New River Valley Garden Tour grows inspiration

One week from Saturday, one of my favorite garden events happens, with the 18th annual New River Valley Garden Tour. Here’s an opportunity to visit eight area gardens to get inspiration for your own home.

The event is sponsored by Montgomery County Friends of the Library, and funds raised are used for special adult and children’s programs, as well as the Summer Reading Program.

Here’s what you will see on this year’s garden tour.

Rapier/Everhardt garden

2101 Broken Oak Drive, Blacksburg

Scott Rapier and Karen Everhardt’s home in Blacksburg is located in the Woodbine neighborhood. Because the gardens provide so much seclusion, it’s easy to forget that neighbors are close by.

A backdrop of hemlocks, spruce and pine showcase the many shade-loving perennials and groundcovers planted throughout, and large benches invite you to stay and enjoy the view. There are touches of whimsy throughout, in both the garden art and plantings. Dr. Seuss appears to have inspired a Smoketree as tall as the house.

Last year’s derecho brought some down beloved trees, changing the landscape, but paving the way for one of the most inspirational parts of the garden. Rapier built a beautiful new pergola inspired by a leaf, and it sets the stage for enjoying this wonderful garden from many vantage points.

Steeves garden

706 York Drive, Blacksburg

Elissa Steeves’ garden has been featured in Horticulture and in Southern Living magazines, and is considered by area gardeners to be a local treasure. There is something for everyone in this garden, with features on a scale that most of us will never attempt, but admire greatly.

Steeves has a lot of fun with her garden, and it shows everywhere, from brightly painted furniture in the many outdoor “rooms” she’s created, to the imaginative use of found objects as garden art, to the groupings of everyday objects recycled as planters.

This garden has an incredibly wide variety of plants, from tropicals to Japanese maples to carnivorous plants, and its owner is happy to share her knowledge. Steeves shows that gardeners can also be artists.

Lancaster garden

1308 Oak Drive, Blacksburg

I love gardens that look like nature might have created the beautiful spot itself. Chris and Paul Lancaster’s garden is one of these, with paths flowing through wildflowers and woodland areas, surrounded by mature, native trees, rhododendrons and azaleas.

This garden is obviously a labor of love, and although it looks like nature created it without help, the Lancasters’ careful choice of native species succeeds in the dual purpose of providing beauty and attracting birds and butterflies.

Garden art, including an antique wooden window, provides further interest as you wander along the path. Inspired to continue the beauty of their garden, the Lancasters also landscaped the town right of way along their rear fence.

Thye garden

804 Draper Road, Blacksburg

Forrest and Lynn Thye’s garden is for the vegetable gardeners on the tour. I find beauty in vegetable gardens as well as those with flowers and foliage, and so there was much to admire about this garden.

Thye uses raised beds , enriched with compost that he makes. Wire hoops with netting placed over vulnerable plants keep out the critters. Two-liter plastic bottles are recycled into self-watering reservoirs for plants.

Thye practices crop rotation, growing corn, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, squash and beans. He staggers plantings, so that he and his wife enjoy corn all summer long.

Any vegetable gardener, or anyone aspiring to become a vegetable gardener, will get lots of inspiration here.

Hoover garden

706 Draper Road, Blacksburg

Terri and Chuck Hoover have created a wonderful little garden behind their home, merging two gardening styles to create a unique space.

Terri’s is a cottage garden, full of annuals, herbs, irises, roses, hostas and lilacs. An old stone wall provides a backdrop, and a gravel path sprinkled with rainbow glass invites you to wander and have a seat on a purple bench.

Chuck’s garden has an Asian style, featuring a koi pond, Japanese lanterns and a lovely wooden gate. Stepping stones lead you through lush plantings of azaleas, holly and boxwood. A small waterfall completes the tranquil space.

Nowak garden

500 W. Cedar Orchard Drive, Blacksburg

Jerzy Nowak’s home has a garden diverse in both plant species and hardscaping. Three distinct patio areas are defined in the back yard by a gazebo, trellises and arbors.

Water features, statuaries and rock formations provide a lush and peaceful atmosphere. Perennials and annuals in raised boxes accompany those in curved beds in complementary colors. Children will enjoy the fountain, as well as the large rock excavated during construction, known as “Mr. Big Head,” from the cartoon series “Rocko’s Modern Life.”

An outdoor kitchen invites entertaining, and allows this garden to showcase outdoor living in style.

Oaks Victorian Inn garden

311 East Main St., Christiansburg

The Oaks Victorian Inn is located in Christiansburg’s historic district and is owned by Linda and Bernie Wurtzburger. This grand Queen Anne Victorian is now a bed and breakfast with gorgeous gardens.

The five oak trees remaining on the property are more than 300 years old, and are believed to be some of the oldest and largest living white oaks in Virginia. Entering the property, gardens on the front lawn provide an array of perennials that can be enjoyed up close or from the inn’s wraparound front porch.

The real treasure, though, is in the back yard, a secluded garden full of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, annuals and perennials. The secret garden invites both relaxation and wandering, with an assortment of garden art sprinkled among a wide variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables.

Montgomery Museum &
Lewis Miller Regional Art Center garden

300 S. Pepper St., Christiansburg

The garden at the Montgomery Museum was established more than 20 years ago by the New River Valley Master Gardeners and has evolved from a small herb garden into an example of sustainable gardening.

The upper garden is home to native plants, cultivars of natives and noninvasive exotics. All are low-maintenance plants, with an emphasis on plants that provide food and habitats for birds and insects.

Annuals and perennials were selected with an eye for color, texture and seasonal interest. Plant labels are provided on many of the plants in this garden to aid visitors with plant identification.

No pesticides or fertilizers are used in this garden, and a visit should be inspiration to those contemplating the creation of a sustainable, organic garden.

Come learn more about the gardens on the tour on my blog at blogs.roanoke.com/downtoearth/.

Karen Hager’s column runs every other Saturday in Extra.

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