BY KATIE MATTESON
The Racine Garden Club will present its Summer Magic Garden Tour on Sunday, July 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at seven private gardens located in Racine, Mount Pleasant and Yorkville.
The tradition of showcasing members’ plants and flowers goes back to the beginning of the 91-year-old club’s history of hosting flower shows from 1927-1963, according to club historian Julie Rather.
The club introduced its annual garden walk in 1964 with visitors asked to wear low heels during the tours through the local gardens in a Racine Journal-Times newspaper article at the time. In the 1990s, the club decided to organize the event every other year.
The garden tour serves as a fundraiser for the non-profit organization to support local horticulture students and civic projects like the Williamsburg Garden, located on Sixth Street and Grand Avenue just east of the 1881 Engine House No. 3 firehouse, that was established in 1976 as a gift from the club to the City of Racine in honor of the United States Bicentennial.
Advance tickets cost $8 and are available at Borzynski’s Farm & Floral Market, Julie’s Personal Touch Flowers, Kortendick Ace Hardware, Milaeger’s Racine, Milaeger’s Sturtevant, Real Racine Visitors Center and Stein’s Garden & Home. Tickets are also available for $10 on the day of the tour only at the gardens.
This year’s gardens, which can be visited in any order include:
Ray & Tim, 5944 Wakefield Ave., Mount Pleasant, WI 53406
Sue & Ed, 2717 Hanlon Dr., Mount Pleasant, WI 53405
Oriol & Mindy, 2631 Hanlon Dr., Mount Pleasant, WI 53405
Ursula, 6427 Charles St., Racine, WI 53402
Chef Jewell, 6439 Charles St., Racine, WI 53402
Tom & Diane, 2720 Fenceline, Road, Mount Pleasant, WI 53406-1802
Larry & Bernadette, 14905 Kingston Way, Yorkville, WI 53126-9151
Rather said attendees will see a variety of inspiring garden themes including European, native wildflower prairie, All-American mixed and Japanese Zen on this year’s tour, with garden owners on hand to answer questions and offer suggestions.
She noted that the garden tour also features a wide ravine filled with hostas, several extraordinary Koi ponds, specimen trees, owner-made metal garden art, fantastic succulents in containers, roses, medicinal herbs, industrious honeybees and an abundance of perennials and annuals.
For more information about the tour or joining the Racine Garden Club, call President Lucky LaMeer at (262) 939-3123 or Membership Chair Sharon Feller at (262) 619-8995 or visit RacineGardenClub.org.
https://view.publitas.com/belle-city-magazine/2018-july/page/16-17