Carolyn Bailey paused to toss a handful of food to seven brightly-colored koi fish as she worked to ready her yard for this year’s Garden Walk.
Behind her, the hillside was ready to explode in hues of pink, purple, yellow, white and red.
‘Those are all wildflowers,? she said, motioning to hundreds of bud-topped plants crowding a slice of her eight-acre Independence Township parcel. ‘I started with just a bag of seed. They’ll all be in bloom for the tour.?
The 2008 Garden Walk, co-sponsored by the Clarkston Farm and Garden Club and
Clarkston Community Education, takes place Wednesday, July 16.
Event co-chair Jeanne Molzen said this year’s walk, which begins at noon, was extended to 7 p.m. so those who work during the day could participate.
‘We have a wide variety of gardens this year, ranging from one on 10 acres to one that is a condo,? she said, noting all seven gardens selected for this year’s tour are different from last year. ‘We’ve got a rose garden, a waterfall, lots of different things. It’s quite an interesting variety of homes.?
Two hostesses’as well as the homeowners, in some cases’will be present to greet visitors and answer questions at each garden.
In addition, Molzen said, a number of local artists will draw, paint, work on mosaic stones and create other projects in each garden.
Three gardens will feature live musicians, while ‘nice, pretty, quiet music on CD? plays in others, she said.
Al Cooper, who is also opening his yard for the tour, said he and his wife Cheryl have been working on the various ‘rooms? in their garden since 1995.
Like Bailey, the Cooper’s yard includes a koi pond. The garden also features a waterfall, several seating areas, a number of occupied birdhouses, and a plethora of perennials in terraced plantings.
A garden house, complete with antique leaded-glass windows, serves as the yard’s focal point.
The best part, as Al Cooper sees it? Very little mowing.
Tickets for the Garden Walk are $20, or $22 with lunch.
Lunch is served 11 a.m-1p.m. at the Clarkson Community Education Building and includes homemade garden club goodies for dessert.
Tickets including lunch must be purchased by Monday, July 14.
In addition to the seven gardens, visitors can also shop in the Garden Boutique, open 11 a.m.-2 p.m., where a variety of unique garden art, jewelry, note cards, watercolor and acrylic painting, as well as other creations, will be available for purchase.
On tour day, participants check in and pick up a brochure’including map, information about the various gardens and artists’at the Community Education Center on Waldo Road.
Logistics of the tour, said Molzen, were changed slightly from last year.
‘We have them go in certain order,? she said. ‘But half will go in one direction, while half go the other way. That way, they aren’t all at the same garden at the same time.?
All proceeds from the Garden Walk support the Clarkston Farm and Garden Club’s many projects, including planters on Main Street in downtown Clarkston, landscaping at the Independence Township library, educational programs in the Clarkston schools and scholarships for graduates.