Cultivating inspiration
Milford shares its secret gardens, By Linda Fields MILFORD Oh, what a beautiful Saturday morning and afternoon, too . for the Secret Garden Tour on July 18th. Sponsored by the Milford Garden Club, this was the 17th annual self-guided tour of eight gardens opened to ticket holders. Proceeds help fund the Garden Club’s beautification projects in the Milford area. Eight inspirational gardens were on the tour, each with its unique designs and features. Kathrin DeSmedt of Milford and her father, an orchid grower and a horticulturist, were in their element at Remembrance Place, the garden maintained by club members at West Ann Street and Elderberry Alley. DeSmedt said as a long-time resident, she feels a personal connection. “We’ve very happy to see this Remembrance Place redone; it is spectacular.” As regulars of the secret garden tours, they say they always have a good time but on this day, the weather made it even better. Each of the other gardens on the tour was unique and showed off the gardener’s personality. A country farmhouse garden on West Harford Street with a duck pond formed by a stream on the property was spotted with colorful perennial gardens and unique touches such as yard art in the form of a hanging window pane - from which the reflections were delightful to see. Garden Club member Annie Catalano said this garden’s owner-designer, Steve Gatske, put in a lot of hard work and effort which is evident “in making this one of the foremost gardens in Milford.” On Foster Hill Road, you could visit an upper level Buddha garden and a lower level meditation garden with a spectacularly landscaped pond and waterfalls designed by owners Peter Esgro and Dave Marshall. On Milford Heights Road, the gardens and statuary of Guy Spradling were placed around paths with small cabin rooms, each with a different purpose (a shower, a sauna, a kitchen, e.g). Spradling says it is a constant work in progress. “I have a full time gardener as well as a landscaper, plus I’m the one here in the middle of the night doing the trim work myself,” he explained. It clearly wowed Donna Risberg, visiting from New Jersey. “This is like a resort”, she exclaimed. Risberg said she was having a wonderful time on the tour. “The weather was made to order. This is my first time and I’ll be coming back”, she added. The gardens on Park Drive featured whimsical art and a wide variety of plants including cactus and bamboo. Gardener Carol Bowman told the Courier that gardening is a learning experience, requiring patience, practice and hard work. She does get some help, however. Husband Ralph admitted, “It’s my wife’s garden. I dig the holes; I move the rocks. She tells me where to plant things, where to dig them up, where to move them to”. There were two gardens on Second Street. One was definitely a delight to anyone who aspires to create a perfect cottage garden, complete with a white picket fence and a vine-draped trellis. The other offered spacious Asian-inspired, multi-level gardens with interesting statuary, including a magnificent sculpted eagle and a view of the Delaware River. On East John Street, you could see what one visitor called “a gardener’s garden”. Growing there, where you might least expect it, are espaliered fruit trees, a bald cypress tree, grapes, corn, lettuce, peppers and more among the perennial flower gardens. Gardener Jim Puco said, “I’ve been here 15 years working on it; its nice to be here in town and be able to get away in the backyard.” Clearly all of the gardens displayed the love and hard work of the host gardeners and helped to inspire the hundreds of delighted visitors. For more photos visit www.pike countycourier.com.