A Walk in the Garden
2006 Gardens

Obsession is defined in the dictionary as “a compelling or fixed idea, feeling, over which a person has little conscious control.”

All five of the gardens on this tour have this in common.  Digging in the soil, connecting with nature, and creating beautiful gardens for everyone to enjoy can sometimes be called an obsession beyond our control.

Garden #1
                

Home of Carroll County Master Gardener Connie Zink and her husband Dennis at 1723 Portland Avenue  Savanna, IL.

See the vast array of planting materials that are used in this landscape to create continuous color in the garden from spring until fall.  From Hostas to Purple Coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans to Butterfly Bushes, there is always something in bloom at the Zink garden.

View the fantastic collection of Tropical plants.  Connie has been collecting Tropicals for years:  Angel’s Trumpets (Brugsmansia), Moonflowers (Datura), Hibiscus (Red Hot), Banana Trees, Oleander, Jasmine, Passion Flowers and Elephant Ears, just to name a few.

See the fish, frogs, turtles and water lilies in the four ponds in this garden. Visit the large collection of annual container plantings and the collection of stone garden sculptures by George Carruth.

Garden #2 

 

Garden #5 
        Mike Lazos  217 3rd St.  

Trying to match the 1870 French Empire style of this house, homeowner Mike Lazos has succeeded in creating a beautiful European Garden on the north side of his lot.  In spring, this garden is bursting with thousands of different spring flowering bulbs.  After the bulb display, begins many different varieties of hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, roses, phlox, lilies, daylilies, and hostas will take center stage.

Mike’s tree shaded east side garden features more hostas, azaleas and hydrangeas.  Hellebores have also seemed to find this garden the perfect place to thrive. 

The south garden is a private sitting garden featuring a koi pond.  This garden has both sun and shade and houses many Mediterranean style plants.  All of the plants Mike over winters on the back porch find their summer home in this garden: Oleanders, angel’s trumpets, jasmine, gardenia’s, camellia’s, and orchids, just to name a few.  Also view Mike’s citrus tree collection consisting of lemons, grapefruit, oranges and limes. 

The west garden is planted in vegetables and wonderful examples of espaliered fruit trees such as apples, peaches, cherries, fig and olive.  Even a lilac bush has been espaliered.    This garden utilizes every square inch of gardening space and is a definite must see for every plant collector.

Garden #3
   
Freddy Goetz 108 19th St.  
Home of the Swamp Bottom Garden Railroad 

“We don’t grow flowers, we grow trains.”

Savanna has always been rich in railroad history, which is very evident at “Swamp Bottom Railroad”.  This garden railroad was designed as a working railroad - numerous actual movements such as switching, taking cars to various destinations and returning them to the point of re-loading, just to name a few. 

Over 1,000 feet of track laid in an area of approximately 50 x 60 feet comprise this railroad.  Models of trains from the 1920’s to present roam these tracks.  The railroad has lighted signals and all engines, steam and diesel, have digital sound including cattle cars.  There are always works in progress going on at “Swamp Bottom Railroad”.

View the enormous collection of rolling stock.  Fred has more than 400 freight and passenger cars and numerous steam and diesel engines.  He has a Santa Fe Superchief Passenger train that has four power units and eleven passenger cars including domes, sleepers, diners, coaches, and observation car.

 

 

Visit the town of Sandy Springs and see the drug store, grocery store, railroad station, bank, barber shop, steakhouse, candy shop, Ace Hardware, newspaper office, movie theater, church, city hall, police dept. and gas station.  Derailments happen occasionally due to toads crossing.  Fred is not the only one who collects in this family.  See Sandy’s angel collection in front of the house.

Garden #4
   
Tom & Gail Hutton 11193 Dauphin Rd. 

Perseverance really paid off at the garden of Gail and Tom Hutton.  Gail wanted a pond for her rural-setting garden, so she built one.  Dug by hand herself, Gail hauled out dirt, brought in rocks and over a period of time built herself a wonderful pond complete with waterfall.  It took two summers to construct the pond and water was completed the third year.  Now the pond is complete with perennials.  The fish come to eat out of her hand, anxiously awaiting the next feeding.

Gail has many sunny gardens and a shade garden decorated with folk-art birds.  Her interest in gardening goes back 18 years.

Tom has a large vegetable garden that is organically fertilized with about 1 ton of Irish horse manure each year.  (It’s called Irish because that is the horse’s name.)  See the giant pumpkins and sunflowers.  The Hutton’s also have a large selection of fruit trees.

Refreshments will also be available at this stop.  (All proceeds will go to Carroll County Master Gardener Program.)

Garden #5
       
Sandy and Don Shaw 10045 Becker Rd.  

From atop one of the highest points outside of Savanna, the Shaw’s have an awesome view of the Mississippi River Valley.

The garden at Sandy and Don Shaw’s has a definite patriotic theme.  The focal point for their 3,500 gallon Koi and goldfish pond is an eight foot tall Statue of Liberty.  Their Conifer collection  which includes Horsetail and Diana Hemlock is outstanding.  Many fine examples of Japanese Maples are on display.

This garden consists of many smaller areas designated as sun or shade.  They have a lot of unusual plantings, perennial and annual not normally seen in your everyday garden.  Sandy is always on the hunt for new and different.

The garden has evolved over the last five years with something new always being added.

Take a moment, rest, and enjoy the view!

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