Last Chance to Visit Mary's Garden
This weekend is one of the big weekends of the year for garden tours. (Next weekend is, too.) The St. Anthony Park Garden Club tour is among those held this weekend, and Saturday’s tour (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) includes a chance to visit the garden of Mary Maguire Lerman, former president of MSHS, retired Minneapolis Parks department gardener, and volunteer extraordinaire! Mary and her husband, Bill, will be selling their home and garden in 2016, so this may be the last chance to visit this well-curated, beautiful urban garden.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased Saturday outside of the St. Anthony Park Public Library, which is on Como Avenue. Mary’s garden will also be featured on Grow with KARE Friday night and Saturday morning.
Mary’s garden includes several distinct features:
- A shady moist garden filled with Astilbe, Ligularia, Rodgersia, Aruncus and the shorter Astrantia or Masterwort. This garden receives three hours of morning sunlight before going into shade, perfect for this range of perennials. It also includes Corydalis lutea, a short, yellow-flowering perennial which blooms from late May until frost.
The rock garden near the house was built in honor of Mary’s mother. - Frances Ann’s Rock Garden. Mary says, “Designed and built in 2009 by Betty Ann Addison of The Gardens of Rice Creek, this garden is a tribute to my mother. I have perennials, ferns, annuals, bulbs and seasonal Cyclamen in the garden along with dwarf conifers.” The garden also includes a gong — go ahead and give it a bong!
- Curving Border. An arbor anchors one end of a long, curving border, which is accented by several small ornamental trees, including Arborvitae ‘Washington’, Malus ‘Candymint’, river Birch, redbud and Hydrangea ‘Limelight.’ A large clump of Siberian frost grass and other tall perennials (yellow meadowrue, goatsbeard) help enclose the garden.
- Garlic Bed. Mary has a bed devoted to garlic! She grows about 10 varieties and this year’s rain has made them very, very healthy. Master Gardeners on-site will demonstrate how to harvest the garlic.
Mary grows vegetables in the stock tanks at the rear of the property. - Stock Tank Garden. Mary grows vegetables in stock tanks, where she has better control of the soil. This is a great solution for many gardeners.
- Alley Garden. A border of small trees helps screen the view of the alley behind Mary’s house and provides then enclosure that is so important to gardens.Trees include Magnolia ‘Betty’, speckled alder, tamarack and Pagoda dogwood.
In addition to Mary’s garden, you will find nine other beautiful gardens open. MSHS will also be at Mary’s garden, telling people about our 150 year history and selling memberships. We hope to see you there!