Members of Ripley, Lucknow, Chesley horticultural societies enjoy Tour Huron Gardens

It was a beautiful, warm, summer Tuesday, as three horticultural societies, from Ripley, Lucknow and Chesley, combined forces to tour four private gardens in Huron County.

The evening event began with nearly 50 members and guests gathering at the Lucknow Town Hall to share a delicious potluck dinner.

First on the tour was the Donnybrook Flower Farm near St. Augustine. Gwen Richardson has spent 24 years developing the extensive gardens and landscaping of her idyllic rural property. Formerly a flower vendor at the Goderich and Kincardine Farmers Markets, she now specializes in bouquets and arrangements for weddings and special occasions.

A brief drive to the Village of Auburn brought the convoy to the gardens of Karen Redmond and Jacqui Empson Laporte.

Among a host of beautiful perennials in Redmond’s gardens, Whimsical Grass Gardens, are native plants and grasses, many unusual trees and ornamental shrubs. An energetic and enthusiastic hostess, Redmond is a highly-involved horticulturalist who, in addition to her career as a mental health nurse, is also president of the Auburn Horticultural Society, past-secretary of District 8 of the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA), assistant District 8 director Huron, and chairperson of the landscape committee for the 2017 International Plowing Match.

A short stroll across the street brought the group to Escape from Chaos, the gardens of Empson Laporte. A passionate environmentalist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), who aspires to reduce her carbon footprint and establish connections to the natural world, her property features raised vegetable beds, a rain garden, and a hibernaculum, a hibernation habitat for snakes.

The final stop on the tour near Dungannon was Rescapes in Ashfield, the home of Sharon and Jim Nivins.

Beginning with a blank slate roughly 30 years ago, today, colourful beds of day lilies and mixed perennials also incorporate unique garden art and old farm implements, each of which has either a personal connection to the owners or a good story about its origins. Sharon is the past OHA District 8 director, current president of the Lucknow and District Horticultural Society, and organizer of this garden tour.

All four gardens visited belong to the Gardens of Huron Perth and are listed in the Discover the Gardens of Huron Perth touring brochure which provides a map, brief description, contact information and co-ordinates of each property. For more information, visit: www.gardensofhuronperth.com.