The 38th Annual Garden Walk will be held Sunday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine). Sponsored by the Munroe-Meyer Guild at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, proceeds will support MMI’s therapeutic, training and research activities benefiting children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities and chronic handicapping conditions.
In a major departure from previous Garden Walks, this year shady retreats and sunny landscapes will be shared by the new Garden Faire. Participants will enjoy workshops, demonstrations and the latest gardening advice from Omaha garden experts. There also be a host of vendors offering a wide array of gift items and tasty foods for purchase. Guests who stroll through the Garden Faire will be the first to enjoy this new experience at the Garden Walk.
Garden Walk & Faire guests will tour seven locations. The homeowners are:
· Bob and Bonnie Bammes, 3016 Trailridge Blvd., Elkhorn. The Bammes’ yard bursts with color all season. Spring brings forth blooming crabtrees, hundreds of tulips, daffodils, scillas and anemones. The formal rose garden consists of hybrid teas, grandiflora and floribunda. A large arbor smothered in pink New Dawn climbing roses stands at the entrance of this garden.
· Roland and Jacqueline Bremers, 13417 Corby Circle. Bluegrass pathways provide access to a number of curving flower beds throughout the yard. The garden is registered as an official American Hemerocallis Display Garden (AHS) and was a featured garden during the 2002 Midwest regional meeting in Omaha. There are 350 different daylily cultivars growing in the garden.
· Jim and Pat Manion, 11202 Old Maple Road. The site of the new Garden Faire, “Camp Manion” sits on nearly four acres with 200 trees surrounding the property. There are two ponds, one with a long waterfall, along with various flowerbeds which include a mix of full sun and shade gardens, with an emphasis on perennial plantings. The Manion’s backyard deck was featured in the March 6, 2005 Omaha World Herald for its year-round family use and entertainment capabilities.
· Stephen and Barbara Wallace, 7810 Keystone Drive. The Wallaces like to think of their garden as an experiment in progress. They also call it “natural’, “rustic” and “informal”. Most of the garden is done in terms of “rooms” rather than views, with a large variety of shrubs dividing areas and with informal paths connecting them. The shrubs and small trees provide an almost continuous bloom somewhere in the yard.
· David and Carol Van Metre, 6611 Davenport St. There are multiple inviting pathways that lead you into the terraced backyard that includes 120 tons of stone outcroppings. Over 100 flats of annuals are planted to complement the many ornamentals and shade trees. These include redbud, dogwood, serviceberry, burr, shingle and chinkapin oak. The unique landscape is a variety of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and annuals that provide something in a bloom from early spring to frost.
· Omaha Hearing School, 1110 North 66 St. Gardeners routinely say that their gardens talk to them. But at the Omaha Hearing School, the garden teaches the deaf and hard of hearing children how to talk. The Talk and Teach Trail provides a multitude of opportunities to build vocabulary and oral skills. The garden’s Hotwheel track provides places for students to dig, grow flowers and eat veggies as well as feel the native grasses.
· Joseph and Candace Daly, 505 North 62 St. PJM rhododendrons highlight the front of the house on both sides of the entrance. A collection of hydrangeas dominate the shrub assortment bloom white to blue to pink and put on a stunning plum-to-reddish hue for fall leaf color. A thriving Japanese Maple accents the patio and pond, a relaxing focal point for summer entertaining.
Vendors and artists confirmed to attend the Garden Faire include: Oakcrest Gardens Perennial Nursery, Indian Creek Nursery; Turf Cars, Ltd.; Eden Tree and Landscape, Carl Weiss Sculptor, Bluebird Nursery; Estate Gardeners, Inc.; Landmark Gardens; McKay Landscape Lighting, Inc;, Moore’s Landscape and Nursery, Mulhalls, Omaha Herb Society, Springcreek Gardens & Nursery; Todd Valley Farms, Inc.; Voila Blooms in Dundee, Waters Blueberry Farm, A Birdhouse Garden & Gift Shop, Backyard Birds, AAA Rents, Country Keepsakes, Garden Blokes, Dorothy Tuma (photographer), Hable Plata/Silver Talks & Select Polish Pottery, Harvest Designs, Treasures to Love, Wild Tiles, Lincoln Tile Company and artists, Sharon Boynton, Deb McColley, Diane Matten and Peg Ritschel,. Even more representatives are expected to confirm attending the Garden Faire by June 12.
Tickets may be purchased at Hy-Vee Stores (all locations); Earl May Nursery and Garden Center, 9229 W. Center Rd. in Omaha; 410 Galvin Rd. in Bellevue, and 1718 Madison Ave. in Council Bluffs; Haver’s Mar-H Florist Nursery, 8032 Maple St.; Indian Creek Nursery, 303 N. Saddle Creek Rd.; Lanoha Nursery, 192nd and W. Center Rd.; Moore’s Landscaping and Nursery, 11999 Cryer Ave.; Mulhall’s Home and Garden Showplace, 120th and W. Maple Rd.; Sherbondy’s Home and Garden Showcase, 319 16th Ave., Council Bluffs; Finke Garden and Nursery, 500 N. 66th St., Lincoln; and Cornerstone Gifts, second floor, University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Durham Outpatient Center.
Advance tickets are $10. Tickets will be $13 on the day of the event at all gardens. Children under 12 are free. No strollers are allowed in the gardens. Advance tickets are also available by calling 559-6460 or via mail at: Garden Walk Tickets, Munroe-Meyer Institute, 985450 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-5450.
For more information about the 2005 Munroe-Meyer Guild Garden Walk, contact Shannon Slowiaczek at 402-397-1080; Nancy Meltzer at 402-397-8299 or visit Web site www.mmigardenwalk.com.