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A look at the gardens on the 2007 tour

By Karen Martin

Barcus Garden
Homeowner Turned a Drainage Problem into a Dry Creek

This year’s annual garden tour, sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners, includes a garden sculpted with rock lined creeks. The homeowner, Esther Barcus, has done most of this back-breaking work herself. She has moved earth with a shovel and hauled tons of rocks with occasional help from her son.

Planning an attractive landscape that has a gully running through it with each rainstorm can be a little tricky. Treating this low area with the standard methods of planting, trimming, and mowing is not very successful. Rushing water that flows periodically can destroy even the best intentions. Flowerbeds are washed away. Grass is drowned and becomes thin. Even worse, your valuable topsoil ends up in your neighbor’s yard. Whether you need to move water quickly away from a gutter downspout or perhaps have a winding snakelike low area across your landscape, one solution to this messy problem is to be creative in your landscape design and try a dry creek. A dry creek is one that handles excess runoff periodically, unlike a wet creek that has water at all times. 

In front of the house one finds a small pond with a waterfall surrounded by lilies, phlox, liatris and daylilies. The rock-lined dry creek bed begins in the front of the property, runs along the side and to the back – culminating in a rock lined dry well. Plantings of ornamental grasses, shrubs and perennials soften the edges, giving a soothing, natural look to the garden.

The back of the property includes a butterfly garden, planted with numerous butterfly bushes, wisteria and clematis.

Visit the Barcus garden during the Annual Garden Tour sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners on Sunday, June 3, from 1-5 p.m. A rain date of June 10 has been set. The tickets can be purchased from Suncliff Nursery, Sands Farm and Home, and the Phelps County Extension office in Rolla and Bluestem Nursery in Waynesville. They can also be purchased from any Master Gardener or at any of the gardens on the day of the tour. The tickets are $5.00 per person in advance and on the day of the tour. The proceeds from ticket sales are used for Phelps County Master Gardener projects. Master Gardeners are local gardeners, trained and certified by the University of Missouri Extension Service. They serve as volunteers in the community, advising and helping in gardening projects. For more information, call the Extension Office at 573-458-6260. 

The Gardens at Fort Bogan 

This year’s annual garden tour, sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners, will be held on Sunday, June 3 from 1-5 p.m. The tour includes the most unusual garden presented to date on the garden tour. It is the creation of Jim and Mary Bogan. 

It is, perhaps, best described in their own words:

“The first principle of the Gardens at Fort Bogan is: LET IT GROW. 
Other than poison ivy, itchweed, and multi-flora rose, we have encouraged whatever sprouts out of our ground in the Ozarks. Great American ornamentals like Crimson-stalked Pokeweed, Poignant Milkweed, and Towering Mullein like it here in our meadowland. Even invasive foreigners, like Japanese Honeysuckle are encouraged for their foliage, berries, and eminently pruneable branches. Russian olive, Spanish Bayonet, and Philadelphia fleabane, too. 

Admittedly, the motivation for letting it grow was not all botanically inspired. The proprietors do not like to mow lawns and when the last boy moved out for college, it was time to turn the demesne back to nature. The back and forth daymare of efficiently cutting a regular lawn was replaced with the joy of mowing a meandering path through the meadow. 

Another desideratum was to open a path where one could walk without getting a thorn in the eye or being tripped up by a vine around the ankle. That meant careful pruning because there is no place in the wild Ozarks where the scrub, the jungle, the bramble, or the briar will not try to get you. An unaccountable blessing of this charmed place is that there are no chiggers or ticks lurking unseen. 

The front yard is a precinct that came into being when the fence was built out of raw oak boards from the Smith Sawmill in Doolittle. What had been a mud hole rimmed by a busy road became a chunk of Ozark Zen serenity. Three boulders designedly placed asked for more and soon a waterfall, made to order by Stuart Haynes and installed by the Sons of Hercules, cascaded just like the real ones along our creek. 

An “unnamed tributary of Spring Creek” runs through the backyard and though some may take it for a drainage ditch, it is in reality a fine stretch of Ozark Creek that comes and goes, depending on the weather. It does have some flow for at least nine months of the year and manages to support resourceful fish, crayfish, birds, and the occasional gigantic black bull frog. We have tried to manage the creek into the shape it wants to take, that is, the channel has been RAKED clear of rubbish, detritus, and Mountain Dew cans…. Several boulders have been pushed around and tons of gravel have been “shaped” by Sisyphoolian labors only to be rearranged with the next high water. Nonetheless, the human interventions have taken their toll on the raucous ways of the creek. Depending on the water level, it is walkable and the developments are sufficiently cunning that it is difficult to decipher where nature and art diverge. 

Greg Story, guitarist, harmonican, and physicist, will be playing on the grounds throughout the day. Louis Smart, artist and sculptor, will have some of his works on display in the garden, making it a "Sculpture Garden for a Day."

Enjoy your visit and please do watch your step, it is still the Ozarks!”

See what the Bogans have created at the annual garden tour. Tickets are $5.00 per person and are available prior to the tour at Sands Farm and Home, Suncliff Nursery and the Extension Office in Rolla and Bluestem Nursery in Waynesville. All Master Gardeners will also have tickets for sale. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the tour at any of the gardens and also at Suncliff Nursery. For further information, call the Extension Office at 573-458-6260. 

McIlwain Garden 
Imagination featured on annual tour

Upon arrival at the garden of Karen McIlwain, one is struck with wonder at the imagination in evidence. A split rail fence surrounded by flowers greets the visitor. The house sits in a lovely, wooded, park-like setting. The property has many beautiful mature native trees. There are numerous beds meandering under the trees. These beds are filled with a huge variety of perennials, bulbs and shrubs.

There are well thought out trails to wander and places to sit and contemplate the beauty, both natural and created.

On a shady side of the house, one finds the “Goddess”. Her head and body form a labyrinth of brick; created for a meditative stroll. Its simple beauty fits the site perfectly. 

Karen has created a berm using the “Lasagna Gardening” technique. This technique, from Patricia Lanza’s book by the same name, builds beds without digging or tilling. Layers of newspaper or cardboard are laid down to kill existing vegetation. Then layers of organic materials are added and then planted. Shredded leaves, grass clippings, compost, manure, and potting soil are some of the possibilities for organic matter. Karen’s bed was an immediate success. Now it is several years old, and thriving.

Upon returning from a trip, Karen’s husband surprised her with a new water feature. He had created a pond using an old satellite dish. (Who hasn’t wondered what to do with those huge old things?) This is a beautiful answer. It is situated on a level below the deck – a perfect place for morning coffee.

You will also find an intimate dining area near the house, complete with magical lighting. It is not far from the ‘birdhouse village”, a collection of birdhouses, placed, again, with a great deal of imagination.

My last visit to Karen’s garden was on St. Patrick’s Day. The daffodils were in glorious bloom and there was snow covering everything. Even (or perhaps, especially) under these unusual winter/spring conditions, the garden was lovely.

Music will be provided by the group “Sometimes Tuesday”. This wonderful group consists of four dulcimers and a guitar. Their music is traditional in nature with a variety of old-time and Celtic tunes, a perfect fit for the beautiful garden in which they will be performing.

Don’t miss this beautiful garden! Join the Phelps County Master Gardeners for the Annual Garden Tour on June 3, from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are $5.00 per person and are available at Sands Farm & Home, Suncliff Nursery, and the Extension Office in Rolla, Bluestem Nursery in Waynesville, or from any Master Gardener. Tickets can also be purchased at the gardens and Suncliff Nursery in Rolla on the day of the tour. For further information, call the Extension Office at 573-458-6260.

Rogers Garden
Evergreens create a magical garden

Robert Rogers, a Phelps County Master Gardener, hails from the Pacific Northwest. His garden reflects his love of that beautiful part of the country. It can be seen on this year’s Sixth Annual Garden Tour, presented once again, by the Phelps County Master Gardeners.

The garden is located on South Murry Lane, just off the busy intersection of Forum Drive and Soest Road. It is partially visible from the road; but a screen of stately arborvitae obscures a great deal of the detail of the yard, thereby giving much needed privacy and noise control to the homeowners. A collection of evergreen trees and shrubs, including some very unusual specimens, such as a Weeping Spruce and various other spruce and junipers, are the highlight of this garden. Large rocks have been placed throughout the garden, creating wonderful focal points.

An imaginative ”garden folly” has been constructed. It is a tree house which creates both delight and some extremely practical uses. Summer temperatures are at least 10° cooler up in this airy retreat. Below the tree house deck you will find a potting shed with storage.

One can hear the water feature even before you approach the patio. There are cannas, a weeping cypress and bonsai by the water, plus an arbor with a very large wisteria.

See beautifully designed window boxes and containers.

The homeowners have recently finished a new kitchen garden with herbs, tomatoes and peppers, conveniently located for cooking. There is an orchard that includes apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and plums. Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries and grapes are found in a fenced quasi-English garden.

The Phelps County Master Gardeners will have a variety of plants for sale at this garden. Plants for sale will be donated by the Master Gardeners and include many rare and unusual plants, as well as many old standbys. The Master Gardeners have also put together a cook book which will be for sale. Find recipes for all those vegetables that you will be inspired to grow. The proceeds of the sale will fund future Master Gardener programs. Be sure to visit this garden, not only for its own diverse collection of plants, but for the opportunity to acquire plants yourself.

Visit the Rogers garden during the Annual Garden Tour sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners on Sunday, June 3, from 1-5 p.m. A rain date of June 10 has been set. The tickets can be purchased from Suncliff Nursery, Sands Farm and Home, and the Phelps County Extension office in Rolla and Bluestem Nursery in Waynesville. They can also be purchased from any Master Gardener or at any of the gardens on the day of the tour. The tickets are $5.00 per person in advance and on the day of the tour. The proceeds from ticket sales are used for Phelps County Master Gardener projects. Master Gardeners are local gardeners, trained and certified by the University of Missouri Extension Service. They serve as volunteers in the community, advising and helping in gardening projects. For more information, call the Extension Office at 573-458-6260. 

Smallwood Garden will be featured on this year’s Garden Tour

This year’s annual garden tour, sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners, will be held on Sunday, June 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The tour includes Dale and Ethel Smallwood’s lovely, natural woodland garden. In addition to the mature native trees, you will find many understory dogwoods and redbuds.

This garden has exquisite attention to detail. There is extensive use of natural materials such as stone, wood, water, and plant material.

There are abundant flower beds filled with perennials such as poppies, iris, lilies, coral bells and roses. There are groundcovers such as English ivy, vinca, ajuga, lirope, and sedum. A goldfish pond has also been included.

There are some very nice solutions to drainage problems. Dry stream beds have been created to move water away from the house. While, practical in nature, they are extremely well executed and quite beautiful. 

At the front of the property one finds elevation changes controlled by timber and stone. Also included are landscape blocks made by the homeowners. A mold was made and the blocks cast in concrete. 

There are stone and gravel paths that include stepping stones created by the homeowner’s grandchildren. The paths wander throughout this lovely property, giving rise to serene contemplation.

Visit the Smallwood garden during the Annual Garden Tour sponsored by the Phelps County Master Gardeners on Sunday, June 3, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A rain date of June 10 has been set. The tickets can be purchased from Suncliff Nursery and Sands Farm and Home in Rolla and Bluestem Nursery in Waynesville. They can also be purchased from any Master Gardener or at any of the gardens on the day of the tour. The tickets are $5.00 per person in advance and on the day of the tour. The proceeds from ticket sales are used for Phelps County Master Gardener projects. For further information, call the Extension Office at 573-458-6260.

Waterfall at "Fort Bogan"

Schulptures at Fort Bogan

McIlwain backyard

McIlwain yard seen from the street

Smallwood yard and driveway.

Smallwood pond

Rogers front yard

Rogers arbor vitae fence