Coach bus trip to Cincinnati, Ohio area. During the trip will be visiting gardens that are part of the Great Lakes Tailgate.
- The gardens vary in size, style and content.
- Hostas galore in some; perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees in others
- About half of the gardens will have one vendor per garden
Friday, July 11
Leave Indianapolis 7:00 AM
9 – 5 Garden Tours:
Tenatively, subject to change, the following gardens will be visited:
Joan Day: The garden is a little over three quarters of an acre. Seating areas will be found as you walk the many pathways. There are woodland and sunny areas with troughs used throughout the gardens proper.
Jim and Brenda Baird: They are perennial gardeners with a formal sun garden that includes a water feature & bench in front. The side and back give a more Japanese feeling; the back is framed by 10 bald cypress trees which shade this area. There are 50 + trees of 26 species, many bushes and lots of perennials including hostas. Stone paths and walls were built by Jim. There is a 4 level low deck to view the garden back and side. Last year the Bairds were one of 19 gardens chosen by the Cincinnati Horticultural Society as a 2024 Garden of the Year.
Angie and Gary Maly: In 1988, pregnant Angie and Gary Maly moved from a less than postage-sized city lot in Cincinnati to a small, outdated home on 1.5 acres in West Chester, Ohio.
Landscaping at the new property was minimal and ill cared for. Today, both Angie and Gary are retired. Angie works almost full time in the gardens. As the result of Gary’s two back surgeries, Angie has picked up the slack and does 90 percent of all the garden work. They have a limited amount of shade for hostas, but they do have them in different planters and hypertufa pots. The Maly garden has 1,000 plus registered daylilies. In addition to daylilies, the garden is home to a multitude of perennials, shrubs and some unusual trees. In the recent past, Gary dabbled in making concrete garden art and hypertufa planters. Some of these pieces will be for sale.
Dale and Shannon Eads: Here, you’ll find a delightful Victorian home from 1876, which once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, set amidst 9.5 acres of both formal and informal gardens. Recently, an important Indian archaeology site was discovered on the property, now registered with both the State of Ohio and the Federal Government. The garden boasts the largest collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas in Cincinnati, along with several water features, a stunning Koi Pond with a wrought iron gazebo, and a breathtaking lotus pond. Dale, affectionately known as the “Mad Composer,” is celebrated for his creative hardscape designs featuring petrified logs and massive boulders. You’ll be enchanted by the diverse collection of Magnolias, Dogwoods, Redbuds, Maples, mature tree specimens, and Hostas. Be sure to catch the vibrant lotus pond and the mass Button Bush planting at the large ponds’ edge, expected to be in full bloom.
Janice and Steve Pilkenton: The garden of these empty nesters is extensive with a 1 ½ acre lot, a pond large enough for a boat that incorporates a waterfall and about 70 koi, plus turtles and bullfrogs. The backyard has several gardens, a potting shed, a tool shed, a fire pit, a treehouse that you can enter, and Rozer’s Run Creek. The gardens are home to over 2,000 individual hosta plants (over 100 species), plus several species of ferns, epimediums, European ginger, arum Italicum,
butterbur, brunnera, Virginia bluebells, bleeding heart, pulmonaria, ladies mantle, a variety of Japanese maples, hydrangeas, pawpaw trees, dwarf beech, and many perennials (daylilies, roses, phlox, loosestrife, ligularia, hardy hibiscus, heucheras, salvia… to name a few), multiple varieties of trees and annuals. The Pilkentons also overwinter elephant ears and banana plants. A prized
possession that they also overwinter is a Staghorn Fern. It’ s huge and over 20 years old. There are many pieces of unique artwork plus over 40 grinding stones and mill stones. A memorial garden dedicated to their oldest daughter and a secret playroom for kids in the middle of a honeysuckle stand are also part of the gardens. Steve is an avid hosta collector and Janice is a Master Gardener who loves container gardening as well.
Heather and Tom Dougherty: The house is located on a tranquil private drive. The property includes 3 ½ acres with a pond in the back. The gardens consist mostly of annuals with a few perennials, a dedicated hosta bed and a small, newly planted orchard. Each year Heather plants over 100 flats of annuals of all different species. She also has many different potted plants and trees. She says it is a labor of love and it brings her great pride. She and her husband spend several hours a week keeping the grounds groomed, weeded and watered. Since they moved in four years ago, they have removed some older shrubs, modified, added flower beds and made more replacements and additions which they intend to continue in the coming years.
6 pm Meal: Mozzarella rigatoni, garden salad with creamy parmesan dressing, green beans, garlic breadstick, a variety of desserts, lemonade, iced tea and bottled water
6:45 – 9 pm the Auction Auctioneer: Bob Iiames
(Bring a Plant or Garden Item Donation for the Auction)
Saturday, July 12
Garden tours 8:30 am – Back to Indy around 7:30 PM
Tenatively, subject to change, the following gardens will be visited:
Carlon Addison: A sea of green from front to back describes the garden of Carlon Addison. And not just green, but gold, limeys, variegated, streaky, puckered and everything in between. Carlon was an avid hosta hybridizer and hundreds of his “babies” can be seen throughout the garden. His registered “Generous Heart” (named by friend Judy Case) not only describes him but is one of his beautiful creations. Pathways wind around the front and back showcasing the gorgeous collection of hostas. Not even a tornado that ripped through the house, garage and yard in 2017 would diminish his spirit, coming back strong and recreating the sea of green.
Lois Lustenberger: What started out as a wooded backyard has evolved into Lois’ own little heaven. A pond with fish and a gazebo were added, pathways created, middle and fence line beds added, using truckloads of soil. Rocks gathered from a dry creek bed outline the beds, each one having a different theme— just because Lois likes “stuff”! Only hostas are in the back beds because of the shade, about 600 different varieties, most with name tags. Fairy gardens are scattered
throughout too, adding a whimsical touch. Lois still has many of her Mother’s hostas from her childhood home, her favorite being the old fashioned August Lily.
Kathy Bollmer: In the last 30 years, this relatively small suburban garden has evolved from a shady haven for hostas and ferns to a sunlit oasis welcoming a colorful array of sun loving perennials and annuals. Pollinator plants have been added as well as a topiary couch fronted by a pebble mosaic rug along with other unusual garden art. Off the back patio, a decorative pond with a six foot wide
waterfall and friendly goldfish offers a quiet place to relax.
Scott Beuerlein: The Beuerlein back garden is shaded by a collection of choice and rare trees, including Asian maples, hornbeams, and magnolias. Mossy paths wind along stone walls and beds of perennials, sedges, and ferns. Almost looks like it was carefully designed. The front yard is a sunny space of shambolic perennial beds replete with frenzied hordes of insects and birds, although it also contains several really cool smaller trees. (Note: Scott is a horticulturist at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens and author and lecturer.)
Nancy Thomas: Nancy has a small yard that is easily accessed with a covered viewing area. You will see a patch of Sum and Substance hostas, roses, ornamental grasses and very colorful borders of annuals. Dry fitted stone walls highlight handmade iconic buildings that are replicas of Cincinnati’s Music Hall and Union Terminal. These were constructed by Nancy and her husband Dan. There is also an adult-sized playhouse and a small train area.
Pat Thompson: The garden has evolved over the past 15 years from stands of honeysuckle and beds of lily of the valley to what you see today. The house sits on a lot and a half and is surrounded by flower beds on all sides. The garden includes a large fairy garden, a small
waterfall guarded by a huge weeping Alaskan cedar, over 500 hostas, 30+ varieties of clematis, roses, heuchera, hydrangeas, 100+ daylilies, annuals, several mature trees, including an oak that dates back to when this area was farmland, and garden décor galore.
Peggy Lopez: As you enter this 2 acre garden, the patio area is graced by shade perennials--- hostas, ferns, astilbes—surrounding a pond with waterfall. Walking down the stone stairway, you will find a small vegetable/herb garden with cold frame alongside the house. The lower flower gardens are a mix of sun-loving perennials, annuals and native plants, and shade-loving perennials along dry stack stone walls. Crossing one of the two bridges, you will find a wildflower native bed and a raised garden vegetable bed.
Patti Moravec: Patti has native and pollinator flowers throughout the yard, with a new, large native/pollinator friendly bed in the front yard. There is a 25’ x 27’ koi pond in the backyard, along with a water bog for wetland flowers. Patti has a peat bog with various carnivorous pitcher plants as well. She has over 100 varieties of daylilies (labeled) and a little Seed Library with dozens of types of native and pollinator plant seeds available for free.
Included in the trip is Bus Transportation, hotel accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express (Milford,OH), Cincinnati Garden Tours, Lunches Friday & Saturday, Friday Dinner & Auction, Saturday Breakfast, snacks and fun and friendships.
Pick up location: Tentatively Parking will be between the Lowes and Walmart on South Emerson and 465. I'm still evaluating some other options but will send out confirmations to attendees.
