Next Event Saturday, May 11th at 10 to 11AM


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Home garden tour at 456 W. 24th St. From Kay Sutter: "Stacy and I have now lived at 456 W 24th Street for 18 years and it seems like the projects never end. Since the Heights Garden Club's last visit in 2017, we have undergone some construction, built a few new decks, added a bit more flowing water, stood up a few new sculptures, and of course, added more plants. We still maintain our Koi pond and try to keep the water features flowing in front and back to keep the birds and bees happy. These also provide some peace from the hustle and bustle of the ever-growing neighborhood. Over the past few years, our focus has been on planting things that can survive Mother Nature's mood swings. We have been adding mostly native plants and have enjoyed watching them come back time and time again. As always, our home is a work-in-progress and we continue to practice our dirt therapy. We are truly excited to host you."


Upcoming Events


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Home garden tour at 615 East 16th St., June 8th at 10am.
Our May Yard of the Month will be our garden tour in June! Please see the description below.


May Yard of the Month

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615 East 16th Street
Kathy Patrick and Arthur Murphy focus their garden at 615 E 16th Street on two things they love: sustainable, edible landscaping and roses. The lot beside their house has eight raised bed "farm" boxes where they rotate seasonal "crops" of beans, greens, herbs, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and melons. The beds currently hold Provider and Borlotti Bush Beans, yellow squash and zucchini, mixed lettuces, carrots, cantaloupe, and watermelon. On the trellises between the beds, they've started Pinto Beans, Purple Hull Peas, Kentucky Wonder Green Beans, and sweet peas. In the fall, the bush beans and melons will be replaced with brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts), Rainbow Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Beets, and Spinach. They also plant blooming plants in the boxes to feed the pollinators that help their garden thrive.


At the moment, they have ranunculus, sunflowers, and borage in the boxes. They are still waiting for the Agastache (Hummingbird Mint) to decide if it's just too hot here! If it does, they'll swap it out with more coreopsis and echinacea (coneflowers). On the side fences, they grow two varieties of blackberries--Arapaho and Brazos-and we keep trying to grow Rabbiteye blueberries, but (unlike the blackberries) they don't seem to like the fence. They have three varieties of apple trees, a plum tree, a peach tree, and are trying to encourage three kinds of citrus: kumquats, Satsuma Oranges, and Grapefruit. Their landscaper, Joe Sanchez of JS Landscaping, is a true partner in this garden. He--like Kathy-grew up on a farm and values what the soil can provide.

Along the front fence and at the garden's borders, they've planted dozens of antique roses: Cecile Bruner covers the front fence, Madame Alfred Carriere trails over the portico between their home and their son's home next door. Mrs. Peggy Martin, Mr. Abraham Lincoln, Birthday Cake, Firecracker, Perle des Jardins, Old Blush, Mutabilis, Lady Banks, Lady Pamela-Carol, and Julia Child are some of the other favorites planted in the border beds. Intermixed with the roses this spring were Daffodils and Narcissus; now, there are early tomatoes. At the front of the house, they've again kept the focus on feeding pollinators. To do that, they have planted Red Salvia Greggii, Savia Farinacea, Indigo Spires (large purple blossoms), as well as Penstemon, Foxglove, and Zinnias. Later this summer, when they wake up, the Hollyhocks will be there (but they're still sleeping in their seeds).


The garden club would like to thank Joshua's Native Plants and Garden Antiques for the gift certificate presented to our Yard of the Month recipient. Joshua's is located at 502 West 18th St.



Last Event 2/10


Slideshow 2! Example 4: Ken Burns extension
Home garden tour at 1707 Rutland, Saturday, April 13th at 10am.
Our April garden tour was at the Biel home at 1707 Rutland. Inspired by English gardens, Biel enjoys taming the wildness, but also keeping it natural looking. This is a small personal garden where you see the owner's personality in the picking and placement of plants coming through. Her pallet of succulents, tropicals, and flowering plants are artfully arranged into distinctive garden 'rooms'. And while this is a small garden, it is densely packed with new discoveries at every turn.

Be sure to see the new greenhouse garden room addition to the back of the house that demonstrates how to get the maximum amount of plant viewing happiness out of a small room. Nothing better than sitting and watching plants grow. Of course, friends make it even nicer.

Her orchids are just stunning and several folks who attended asked if she could share her secrets for keeping them so lush and blooming. She mentioned she learned a lot from her family, YouTube videos and from Orchid Express on Heights Boulevard. If you see her out in her garden, please ssay hello and aske her for some adice. Or, reach out to us on our website in the "contact tab" and we'll forward you email directly to her.