June 4th through 5th Master Gardener Tour
The newest house in the neighborhood belongs to Tom Tussey and Jeff Miller/Contributed Photos
Delight your senses and inspire the gardener in you at Davidson County Extension Master Gardener’s 16th Garden Tour. The tour returns after a two year absence on Saturday, June 4th and Sunday, June 5th.
Today’s featured gardens are three on West Second Avenue
The homes on West Second Avenue are included in the Lexington Historic District. Many homes in the area are 80-100 years old and feature examples of architecture from this era. Many homes have been restored and reimagined and vacant lots have new builds that compliment the neighborhood.
Judy and Gail Lanier live at 304 West Second Avenue in a 1936 home that reflects some of the history of the house with an alley that served coal and milk delivery vehicles. Judy calls her back garden her Serenity Garden. The garden was featured on the 2014 garden tour.
Features not to miss include:
Purple queen ground cover along the front sidewalk
Variety of plantings including gardenias, peonies, yarrow and camellias
Concrete walk and patio by Chip Holton
The wisteria arbor
Water features
Custom painted murals
Kim and Bruce Wehrle’s 102 year old house at 406 West Second Avenue is a Craftsman-style cottage. The yard and gardens are Kim’s vision of an English Cottage garden. With a mixture of deep shade and full sunlight, the garden is a happy mixture of plants. Bringing down a 100 foot tall oak tree in 2021 has created new gardening opportunities.
{Kim and Bruce Wehrle post in front of their home/ Contributed Photo}
Features not to miss include:
Bird Girl statue surrounded by Soloman’s Seal and the flip-flop flowerpot
Plant varieties including browallia, miniature hollyhocks, asters, dahlias, pentas and Macho ferns in the front and zinnias, bee balm, hydrangeas and beauty berry
Window boxes with succulents and red geraniums
Herb and vegetable garden
{The home of Tom Tussey and Jeff Miller/Contributed Photo}
The newest house in the neighborhood belongs to Tom Tussey and Jeff Miller. Located at 508 West Second Avenue, the house and gardens are less than a year old. The house was built on the footprint of an old house, long gone. The lot had been kept landscaped by a neighbor. Those bones inspired the new garden. Tom and Jeff’s gardens have been on two previous garden tours. At their house on East Center and their old house just two houses ‘up the street’.
Features not to miss include:
Broken concrete walkway
Large Kwanzan Cherry tree
Rain Girl Fountain that’s traveled to each house
Entertainment area with outdoor pizza oven and fireplace
Chicken coop and raised vegetable garden
Red “Outhouse”…aka garden shed
The tour takes place in the Historic West Second Avenue, Westover and Grimes Park areas of Lexington. Nine gardens have been preserved, restored and re-invented in a variety of styles and sizes. If you like to walk, you can walk from garden to garden through Grimes Park or you can park and visit them in groups. While you’re strolling through the host gardens, Davidson County Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer your questions.
Tickets are $20 and are on sale now at Backyard Retreat, 106 South Main Street in Lexington. On tour days tickets can be purchased at Breeden Insurance, 312 West Center Street and the entrance to Grimes Park, 25 Hege Drive. Your ticket includes a tote bag with detailed information about each garden, a map, pen and more.
A gardening tip: Not only look around, but ‘up’ when planning a renewal or new garden. Tall trees in your neighbor’s yards as well as yours will determine the amount of sunshine or shade in your garden. That is a major factor when choosing your plants.
We look forward to seeing you!
