ST. PAUL, Minn. - The St. Anthony Park Garden Tour is a great way to enjoy your Saturday on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We had the great pleasure of seeing one of the 10 gardens on the tour. Mary Maguire-Lerman is one of the most
The proceeds from the biennial tour provide for scholarships for plant science students at the University of Minnesota and also the purchase of plants for the grounds and window boxes at the St. Anthony Park Library.
This is what Maguire-Lerman wrote about the tour:
Welcome to 2161 Doswell in St. Anthony Park
Our home was built in 1916 and the land in front, under the house, and all of Doswell Avenue from Hythe to Grantham was filled. Our ravine in the backyard was part of a kettle formed by the last glacier, however, it was partially filled during construction of the neighborhood. This deep kettle originally encompassed the entire area from Murray Middle School's parking lot southeast into College Park- the park across from our home. When you visit Kim Durkee's garden, one block west on Grantham Avenue, you will see more of this kettle/ravine remnant.
I am the most recent chair of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) and I hope that if you are not a current member, that you join this organization that for nearly 150 years has been helping gardeners grow. Today Lisa from
MSHS is here to tell you about the organization and the benefits of membership. A special discount is offered only today for new members. Take a look at the magazine- one of the great benefits of membership as is the Green Card- Lisa will explain how it helps gardeners!
Front yard:
The squirrels and the oaks combine to make it difficult to grow good turf. We decided to give up, had a patio built and then planted the remaining area to primarily Hosta plantaginea, a native of China.This Hosta, also known as the August Lily, is the plant from which all fragrance in cultivated Hosta originates. It blooms in late August with 6" long white trumpet flowers that can over power you with their fragrance. A native U.S. sedge know as Gray's or Mace Sedge is also abundant in the front yard. They make great fresh cut flower accents and can also be dried for decorations. The local turkey flock in the neighborhood visits the sedges in the fall to feast on their seeds. This year I have featured tropicals, including bromeliads in my large containers and also in the gardens. You can purchase bromeliad divisions at the Como Park Conservatory- call the gift shop first to see if they have some in stock as availability depends on when volunteers divide these plants.
Side yard:
Our very narrow side garden before you reach the staircase is where I grow native wildflowers and ferns with some Martagon lilies. The shrub is
Back yard:
The Barn Garden
I've had much fun converting this backyard from a buckthorn haven to a series of gardens. The first garden is what I call the barn garden since the barn serves as such a great backdrop for the plants. As you come down the staircase, you can see the blue foliage and the light pink flowers of the much advertised Hosta 'Empress Wu'. This is its 5th year in the garden and with the addition of Kern Landscapes Organic Growers Mulch-( I call it the OMG-OGM because what it can do for a garden is just amazing!) it has really thrived. Incorporate OGM into your soil and apply a thin layer for a mulch. Kerns is located on Pierce Butler Road at Albert Street here in Saint Paul. The Empress is surrounded by Korean Waxbells, a Hydrangea 'Little Lime', Sunkist Arborvitae and the bird house. Incidentally, the terra cotta bird house is made by a Minnesota artist and you can get information about the bird houses at http://yardlyart.com
Along the
The Shady, Moist Garden
The garden to your right as you step down into the backyard is a fun collection of tall Astilbe, Ligularia, Rodgersia, Aruncus and the shorter Astrantia or Masterwort. The pale champagne colored Astilbe is Astilbe x thunbergii 'Moerheim's Glory' and the darker amethyst colored Astilbe cultivar is Astilbe x arendsii 'Amethyst'. I have six different Ligularia species/cultivars in the garden. Most of them bloom after the Astilbe blooms have faded. All theseplants prefer afternoon shade and good soil moisture. This garden receives about 3 hours of direct morning sun each day so the conditions are perfect for these plants. The short, yellow flowering perennial is Corydalis lutea which blooms from late May until frost. Two small trees in this garden are Magnolia 'Waterlily' (near the staircase) and Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) near the sidewalk. Where the two hexagon stone paths meet is a container of rose-colored Alstroemeria- a native flower of Peru called the Peruvian Lily or the Lily of the Incas. The former owner of 2161 Doswell- Dr. Harold Wilkins- researched and developed this plant as a new cut flower and introduced it to the world.
The Rock Garden: Frances Ann's Garden
Designed and built in 2009 by Betty Ann Addison of The Gardens of Rice Creek, this garden is a tribute to my mother. I have perennials, ferns, annuals, bulbs and seasonal Cyclamen in the garden along with dwarf conifers. The blue foliaged evergreen is the zone 5-6 Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard.' I wrap it in two layers of burlap each fall to prevent winter burn.This rock garden is a great way to handle landscaping issues with corners on a split level home. Yes, you can bong the gong! I do it every time I finish working in the garden. We purchased the bong in Chicago at the One of A Kind Sale that is held the first weekend in December each year at the Merchandise Mart.
The Long, Curving Border Garden
Beginning at the arbor, several small ornamental trees accent this garden including Arborvitae 'Washington', Malus 'Candymint', River Birch, Redbud and Hydrangea 'Limelight.' A large clump of Siberian Frost Grass and other tall perennials (Yellow Meadowrue, Goatsbeard) help enclose my garden.
The Garlic Bed
On the east side of the garage, my husband and I plant garlic late each fall. Last fall we planted 10 different varieties and we have never seen the garlic grow as tall as it has this year. Today the master gardener will demonstrate how to harvest the garlic. We cure it in our garage for about two weeks and then handle the final cleaning. No... we do not use it all. We share it as a gift with friends and family. No Vampires on this block of Doswell!
The Stock Tank Garden
A great way to contain your vegetable garden and raise it up for more height! Stock tanks can be purchased at Fleet Farm and other farm stores. Be sure to remove the drain. I fill the base with old pots or aluminum cans for drainage, then cover the pots with upside down flats to make it level. Next a layer of landscape fabric is applied over the top and fastened with duck tape to the sides. Then Organic Growers Mulch was added and the tomatoes, potatoes, kale, lettuce kohlrabi, onions and basil were planted.
The Alley Garden
From the "outhouse" to the driveway/alley is primarily a small tree border to screen the alley and provide an enclosure. Magnolia 'Betty' can be seen to the left of the outhouse. Minnesota native Speckled Alder (looks like a clump birch with shiny, speckled bark) with its black, cone-like fruits are planted by the alley along with Tamarack and Pagoda Dogwood. Incidentally, Speckled Alder is a nitrogren-fixing plant! Our constantly in use compost heaps adjoin the alley next to the electrical pole.
Go say hi to Mary and Bill and see this garden!
Belinda & Bobby
