How does your garden grow? Is it the battleground for your war on weeds or a showcase of color and sunshine that’s the pride of the neighborhood? Is gardening a lifelong passion or something you pay someone else to do?
The good news is you don’t need a green thumb to enjoy some of the city’s best gardens. After months of staying in there’s no better way to get out than by visiting the homes being showcased in the Knox Garden Walk in Naperville next weekend.
July 10 marks the fourth time the Presbyterian Women of Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville has organized the event, which will be raising funds for the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
It might be my imagination, but after the pandemic hiatus last year, the six gardens chosen this year seem brighter and better than ever. Best of all, you’ll get a chance to talk to the gardens’ owners to learn their gardening tips and tricks and hear their personal stories.
Laury and Dan Hartman’s garden is a healing, spiritual sanctuary. Although it will be decorated with beautiful blooms and candles for the Garden Walk, the natural beauty for them is the foliage.
“We’ve created our story in our gardens and our house,” said Dan Hartman, who is as passionate about woodworking as he is gardening. “When we bought our home 29 years ago, the front yard was so overgrown you couldn’t see the house. The back was wild because it was just left to grow.”
Hartman has built some impressive structures, including a bench with its own pergola and a playhouse.
“We do everything ourselves together, although I tend to do the hardscaping and more of the heavy lifting,” he said. “Gardens don’t have to stay the same. We move things constantly, but the garden has its own mind. It is very important for us to have a sanctuary. This is our ‘lake house.’ It’s where we go to get away.”
For 10 years, Laury Hartman designed lush containers for The Growing Place. But seven years ago, she developed myelofibrosis, a rare form of bone marrow cancer that led to acute leukemia.
“The garden took on a whole different role,” she said. “I had a bone marrow transplant so wasn’t able to work with the soil for fear of infection. I could water and do some pruning, but I couldn’t get too close to the soil, so the garden just became a place to be.”
The Hartmans’ yard is a palette of gorgeous greens. Many of the trees and shrubs have been chosen in the memory of loved ones.
At the rear of the garden is a contemplation bench; the handmade path is dedicated to their late son-in-law James while the ashes of Laury’s mother are scattered close to her favorite plants.
“I’ve always been very spiritual,” said Laury, who’s a yogi. “The garden makes me feel grounded, humble and incredibly grateful. It’s a place of healing.”
Gardening isn’t only for seniors. Meg Torres is 42 and the mother of 8-year-old twin girls. She used downtime during the pandemic to become a University of Illinois master gardener, taking up gardening seriously after being inspired during a previous Knox Garden Walk.
She now offers advice as the_garden_mom on Instagram and Facebook.
“Gardening is a marathon, not a sprint,” Torres said. “I work in the garden every morning from spring through mid-summer.”
Torres shares the garden with her children, two dogs and five chickens, who live in a coop at the back of the yard. The center is lawn with a large playset surrounded by blooming flowers and plants. Her daughters even have their own fairy garden.
“I started off as a collector, I like hostas,” she said. “I just started adding and adding. Fortunately, I have an ability to retain plant information and can name everything in my garden. I also keep a journal.”
With pandemic restrictions lifted, Torres is sharing her passion with others.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “Now that everything has opened up I can do volunteer work at places like senior centers, hospitals and schools.”
Visit Torres’ garden and you’ll see more than 80 varieties of hostas and 20 varieties of clematis. Even before entering the yard, you’ll notice an unusual tree against the side of her house. The espalier apple tree stretches its branches flat up across the wall although it hasn’t born fruit as yet.
Torres does all the work herself. Her chickens provide great fertilizer, she says.
“I fertilize the soil every spring, plant every new plant and make my own compost,” she said. “I use fall leaves to make leaf mulch.”
Torres says she knows many people of her age are so busy they don’t have time to garden, but as a stay-at-home mom she finds it therapeutic.
“Women nowadays are very career-driven, but that puts aside your mental cleaning,” she said. “Whether you just grow tomatoes or plants to attract butterflies, it gives happiness. My friends think my garden is beautiful, but most think they’re too busy for that. Sometimes they ask if I can help them with just a blooming corner so I give them hints and tips. There’s simple joy outside the window.”
Tickets for the Knox Garden Walk are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the event. They can be purchased online at www.knoxpres.org or in person at Knox Church, 1105 Catalpa Lane, Naperville.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved from England to Naperville in 2007.
