If you were in the Springfield, Uniontown or Portage Lakes area on June 27, you might have been stuck in a long line of traffic and wondered why. It was the day 800 visitors toured some of the fantastic gardens in the area.
The ninth annual Master Gardeners of Summit County had quite a lineup of gardens for visitors to enjoy. The gardens were beautiful, but the rewards are even better. Those taking the tour were helping others as proceeds went toward horticultural grants used by places such as Laurel Lake Retirement Community, various schools, Ballinger Traumatic Brain Injury Clubhouse at Summit Terrace, Summit County Combined General Health District WIC Project and Hattie Larlham.
The first stop on the day’s agenda was in Springfield at Millheim Retreat on Myersville Road. According to gardeners, this is one of the best gardens in all of Summit County. It was 10 years ago the owners stopped at a yard sale at this century home and ended up buying the yard. The garden is made up of perennials and shrubs for shady areas since it is almost totally under the large trees of the property. The owner spends time in her historic potting shed making fairy houses for the portion of the garden set aside just for the little elusive creatures. On the tour, a fairy was seen escorting tour patrons through the fairy garden gate.
Harp’s Haven on East Turkeyfoot Road, Harp’s Nursery, was next. A “gardener’s cottage”, made from the original wood from the old barn sits in the middle of the garden. Daughters Tracy Carlson and Terri Van Camp sat in “Mom and Dad’s play house” as they gave visitors a little history of the property.
“They sit out here in the winter and heat it with the stove just to relax,” the girls said.
Owner Bob Harp said when he and his wife Carol got married, she said he was boring and they needed something different in the yard. Harp said they had looked forward to the tour for eight months.
“This did not all happen at one time. It takes time and we are continually adding plants,” he said.
The garden also is home to the Acer Consortium Harp, which is basically a maple tree with twisted branches, and it is the only one of its kind in the world. Thirty years ago, two brothers began the nursery where shrubs, hundreds of heirloom vegetables and ornamental flowers are grown on the 14 acres.
Heaven on Three Acres was the name of the third stop which is known as Beckers herb farm located on Killian Road. As you walked toward the gardens the windmill stood tall where the blueberries were growing. This is a thriving herb farm that has sparked a variety of industries.
Here they raise herbs, apples, flowers, vegetables, grapes and raspberries along with fresh eggs. Bees have made Heaven their home to make honey. The Beckers conduct workshops on cooking and using herbs and spend the winter using the herbs to create creams, lotions, salves, lip balms and herb blends.
Merestead Farms was a favorite among the garden seekers. It is located on East Turkeyfoot Lake Road and has been in the family for five generations. Driving down the lane, there is a transition from the commercial city to the country. The barns on the property were built in the 1840s and the farmhouse in 1858. On the property there is a guest house, a swimming pool, multiple barns and recently the chicken coop was made into the gardener’s cottage. The gardens are loaded with heirloom plants and trees that have survived the generations.
The Island Garden located at the Turkeyfoot Island Club gave onlookers a view of the lake and the homes surrounding it. A wooded lane leads back to the property. The clubhouse was built in 1906 by Frank Lahm the original sole owner of the island. Today it is a social club, meeting facility and overnight guest house. The grounds have been tended by the same gardener for over 20 years. Many of the plants in the gardens are from fellow island residents.
Dana’s Dream was the last stop on the tour and is located on Wickcliffe Drive. Twelve years ago the area was a bare field without trees or even a lawn. Each year more and more have been added to create the landscape. This is one serious gardener, as she does the work herself and was thrilled to receive a garden tractor for her 40th birthday. Dana said she is a collector. She has over 40 different perennials in the garden. She not only has a knack for gardening but is very creative in how her garden grows.
The Master Gardener Program is a dedicated group of volunteers who share a love of gardening and a desire to assist others. This program is through The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Program. For more information or to request an application packet contact Denise Ellsworth at 330-928-4769 ext. 27.
