Hallett Community Center Foundation, is the foundation's first tour, said Karen Swanhorst, a Hallet Community Center member and a garden committee member.

Swanhorst said after going on a garden tour in Brainerd a few years ago she thought the same type of tour would be a great way to raise funds for the Hallett Community Center.

"We're always looking at ways to raise funds," said Swanhorst. "There are a lot of neat gardens in our area.

Karen Swanhorst of Deerwood planted this colorful clematis this spring. It is located in her two tier garden in her backyard.

» Purchase reprints of this photo.Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger

"The gardens on the tour all offer something different. I'm hoping the tour will give people inspiration to do something in their own yard."

Swanhorst said the garden tour is self-guided so people may purchase a ticket that comes with a map. Tickets are $10 and are tax deductible. Tickets are available at the Jesse Hallett Library, Hallett Community Center and the Crosby-Ironton Courier, all located in Crosby.

The garden tour will run from noon to 4 p.m.

A nice thing about having a self-guided tour, Swanhorst said are people can start at any garden and they can stay as long as they want.

There are a variety of plants and flowers in this garden surrounded by trees and has a walking path. The garden is located between the homes on Serpent Lake owned by Walt and Cathy Lager and Kathy and Phil Robinson.

» Purchase reprints of this photo.Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger

Swanhorst doesn't know how many people to expect at the garden tour, but the committee printed 300 tickets and will be ready to print more if needed.

The following gardens will be on the tour:

Frank Perpich's garden in Ironton offers 105 rose bushes and birdhouses that are replicas of his house and outbuildings.

Deanna Heglund's garden of Crosby features many perennials she collected over the years from friends and relatives.

If you go

A self-guided garden tour of eight gardens sponsored by the Hallett Community Center Foundation.

Tour will be noon to 4 p.m. July 14th, rain or shine.

Tickets and the map of the gardens are $10 and are tax deductible. Tickets are available at the Jesse Hallett Library, Hallett Community Center and the Crosby-Ironton Courier, all located in Crosby.

For more information go to www.hallettcenter.com or call Karen Swanhorst at (218) 546-7477 or Sue Bowles at (218) 534-9236.

Cathy and Jay Parmeter's cottage style garden of Deerwood offers perennials, fruit trees, vegetables, ferns and wildflowers.

Amy Sharpe and Bob Carls' old-time kitchen gadget garden in the Bay Lake area offers flowers with herbs, vegetables and berries. Sharpe and Carls also tend fruit trees and utilize raised beds and pots to extend their planting possibilities.

Walt and Cathy Lager and Kathy and Phil Robinson's combined gardens in Deerwood offer landscaped pathways on Serpent Lake with hundreds of hostas, more than 50 varieties of flowers and 30 potted plants.

Karen and Randy Swanhorst's garden in Deerwood offers a mixture of annuals and perennials, two vegetable gardens and landscaping. Karen Swanhorst started 500 annuals in the basement in March and transplanted them into the beds when the weather warmed.

This girl looked at her reflection in a bird bath statue near a hosta in Karen and Randy Swanhorst's garden in Deerwood.

» Purchase reprints of this photo.Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger

Joe and Gwen Stanich's garden of Deerwood was made possible with a DNR grant that helped restore their beach on Serpent Lake to a natural form. More than 500 plants were placed along the lakefront.

Mike and Laura Schwartzwald's garden on Rabbitt Lake includes several water features accented with hundreds of hostas, ferns and a large assortment of annuals and perennials. The Schwartzwalds created a series of garden areas for visitors to wonder through until they reach the koi pond.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.