June 25, 2024 tour
Jane LaFlash
211 S Fair Oaks Ave
I have a small (30'X100') shady garden crammed full of my plant and garden art collections - lots of conifers, Japanese maples, hostas, ferns, and other shade-tolerant perennials. I would love you to stop by to see them.
Richard Freihoefer
919 East Dayton St
The Isthmus was a marsh so my property had a great deal of infill. A lot of clinkers, glass, metal etc. I removed a great deal of bad fill and replaced it with good soil. The result is an integrated flower and vegetable garden. Large parts of the roof drain into a pond full of fish. That warm, fertile water is then used to water the garden. I am a big fan of straw bales so I have constructed several permanent boxes to hold them. We try to maintain a very small footprint. All organic material is returned back to the garden and all clothes are air dried since we do not have a clothes dryer. We also have run an Airbnb here for the last 10 years and the guests love the space. The front pond is enjoyed by many people, particularly children.
Bob Shaw
917 E. Dayton St
There is no need for a lawnmower here because every inch of the front and back is covered with plants. Woody plants include a katsura tree, several ginkgos, Horstmann’s recurved European larch, Korean fir, concolor fir, along with a number of dwarf conifers. The dawn redwood I planted over 30 years ago as a two-foot bare root plant from ForestFarm has turned into a 70-foot behemoth. I rely on Japanese painted fern, astilbe, corydalis, wild ginger, and epimedium as ground covers to keep the weeds out. Interspersed between the woody plants are many other perennials and annuals.
If you have time, walk a half block west to Reynolds Park where I am the caretaker of two other gardens – a shrub/perennial garden that I have maintained for over 30 years (N. Paterson/E. Dayton streets) and a 120-foot long vine garden on a chain link fence with over 20 kinds of perennial vines (800 block E. Mifflin street).
Mary Jo Schiavoni and Jim Sturm
455 N Few St
Shortly after Tony Sturm moved back to the neighborhood in 2017, he convinced his mother to leave her beloved garden on N Baldwin St and move next door to start anew in a much bigger yard. They combined their yards, but garden independently. The front yard is a neighborhood gem with artfully composed shrubs, trees, and perennials. In the back, alongside the fountain, is a small moss garden and a small succulent patch. There is a cutting garden, an extensive woodland garden, along with the vegetable garden and fruit trees. Surrounding the conservatory in the back are a number of potted plants.
Erica Turner and Tony Sturm
461 N Few St
Gardening alongside Tony's mother and father, we have planted numerous perennials, focusing recently on shade plants, peonies and dahlias. We keep a vegetable garden,with raised beds. We have also installed a back patio and treehouse in our woodland. Over the years we have also planted half a dozen fruit trees, while maintaining a chicken coop and enough yard for children's activities. The challenge has been to make the yard enjoyable for our three kids as well as a peaceful retreat.
Jane and Duane Miller
1208 Spaight St
Our small city garden is located near downtown on the “Fashionable East Side” of Madison. It is a funky Victorian garden complete with purple house and colorful plants. The bowling ball display in the front yard gets the most attention.
Our backyard contains a big driveway which serves as a parking lot in the winter and a lovely patio in the summer when we park our cars on the street and roll out the garden from the garage. Pots on wheels along with garden furniture, portable fences, an arbor on wheels and umbrellas come out to form a wonderful dining and entertaining space. A wood pergola on one side of the driveway and a secret garden nestled between two garages form the garden rooms in our small space.
We love colorful plants and have found after years of experimentation that zinnias and coleus seem to work best in our yard and provide lots of color.