Creativity blooms: Benefit garden tour blossoms with inspiration

Plantlife adorns a backyard shed at 505 West Broadway.

View from the deck shows the backyard at 6341 Fallen Timbers Lane, one of nine residences in the Toledo Day Nursery garden tour.

A children's garden with a doll buggy and a wagon, an artist's garden with a gallery of creations, and a prayer garden with stone Biblical verses are among the highlights in Toledo Day Nursery's ninth annual garden tour Saturday in Maumee.

The nine residential gardens in this year's benefit were chosen for their diversity of design, beauty, and creativity. Gardens featured in this year's tour:

●"Ancient of Days" Prayer Garden, Pam and Brad Poeth, 409 East Wayne St.: In keeping with the home's 1850s vintage style, this distinctive circular knot garden is adorned with antique roses, vining sweet peas, forget-me-nots, hollyhocks, columbine, and poppies. Water springs forth from a creative rock installation. Original designed stone Biblical verses are incorporated into the landscape to define the garden's reverent theme.

●A Garden of Repose and Relaxation, Susan Stahlbush, 1009 River Rd.: This garden shows how an outdated landscape can be revitalized with appealing charm. The unusual backyard antique bench is a grand place to display a birdhouse collection. Cosy dining and relaxing areas invite guests to enjoy the beautiful floral settings. A quaint potting shed is a pleasurable garden segment.

●Grandmother's Garden, Mary Metzger, 1015 River Rd.: Mrs. Metzger and her son, Tom, have created a garden of contagious color by skillfully combining perennials of phlox, larkspur, roses, cosmos, poppies, columbine, and peonies with woody ornamental specimens. The Korean fir with its white-tipped needles is a must-see.

Plantlife adorns a backyard shed at 505 West Broadway.

●A Peaceful Garden, Janet George and Jean Ward, 6341 Fallen Timbers Lane: The curved linear garden leading to the front door is a symphony of color and texture, with lavender and a rainbow of daylilies and thyme accented with roses, clematis, hardy hibiscus, and tree peonies. Looking down from atop a hill, a studio garden is a vision of masterful landscape design. The heady fragrance of the lacy Japanese tree lilac stimulates the senses. The garden encircling the swimming pool and adjacent to the deck carries the eye through a maze of attractive, unusual plants.

●Bloom Where You Are Planted Garden, Alaina and Jim Meister, 1000 Joliet Drive: Pink poppies, purple columbine, coneflowers, and Purple Dome asters make a pleasing palette. French doors from the living room lead into the greenhouse. The children's garden is a clever new addition with an unusual twist. A doll buggy, a wagon, and a bed are integrated into this garden setting.

●A Hit-And-Miss Casual Garden, Joan Morton, 505 West Broadway: An English cottage's lush front garden frames a lovely two-story home. In the backyard, an inground pool was filled in and transformed into a segmented garden edged in brick and overflowing with roses, peonies, lilies, coneflowers, and coreopsis. The shady perimeter garden has two delightful petite fairy gardens tucked beneath the giant hostas and ferns.

●A Family Fun Garden, Amy Cedargren and Steven Sokoloski, 411 West Broadway: The couple have a very busy life with three small children. They have found that although gardening can be a lot of hard work, it is a great activity for family involvement and old-fashioned fun. The vegetable garden takes center stage with the planting of seeds with all hands, big and small, to help. The yellow home has captivating curb appeal with its lengthy white picket fence, front porch embellished with comfortable wicker, and American flags waving in the breeze.

●A Garden With A History And A Mystery, Linda and William Fayerweather, 422 West Broadway: The Fayerweathers have recaptured the Williamsburg-type gardens that were originally planted more than 50 years ago. Unique trees such as Japanese tree lilac, Chinese Scholar, Kentucky Coffee, Yellow wood, and Tricolor beeches provide dense shade and compartmentalize areas into hidden greenery gardens. The front garden accents the entrance with plantings from family and friends representing the many places the Fayerweathers have lived.

●An Artist's Garden, Ruth and Jim Wolff, 402 West Broadway: This garden is home to Standing Figure No. 8 by John Neering, King Midas by Ernie Moll, and the newly acquired Split Decision, an intriguing stone sculpture by Calvin Babich. Against the wooded ravine, this piece is encircled with Knock-Out roses. The collection of metal watering cans overflowing with splashy annuals sparkles on the back steps.

In addition to the gardens at the nine residences, the Prudence Lamb Historical Garden at the Wolcott House Museum complex, 1031 River Rd., will be open during tour hours.

Proceeds from the tour benefit Toledo Day Nursery.

Friends of Toledo Day Nursery takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Maumee. Tickets, $15, are available through Saturday at Barnes and Noble bookstore, David Swesey Florist, Garden Delights, Ken's Flower Shops, Lee Winters Florist, Victoria's Home and Garden, and Vintage Gardens. They will be available on Saturday at Union Elementary School (East Broadway and Conant Street) or any of the gardens. Free parking will be available throughout downtown Maumee. During the tour, a shuttle service, originating at Union Elementary School will convey guests to and from the gardens. Information: 419-243-2627.