Everything was in glorious flower for the 2024 Seven Lakes Garden Club garden tour. Garden club volunteers and gracious gardeners hostessed the event on June 1, which is held every two years.
This year included six private home gardens and the West End United Methodist Church Food Pantry Unity Garden.
The home gardens were as diverse as their creators. From the whimsy of the gardens of Leslie and Bob Rose to the manicured, spa-like haven of the Zentar home, garden tourists delighted in each bud, blossom and butterfly.
The Garden Club makes an intentional effort to create a diverse experience.
“We like to have a range of gardens that appeal to a wide range of people. From the big “wow” to the simple, all have a place in our tour,” said Garden Club member Carolyn Sink in a prior interview. The gardens expressed each gardener’s personality and their various inspirations.
Kameron Randall’s koi pond is a popular stop along the Seven Lakes Garden Tour. His garden is the only privately owned garden also featured on the 2022 tour. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe popular koi pond at the Randall home in Seven Lakes North has grown by 1000 gallons since the last garden tour in 2022. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThis colorful flower grown by Kameron Randall feels like paper, earning it the knick names Straw Flower and Paper Daisy does feel like it is made from paper. Maggie Beamguard/SLIGarden Club members Yvonne Merrill (left) and Terry Rudziensky (right) volunteer at the home of Louisa Stewart in Seven Lakes North. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA warm welcome greets visitors to Louisa Stewart’s lush terraced garden. Maggie Beamgurd/SLIThe Garden Club of Seven Lakes hosts their garden tour every two years. This year featured six private gardens in Seven Lakes North, South and West in addition to the community garden at West End United Methodist Church. Maggie Beamguard/SLI
Kameron Randall’s garden is the only privately owned garden also featured on the 2022 tour. His koi pond is a popular destination. The pond has grown by 1000 gallons since the last garden tour in 2022.
A pretty garden gate welcomed visitors to Louisa Stewart’s terraced garden. Its beauty was imbibed with meaning and memory with special touches to honor her husband Chandler who passed away in January. Thistle and their Stewart tartan adorned a vintage canoe at her lakefront in his memory.
Cheerful garden flags and thoughtful hardscape provide the backdrop of the colorful garden of Leslie and Bob Rose. They have been establishing their garden over the last 30 years in Seven Lakes North.
With the help of a local landscape designer, the Zentar family of Seven Lakes West created an outdoor living space that feels like a five-star resort with a pool, hot tub and outdoor kitchen as focal points.
Visitors to Sherry Niewald’s Seven Lakes West garden no doubt wondered about her secrets to keeping deer away from her splendid daylilies. Her container garden wall was enjoyed by both people and pollinators.
Allison and Eric Sanders designed their backyard oasis with entertainment in mind including generous, comfortable seating and a pergola set among a boxwood knot garden. Allison, a horticulturalist, chose white-blooming plantings as part of her vision for a night garden. Night gardens are popular for their magical evening “glow.”
The event was free, but donations were welcome at each stop and raffle baskets were available. Proceeds from the garden tour support the Unity Garden and garden projects at West End Elementary School.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
It is a heavenly view from the top deck of Louisa Stewart’s Seven Lakes North home. Maggie Beamguard/SLIHomeowner Louisa Stewart created a memorial for her husband, Chandler, who died in January, draping a Stewart tartan in a favorite antique canoe. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA peaceful spot in the shade at the home of Louisa Stewart. Maggie Beamguard/SLIDavid and Julia Poisson tour the home of Louisa Stewart. Maggie Beamguard/SLIVisitors to the home of Bob and Leslie Rose receive a cheerful welcome. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe garden of Bob and Leslie Rose. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA cactus blooms cheerfully beside a garden flag at the Rose home. Maggie Beamguard/SLILeslie and Bob Rose have been establishing their garden for 30 years in Seven Lakes South. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA fragrant climbing hydrangea at the home of Bob and Leslie Rose nears the end of it’s early summer bloom. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe perfect place to enjoy some lemonade at the home of Bob and Leslie Rose. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe Zentar home garden in Seven Lakes West feels like a five star resort. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe spa-like setting of the Zentar home in Seven Lakes West. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe Zentar home in Seven Lakes West features a stunning pool that sits atop a hill with views of a pine forest canopy. Maggie Beamguard/SLISara Swicegood (left) and Sue Frank (center) get a tour from Sherry Niewald (right) of her Seven Lakes West garden. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe container gardens at the Niewald home and a sunny sitting area. Maggie Beamguard/SLILisa Sheridan (left) with homeowners Allison and Eric Sanders during the Garden Club 2024 Garden tour. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe perfect place to read a book, this pergola is buffeted by two boxwood knot garden features. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA butterfly snacks on a butterfly bush. Maggie Beamguard/SLIA butterfly bush at the Sander’s home sits at the edge of Lake Auman. Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe backyard oasis of Allison and Eric Sanders was designed with entertaining in mind. The white blooms of the plantings were chosen to create a night garden. Night gardens are popular for their evening “glow.” Maggie Beamguard/SLIThe backyard oasis of Allison and Eric Sanders was designed with entertaining in mind. The white blooms of the plantings were chosen to create a night garden. Night gardens are popular for their evening “glow.” Maggie Beamguard/SLIDelightful dahlias bloom at the Seven Lakes West home of Allison and Eric Sanders. Maggie Beamguard/SLI
