Port Washington Garden Club
2006 Garden Walk

July 8, 2006, 9AM - 3PM

The Port Washington Garden Club presents a back alley ramble through an historic hilltop neighborhood on this year’s annual Garden Walk, Saturday July 8.

This charming neighborhood was developed between the 1920s and 1940s when rear alleys and outbuildings were typical city amenities. The area is home to many young families and is within walking distance of Port Washington’s lakefront downtown and marina. From fruits and food to flower-filled outdoor rooms, these gardeners have transformed the same basic layout to suit children, pets, nature lovers and green thumb fanatics with different needs and interests. The gardens are clustered in a three block area, and are within easy walking distance for most guests.

Garden Walk tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the “Pebble House” Visitor’s Center at 126 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Port Washington or at any of the gardens on the day of the Walk. The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The funds raised by the tour support the Port Washington Garden Club’s horticultural scholarship fund. For more information call (262) 284-1948.

Full details including garden owners, addresses and maps will be available here starting July 1!

Food, not flowers, is the focus of the first garden. This generous backyard vegetable plot began years ago as a way to feed a growing family with eight children. Although the children are grown-ups with families of their own now, the garden is still a summer project that produces fresh food for friends and neighbors, with plenty left to preserve for the cold winter months. Mature apple and pear trees contribute to the tasty harvest.

This backyard is home to an energetic dog so the garden has been developed to entertain the entire family. Borders filled with perennials and flowers outline the grassy play area that extends from the elevated deck to the back alley where shrubs screen out the passing traffic. The lawn gives the yard an expansive feel while trees and trellising provide perfect conditions for shade and sun loving flowers. A private corner in the rear of the garden provides a quiet spot to sit and read a book or watch the local birds take a fast bath.

The front garden immediately introduces visitors to the artistry of the homeowner, sculptor Andy Schumann. The focal point of the front garden is one of Schumann’s own metal creations. The heart of the garden, however, is in back where a courtyard creates a welcoming transition from the indoors to the garden rooms in the backyard. A swing set for the kids sails out over the lower garden’s perennial borders which borrow the view of the grassy fields across the back alley. Mr. Schumann’s art work will be on display during the tour.

When these gardeners purchased their home, the landscaping consisted of a single evergreen. Through the years, this couple has dispensed with the evergreen and transformed their backyard into a retreat for gardeners and local wildlife. A small water feature nestles next to a patio and gives a great view of the garden decorations and a circular flower bed. A garden path winds past a second water feature and a shade garden next to the alley side garage.

These 1920s Tudor revival homes are the setting for two gardens that have grown along with the friendship of their gardeners. 
The Henkles are long time residents whose garden has changed as their family grew and their children matured. The large perennial garden now fills a yard that in past incarnations has been fenced to keep in toddlers, home to a young boys’ clubhouse, and a grassy lawn for play. 

The Broyles’ garden is a series of garden rooms which stretches from the front courtyard to the back alley gate. The homeowners have built a pergola over a patio for intimate entertaining. Steps lead to the upper garden where perennial beds mark the way to a small backyard vegetable patch. Ellen, a transplanted Kentucky gardener, has used grasses, perennials, and shrubs to enclose each area all the way to the unique turquoise alley gate. 

Garden Walk Map

Click on the image below to display a full-size map to the gardens!

Click HERE for the report from the 2001 Garden Walk!
Click HERE for the report from the 2002 Garden Walk!
Click HERE for the report from the 2003 Garden Walk!
Click HERE for the report from the 2004 Garden Walk!
Click HERE for the report from the 2005 Garden Walk!

Questions?  Please Email us!

Back to Port Washington Garden Club home page