MMI Garden Walk & Faire

The Gardens

The 40th Annual Garden Walk will be held Sunday, June 10th, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (rain or shine).

A. The Garden of Jon and Connie Breuning 5102 N 192nd Avenue Circle

garden photo The entry to the backyard is along a stone walkway through natural grasses and maturing Aspens. At the bottom of the path is the patio and fountain area, which are surrounded by a variety of Hosta, Liriope, Bald Cypress, Red Maples, and Japanese Maples. In the spring, Daffodils and Tulips accent the patio with vivid color.

On the north side of the patio are the majestic rock retaining wall and Colorado moss rock stairway, a flagstone walkway leading to a stone bench and a winding dry bed down to the natural creek. These are framed by ornamental grasses, a Red Pansy Redbud, Tri-Color Beech, Weeping Salix, Dogwood, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Lysimachia, Rudbeckia, Hosta and Liriope. A Red Sentry Maple and another Bald Cypress are south of the patio. On the lower level large maple trees blend the young plants with the large ash trees and provide brilliant fall color. It’s one of the most peaceful areas in Elkhorn, where you can shut out the city noise and enjoy the sounds of birds, falling water and an occasional train whistle.

B. The Garden of David and Kim Boom 21215 Bennington Road

garden photo At the entrance is the Birdhouse Garden which is bordered with spruce and filled with sun loving perennials. It showcases unique birdhouses where bees and butterflies are constant visitors! Shortly beyond is “Darwin’s Garden” which is flanked by Blue Spruce and features shade-loving plants, statues, fountains and sitting areas. It has winding paths leading to other areas such as the small pond on the east side of the house.

Strolling down from the house a waterfall trickles into a one-acre pond called “Willow Lake” which is stocked with bass, blue gill and catfish. While the fish are too small to catch, the lake provides many other pleasures. Beyond the lake is a picturesque view of the back yard. Berms, filled with Golden Ninebark, Burning Bushes and perennials were used to give privacy but keep the southern view. While in the back yard, don’t miss the Secret Garden and if you still have energy, take a hike on the ¾ mile nature walk around the 20-acre property!

C. The Garden of Jim and Ellen Carter 605 Westridge Drive

garden photo Ellen has planted a wide variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals over the years, including: Serviceberry, Blue Muffin Viburnum, Rose Glow Barberry, Crimson Pygmy Barberry, Cascade Azalea, Eastern Redbud, Sumac, Blue Girl Holly, Dwarf Burning Bush, Summer Wine Bush, and Blue Spruce, White Angelface Phlox, Red Carnations, various daylilies, Little Miss Moffat Daisy, Chrysanthemum, Delphinium, Sapphire Blue Carpet Phlox, Penstemon, Bleeding Heart, Four O’clocks, Solomon Seal, Asters, Astilbe, Lavender, Corn Flower, Bee Balm, Yarrow, and many more.

You will see folk art, old tools, pots and tubs and buckets, furniture (some for plants, some for people) and rocks gathered from cleared farmland. Ellen has enlisted the help of Jim to put up fences, lay in small brick patios, and construct a porch. There is furniture built of recycled wood, birdhouses and more. We hope that you enjoy Ellen’s living work of art, as well as the other artistic creations on this year’s tour.

D. The Garden of Steve and Jeannie Runty 21140 Shiloh Circle

garden photo When Steve Runty finished his football career at UNL, he wanted to create a home highlighting his love of nature, trees, exercise and fun. Jeannie’s knack for casual elegance transformed their retreat into a beautiful place for family and friends to gather. For many years, this landscape has hosted horseback riding, youth group parties, basketball practices, pool parties, wedding receptions, fund-raisers for the likes of Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, many sports activities and picnics.

Note the contrasts of height, texture and colors. This owner-maintained landscape includes many trees, Roses, Hosta, Hydrangea, Ferns, Verbena, Russian Sage, Lilac, Impatiens, Spirea, Boxwood and Catmint. Many summer nights have been spent on the back deck next to the gurgling waterfall and pond, watching Fourth of July fireworks and falling stars. Steve has given countless hours to maintain Skyline’s 25-mile trail system with its deer, turkeys, foxes and opossums; and Jeannie has led Skyline Pond improvement efforts and its clean-up for many years.

E. The Garden of Joel and Sharon Larmore 21120 Shiloh Circle

garden photo As you enter the backyard you notice the commanding view of the Elkhorn River Valley to the west and how it has been framed with the use of landscape plantings. The buff colored flagstone of the patios creates a very durable space that is inviting from the house looking out. The open stairway and barrel windows of the summer kitchen allow for a complete view from the upper patio.

The plantings around the patio include large massings of Wardi Yew, Spirea, and Knockout Roses. Tucked along the edge of the slab stone steps are Dwarf Iris. Under canopies of Ginkgo, River Birch, Bloodgood Japanese Maple and Japanese Tree Lilac are sweeping beds of Pachysandra, Heuchera and Halcyon Hosta. The bubbling water feature creates a refreshing melody on a summer day and is illuminated at night. A small conservatory was added to keep tropicals over the winter. Raised beds were built in front of the conservatory for cutting flowers, vegetables, herbs and a bed of strawberries for the grandchildren

F. Hitchcock Memorial Prayer Garden
St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church 285 S 208th Street

garden photo Dedicated on October 14, 2001, the Hitchcock Memorial Prayer Garden and meditation walk is the first of its kind in the Nebraska Diocese of the Episcopal Church. The idea for the garden is based on the Quiet Garden Trust, a vision that originated with Philip Roderick of South Wales.
Essential elements of the prayer garden are welcome and hospitality. Benches are placed throughout the garden to provide places for rest and meditation.

Del Morgan, together with Virginia Kincaid, worked to obtain grants from OPPD and the Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation to make the garden possible. Moore’s Nursery and Landscape provided the initial design and plantings for the berms. Yano’s Nursery planted the trees and Greenacres Lawn Service installed the drip irrigation system. Parishioners have donated trees to commemorate many occasions, both in celebration and in memoriam. Each spring, parishioners also ‘adopt’ a berm to weed, water, and trim thereby sharing the work of maintaining the garden.

You will find a wide variety of plantings ranging from grasses to flowering shrubs to blooming perennials in each berm. A range of trees can also be found throughout the garden including Canada Red Cherry, Burr Oak, Hawthorne, Green Ash, Cleveland Pear, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Sunset Maple, Birch, and Kwanza Cherry.