2023 Garden Tour

Ross and Willa Adams purchased their property in 1984, when it was a blank palette. Through his prior landscaping experience in California, and through reading, Ross developed an early understanding of the ecological importance of creating a non-monoculture environment. He adapted to gardening with plants native to the eastern U.S., and set to work creating a grass-free yard. The Adams embrace a "hoe, don't mow" philosophy on their 4/10th-acre lot, and they also "leave the leaves" and even import additional leaves for mulch. While they've selected their plantings with purpose and intention, Ross leans towards a "benign neglect" approach, allowing many plants to place themselves where they are happiest, and editing as needed to keep things within their bounds. Visitors to the Adams' property will come away with a great example of what it looks like to manage a no-mow yard with mostly native plants. Noteworthy natives include: Juneberry (a.k.a., serviceberry), bayberry, cranberry viburnum, swamp (laurel) magnolia, summersweet (clethera), brown- and black-eyed susans, echinacea, native (and non-native) bee balm (monarda), golden ragwort, enchanters nightshade, New England aster, and many more. 

Our property of about four acres has a mixture of mature forested tree-line on two sides of open mowed lawn, a large vegetable garden, and shrub and perennial borders and beds, including shady gardens and sunny borders. There are lots of native trees, shrubs, and perennials, but not exclusively. One passion for heritage roses led me to a collection of over 100 antique roses, now reduced to 20-30.

We  moved here in 1983 to a house designed in the style of Frank Loyd Wright’s ‘Usonian house. Built in 1947, some trees and rhododendrons were planted then in what had been a cornfield of the Boal Estate. The tree line remains largely the same as it was in 1947 except for the increased age of the oaks, walnuts, cherry, sassafras, maple, hemlock, and white pine. We planted a “sugar bush” when we arrived in the early eighties, and have for the last several years been harvesting the maple sap in February and March as our first gardening “chore” of the year.

From the first blooms of white hellebores in January and  February to the latest blooms of a tall blue aster in November, there is always something colorful in motion.  And as the gardens have  matured, so too has the gardener, finding joy in experimenting with the variations of the color green, and the combinations of textures of leaves and grasses - no blossoms in sight.

Maryann and Jim Frazier's property is 3+ acres and includes landscaped beds and mature trees, but the main feature on display for this tour is a large pollinator meadow. Planted by the previous property owners about six years ago, the meadow includes several native species including beebalm, coneflowers, golden alexander, brown- and black-eyed Susan, nodding onion, liatris, Joe Pye weed, mountain mint and various goldenrod and aster species, among others. The Fraziers are entomologists and active beekeepers who are interested in enhancing habitat for native bee and bird species. They have been learning the ins and outs of maintaining a meadow, and are excited to share what they've learned. Their yard provides a great opportunity for visitors to see how a pollinator meadow can fit into a large, residential lot, and to get a realistic idea of what it takes to maintain one. 

Sharon and Greg Phillips have been gardening organically on their 7/8th-acre, full-sun lot for more than 30 years, and in that time have created abundant habitat for pollinators and birds, while maintaining a tidy appearance that shows gardening for biodiversity doesn't have to be a messy affair. Sharon, who is very involved with the Penn State Master Gardeners, has designed a series of large, graceful, mounded beds throughout the property, each with a different plant selection and purpose, including: several perennial beds; vegetable, herb, and cutting gardens; a nursery; and, a rain garden designed to slow the flow of run-off from a drainage swale that runs through their property. Visitors are sure to take inspiration from Sharon's design aesthetic, which  considers color, texture, and scale while meeting the habitat needs of many creatures. She chooses low-maintenance plants, and plants them densely, reducing the need for weeding and mulch (they mulch only with compost). While not a native-plant purist, Sharon has incorporated many natives into her very biodiverse plantings, ensuring that there's always something blooming all season long. Noteworthy natives include Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant), Lespedeza (bush clover), Buttonbush, native roses, golden ragwort, asters, and many, many more.