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June 4, 2009

Two garden walks feature Zionsville homes

By Lauren Clason and Andrea Hirsch

Zionsville — Kellie Walbridge’s home is almost hidden behind a low, dense wall of green, pushing her secluded house further into the woodsy backdrop that characterizes Lost Run Farms. In a few weeks, the green wall will erupt in a sea of pinks, reds, whites, blues and yellows as her sleeping wraparound garden awakens for the summer.

“I like to do just masses of things,” Walbridge said. “That kind of makes it easier, too. When you just have masses and masses of hostas and masses of daylilies and things like that, I think it’s just a big bang.”

Climbing roses, hydrangeas, peonies and hostas surround the house, while strawberries and various spices are cultivated by the front door. Every year, it takes two Dumpsters of mulch and the entire ZCHS wrestling team nine hours to lay the groundwork for the Walbridge garden.

The Walbridge garden is one of four Zionsville homes being featured in the Indianapolis Garden Club’s 14th Annual Garden Walk on Wednesday. The Indianapolis Garden Walk occurs just days before the Gardens of Zionsville Tour on June 13 and 14, sponsored by the SullivanMunce Cultural Center. Both garden tours are fundraisers for their respective organizations, and the Indianapolis Garden Club also donates a portion of the proceeds to a specific community project each year.

“I thought this was such a nice thing to do,” Walbridge said. “And I do love gardening, so it’s fun to have other gardeners come over that would enjoy it.”

Every year the organizers of the garden tours gather clues to local secret gardens through word of mouth, drive-bys and, in some instances, peaking over walls and knocking on doors.

“We run down a lot of leads,” Indianapolis Garden Walk Chairwoman Sue Welch said. “What we’re looking for is something above and beyond what I would call beautiful landscaping. ... We’re looking for somebody who has taken it to the next level.”

Although the five-garden Indianapolis tour is focused on Zionsville this year, there is no overlap with the nine gardens being shown in the SullivanMunce tour. Nancy Long, co-chairwoman of the P.H. Sullivan Museum Guild, said the gardens, maintained by their owners, are equally as memorable and not only offer a fundraising opportunity for the organizations but also function as a form of therapy to both the gardeners and the tourists.

“Some gardens present challenges we all face in gardening,” she said. “Other gardens are really magical. They’re just exquisite and really a delight. You can just linger in them.”

As you walk through Carole Garvey’s garden, you will understand what Long is talking about.

Upon entering Garvey’s home, visitors will smell quite an array of herbs from Garvey’s herb garden. After passing through a metal vine arch with climbing clematis flowers, visitors enter a garden that sits on the east side of the lot, featuring only green and white flowers, including hostas and viburnums. A small wooded area in the far back with stone steps leads to a fire pit decorated with ferns and natural plants completing her garden’s appealing qualities.

Garvey’s garden will be just one of the 10 stops on the Gardens of Zionsville Tour. She says this is the first year she has participated, although she has been gardening for many years.

“I think this is a great way to support the community and the SullivanMunce,” she said. “I am also looking forward to seeing the other gardens.”



Ticket info

Indianapolis Garden Walk:

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 10

Ticket prices: $35 for walk, $60 for walk and lunch

Information hotline: (317) 255-1681



Gardens of Zionsville Tour:

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 13

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 14

Ticket price: $20

Call SullivanMunce Cultural Center at (317) 873-4900 for more information.

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