Nurturing Nature: Inspiration abounds in DeKalb County Garden Walk

DeKALB – Six spectacular gardens showcasing various styles, and one public food production garden have been chosen for this year’s University of Illinois Extension DeKalb County Master Gardeners 14th annual Garden Walk.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Since the DeKalb County History Center is on the Garden Walk this year, the center is offering free admission to its museum exhibit on the day of the walk to everyone who purchases a wristband for the event. The exhibit opens at 10 a.m.

Four of the gardens selected have undergone renovations since they were last featured on the Garden Walk. As any gardener knows, gardens are constantly changing, and these four are no exception.

Wristbands are required for each attendee to enter into the gardens and may be purchased for $10 each from the Extension website: https://go.illinois.edu/2022GardenWalk (credit card or check) through noon July 1. Wristbands also are available for purchase from the following local vendors (cash or check): Blumen Gardens, 403 Edward St. in Sycamore; Glidden Florist, 917 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb; and The Garden Market, 2270 Oakland Drive in Sycamore.

Wristbands will not be available for purchase at the garden sites on the day of the event. They will be available that morning at the U of I Extension Office in the Farm Bureau, 1350 W. Prairie Drive in Sycamore, or at Blumen Gardens, Glidden Florist and The Garden Market.

Attendees are asked not to bring pets to the event.

Following is a brief description of each garden featured on the walk:

Click Garden

Aline and Dave Click moved to their current home, designed and built with the help of Dave’s father and brother, 30 years ago. The land had been previously owned by DeKalb Ag and used in swine research, yet after development, the Clicks found they needed to bring in loads of topsoil and compost to augment the clay soil. Another gardening challenge proved to be the wildlife which inhabit the nearby Nehring Woods-Kishwaukee River area. Deer and rabbit resistant plants have become a necessity.

Aline, a Master Gardener, describes her garden as “a little bit of everything.” She loves experimenting with new plants and starting from organic seed the plants in her ever-expanding fruit and vegetable garden. Dave helps by building raised beds and adding brick pavers for ease in maneuvering. Growing a bit wild in the back of the vegetable garden are asparagus, feverfew, oregano, lemon balm, garlic chives and catnip.

The corner of the yard with the worst soil accidentally became the butterfly garden with the addition of a butterfly bush along with a perennial woodland sunflower, Russian sage, and a large patch of bee balm, all protected from the wind by white pine trees. Border plantings around the home are more traditional and include roses, hosta, lilies, coneflowers and hydrangeas. Mixed in are herbs like sage, chives, tarragon, thyme and lavender which are planted close to the kitchen for easy cutting.

DeKalb County History Center (Engh Farm)

Under the leadership of Master Gardener Cathy Anderson, the “Engh Farm” garden is a functioning vegetable production garden for food donation to the Salvation Army. But Cathy doesn’t do it all alone. The most experienced gardener of the team has been working on the farm since 2013. Some of the Master Gardeners working on the farm have been gardening for 60+ years, while others have become interested more recently.

The gardens at the DeKalb County History Center have been present since the beginnings of the farm in the 1800s. They have evolved over the years to include a large vegetable garden, a kitchen garden with herbs, short season vegetables such as radishes, and smaller vegetables such as Swiss chard and beets. Pollinator plants have been added to the vegetable garden to assist with pollination of the vegetables. Two rows of raspberries provide fruit.

A flower bed with old fashioned roses, iris, clematis, asters, rudbeckia and coneflowers stands at the north end of the property, complimented with annuals. Maples provide shade throughout the property. Since the Engh Farm was last on the Garden Walk in 2010, a museum building has been added.

Dirks Garden

Marshall Dirks began gardening his parents’ vegetable garden and has been developing his current property for about 18 years. He credits talented plant breeders around the world who carefully cultivate and introduce their products for his inspiration as a gardener. Dirks said he travels nearly every week, so he needs annuals that are self-cleaning, perennials that are long-blooming and shrubs that are repeat bloomers.

The Dirks garden is a Proven Winners garden filled with many of the most popular varieties in the collection, as well as many new plants that will debut in 2023. The garden includes annuals, shrubs, perennials, herbs, berries and vegetables. Visitors who enjoyed Dirks’ garden in 2019 will be amazed by the addition of an adjoining lot lined with trees, shrubs and perennials and filled with raised beds surrounded by crushed limestone paths.

Dively Garden

Pamela and Steven Dively have been gardening at their Sycamore home for more than 25 years. Pam, former Master Gardener and former chair of the Garden Walk Committee, describes their gardens as part cottage, part native, but mostly plants they like, especially hydrangeas and grasses, along with a hosta garden, all punctuated by colorful annuals.

The front of the Dively home is landscaped to provide a nice view from the porch or from the curb. Since we last visited the Dively gardens in 2014, the pond has been filled in, and native plants and grasses have been added. A two-tier deck surrounded by shrubs and trees provides a great summertime retreat.

Imm Garden

Billy Imm describes his garden of 39 years as cottage with many native and prairie plants that provide a home to birds and butterflies. Some attendees may recall the Imm garden from the 2003 Garden Walk, when it was still sponsored by Barb City Manor. Billy says he has always been attracted to English gardens and was most inspired by Joe Faivre of DeKalb. Billy’s gardens are mostly comprised of shared plantings from friends. He also has added flowers that he thought would please his wife Dorothy, who loves blue and purple blooms, to create a healing and restful place for her. Plantings include many varieties of hosta, lily, hydrangea, phlox, aster, iris and euonymus.

Billy likes to keep his yard free of art objects and lets the flowers and plants speak for themselves. An exception are the stones in the front, and especially in the back, all crafted by Billy and his son, Jacob, creating precious memories. There also is a miniature Victorian dollhouse providing interest.

Portscheller Garden

Donna Portscheller credits her mother as her greatest inspiration as a gardener. When the Portschellers purchased their home 22 years ago, Donna’s mother moved to DeKalb from Poland to help with the children since Donna’s husband travels extensively for work. While she lived with the Portschellers, Donna’s mother kept expanding the flower garden. She loved gardening and had a true gift, so that when she moved back to Poland 12 years ago, she made Donna promise to maintain the garden for neighbors and passers-by to enjoy.

Donna describes her garden as a collection of annuals and perennials of many colors, textures and heights. She likes to experiment with new plants and, if they do well, keep them permanently. Since their home is across from the forest preserve, deer resistant plants are a necessity.

Prellwitz Garden

Debbie Prellwitz describes her garden as “a combination of all things I love. If I like something, I plant it!” Debbie finds inspiration strolling through Blumen Gardens. The 3-acre farmette that she shares with her husband Martin Pearson is planted with natives to attract birds and butterflies, as well as a variety of perennials and annuals. Hydrangeas are a favorite, so there are many varieties of those.

The farmette boasts several different garden beds. Lining the driveway are sedum, hydrangea, daylilies, coneflowers, as well as many spring bulbs. The garden skirting the front porch is filled with astilbe, hosta, coral bells and ferns under a big pine tree. A flagstone path, crafted with stone from the original Pearson farm, leads through many Proven Winners annuals in Debbie’s favorite colors of blue, white, yellow and pink. The most expansive garden lies in front of the old chicken coop from Martin’s family farm. Butterflies and bees enjoy the natives there – coneflowers, phlox, sundrops, asters, yarrow, salvia and black-eyed Susan.

Martin tends a huge vegetable garden planted with sweet corn, tomatoes, pepper, rhubarb, zucchini, sugar snap peas, beans, pumpkin, and watermelon. Alongside the garden stand dwarf apple trees.

For questions about the Garden Walk, contact Connie Handel, Extension program coordinator, at 815-758-8194 or cahandel@illinois.edu.