Annual Garden Tour benefits MARCC participants
By Kris Rued-Clark
Contributor
MARSHFIELD — The annual Garden Tour to benefit Marshfield Area Respite Care Center (MARCC), on Sunday, June 28, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., features seven gardens in and around Marshfield. A United Way Agency, MARCC provides a social program for participants coping with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other dementias, allowing caregivers time for their own needs and to rejuvenate.
The garden of Floyd and Hazel Stargardt, M331 E. McMillan St., contains a Reminisce Tree and many other family memories, including garden stepping stones for their children and grandchildren. Whimsical touches abound, such as decorated bowling balls, signs on trees, and hand-painted stones.
During warm weather months, Floyd and Hazel work outside. In the winter they make the stepping stones and other garden decor.
“We enjoy it, so we don’t think it’s work,” said Hazel.
Set up near the Reminisce Tree are an old parking meter and a milk can. Hanging from the tree are Floyd’s old lunch bucket, a floor grate, a teapot, a baseball bat their children played with, a hand saw, and other family memorabilia.
Built in 1991, their home sits on former farmland.
“Way back in the corner was the stone pile, said Hazel. “We brought all the fieldstones into the yard and did the landscaping.” Visitors are invited to take the pedal boat around the pond and circle an island.
“Hazel has the ideas, and I do what she wants,” said Floyd as he worked on his garden chores. “She does a lot of the work too,” he added. They both look forward to welcoming visitors during the Garden Tour.
Other featured gardens
—Jeff and Michelle Hamus, M324 Birch St. When they purchased 38 acres for their dream home, they transformed a soybean field into a peaceful oasis, planting trees, installing three ponds, and adding accent gardens along their driveway.
—Doug and Martha Lee, M333 Felton Lane. Building a home in the woods, they chose to landscape with native plants. The field behind the house contains a half-acre seeded prairie and a smaller planted prairie.
—Steve and Margo Cousins, M221 Turtle Ridge Road. This garden features hostas, perennials, and annuals distributed across a unique landscape of rock gardens and native terrain along the Little Eau Pleine River.
—Phil and Gail Shealy, 1011 Arlington St. Shade-loving plants thrive in the park-like setting, which includes a rock garden and arbor with a gazebo and fountain in the back yard.
—Ann Schlinsog, 1206 Arlington St. The highlight is a beautiful dry rock bed, designed and completed by Schlinsog’s brother Gary Sternitzky. A gnome home, garden statuary, spinners, and other decor bring life to the garden.
—Jerry and Janet Horswill, 329 Maryknoll Ave. Making the design flow was a goal in this garden with a balance of color, texture, and size. Delphiniums, tall phlox, and all kinds of lilies flourish here.
Highway E detour directions for the Hamus, Lee, and Cousins gardens
Hamus: Drive north on Highway 97, turn left on Galvin, drive 1 mile, and then turn left on Birch Street. M324 is .5 miles on the left. Tea and refreshments will be served at the Hamus gardens.
The Lee garden, M333 Felton, is directly across Birch from the Hamus Garden.
The Cousins garden at M221 Turtle Ridge Road: From Hamus and Lee gardens, get back onto Birch, turn left on Galvin, drive 1 mile to Elm, turn left onto Elm for 1 mile, turn right onto Highway E for 1 mile, and then turn left on Turtle Ridge.
Tickets for $10 will be available at each garden on the day of the tour. Advance tickets are on sale now at the Marshfield Area Respite Care Center, 205 E. Third St., Marshfield; the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry; and Schalow’s Nursery. Ticket proceeds from the garden tour help families in financial need to participate in MARCC programming.
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