Bureau County communities are in bloom

The garden of Michelle Manning, 322 E. Farnham, Sheffield, will be one of six private gardens to be featured during this year's Communities in Bloom event, which will be July 12. (Photo contributed)

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It’s finally summertime, and communities across Bureau County are blooming.

The Communities in Bloom Garden Walk, sponsored by Bureau County Tourism, will take place July 12. The free event will kick-off at Hornbaker Gardens in rural Princeton at 9 a.m. with a hour-long presentation on dividing plants.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., participants can take self-guided driving tours to six different Bureau County gardens, as well as tours of Plow Creek Farm in Tiskilwa.

“It’s a garden walk not only for flower gardeners but also vegetable gardeners, especially with the tour of Plow Creek,” said Cathy Foes, Bureau County Tourism coordinator. “So there’s really something for everyone.”

The first two gardens are located in Sheffield. The garden of Michelle Manning, at 322 E. Farnham St., began a few years ago when a neighbor gave Manning a few perennials.

During the course of five years, Manning has transformed her yard into themed areas featuring annuals, hostas, perennials and a waterfall pond.

At Sheffield’s Chestnut Street Inn, located at 301 Chestnut St., Jeff and Monika Sudakov have expanded their flower garden to include vegetable and herb gardens. Their produce is used in their daily food preparation at the Inn.

Gardens three and four are located in Spring Valley. The garden of Mike and Judy Brown, located at 204 E. Caroline St., features a waterfall pond filled with koi, as well as stained glass stepping stones leading to a mix of perennials, annuals, bulbs, bushes and trees.

The garden of Rich, Carol and David Brown at 222 W. Sixth St., includes a sun garden, a rock garden, a secret angel garden, a koi pond and greenhouse.

Carol Brown said she enjoys gardening with her husband Rich and their son David.

“It’s just the enjoyment of seeing the flowers bloom and having our yard look nice,” she said. “My son grew a lot of the flowers in the greenhouse in our backyard. He likes starting them from seeds and seeing them grow.”

The final stops on the Garden Walk are in Tiskilwa.

At the garden of Jim and Jane Jones, located at 445 W. Owen St., visitors will see seven brick-bordered perennial beds and a house border garden, featuring 33 hosta and more than 60 daylily varieties. The garden also includes a pergola, fountain, Japanese granite lanterns, quartz flagstone paths, and a Japanese sand garden.

Jim Jones said he and his wife became interested in perennial gardening when they visited a friend’s perennial garden.

“We knew next to nothing about it, but then we started visiting and working in his garden,” Jones said. “We started ours in 1999 and now we have seven perennial gardens. It’s just something we like to do.”

Jones enjoys perennial gardening in particular.

“The perennials return every year, and they get prettier as the years go on,” he said. “After you’ve planted a bed or two and the flowers mature for a couple of years, it’s very pleasant to look at. It’s just beautiful.”

The final stop on the Walk is the garden of Michael and Judy Mattern, located at 345 Galena St. Visitors will view a variety of plants, such as hostas, daylilies, irises and lavender, to name a few.

Tours of Plow Creek Farm in rural Tiskilwa will leave at the top of the hour, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On the Plow Creek tour, visitors can see 80 acres of fruit and vegetable varieties and learn about the use of sustainable farming practices.

Brochures for the Communities in Bloom Garden Walk are available at area garden centers or can be downloaded from www.bureaucounty-il.com. For more information, call Cathy Foes at (815) 915-3192.

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