The first annual Creek County Master Gardener Garden Tour was held Saturday, June 19th and was a tremendous success. Master Gardeners who showcased their gardens to guests for a $5 donation were Kathy Berryhill, Kathleen Curran, Lyn Bingman, and Sonya Sheffel, all of Sapulpa. Proceeds will benefit a scholarship program for community beautification.
Berryhill told Sapulpa Times that over 100 guests took the tour, keeping the four homeowners and their friends, family, and volunteers quite busy throughout the day, answering questions, handing out seeds and plant starts, and of course, showing folks around the highlights of their yards. A door prize drawing was awarded to Sue Ausmus, who won a Scaevola hanging basket.
Each home boasted an array of different types of gardening and landscapes, beyond the standard flora and fauna. Features included sun and shade gardens, inviting sitting areas, brick walls, hidden walkways, garden benches, drought-tolerant, native perennials, grasses, and trees, fruit trees, wildflowers, bee hives, pollinator-friendly perennials and annual color pots, a multitude of trees and shrubs, a large kitchen garden with herbs and vegetables continuously used to create delicious dishes, a “grandchild park” with cypress mulch for all-weather play, a dry riverbed that has been transformed into an important garden element that prevents erosion and directs rainwater flow, raised beds housing flowers, vegetables and different herbs such as fennel, parsley and rue to keep hungry butterfly caterpillars fed, native stones found during home construction used throughout the garden for borders and design, creative foundation plantings and green belt hedges in place for privacy around the yard and pool, a DIY drip irrigation system for easy watering, and unique and eye-catching pieces of original art. Additionally, one of the gardens is a certified Monarch Waystation, so numerous butterfly host and nectar plants have been established there.
Berryhill says they hope to have another tour next year.
