2022 GARDEN TOUR
What is the Garden Tour?:
Each July, selected homeowners in the Northfield area open their gardens to the public. This garden tour is organized, advertised and hosted by the Garden Club. This is a ticketed event, the proceeds from which go to support the grants program and other charitable activities of the Northfield Garden Club. Tickets are $10 and available at each site. See photos from the 2021 Garden Tour HERE
2022 TOUR July 9 and 10th 11am to 4pm
1. Laurie MacKenzie 715 Lincoln Street N
When I moved in August, 2018, gardens surrounding my unit were overgrown and shrouded in weeds. I dubbed them “Judy’s Jungle” after the previous owner who was no longer able to maintain her lovingly planted gardens. After cutting down a massive maple and pulling out extensive overgrowth, I uncovered a mermaid fountain and archangel leading to a “rock river” path continuing to the large deck, where a bright orange honeysuckle vine grows up a trellis and over the pergola. My sister calls my transformed backyard a “Magical Disneyland garden.”
Artist: Jill and Ken Hilton J&K Legacy Jewelry jklegacy.jewelry@yahoo.com
Jill and Ken Hilton handcraft beautiful rings, bracelets, and neckpieces out of broken antique china dishes and unique vintage silverware. They use 100-year-old silverware to create sculptures of birds and dragonflies for coat hooks. Hand-felted soaps with one-of-a-kind flowers are made with merino wool and organic soaps. Furthermore, they do special orders using “grandma’s china dishes” or enclose memorabilia in glass.
2. Marshall Hansen / Carla Hansen 416 6th St E
Our garden on the corner of 6th and Winona Street is a grouping of raised beds that once upon a time yielded bushels of produce (and work). But in the past 22 years, black walnut tree roots have slowly overtaken the gardens. Since tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes are no longer possible, I grow mostly greens, garlic, beans, and gladiolas; these being more juglone tolerant. Notable features: gravity-operated 1000-gallon rainwater supply, backyard compost and worm bin, a small goldfish pond, and a wild grape arbor.
Artist: Kathy Ness, Fiber art kjl.ness@gmail.com
My interest in fabrics and creating useful objects goes back to my junior high art classes where I was introduced to batik, macramé, and weaving. I also enjoy design, color, pattern and I have a concern for the environment. In 2017 I combined all these elements and began UPcycleMN. I collect fabric samples, upholstery remnants, jeans, malt bags, leather, resale shop's tablecloths, curtains, and other durable fabrics at little or no cost. I currently create jeans jackets, fab-baskets, table runners, bags and totes of all sizes and shapes. I let the fabric and design lead me to a finished project.
3. Julie Faulkner / Steve Faulkner 508 6th St E
This house was built in 1900 and purchased in 2017. Julie and Steve moved in the fall of 2018, so their first season of gardening was 2019. The house was the farm house style they wanted but the yard and gardens had been very neglected. The first summer was spent eradicating buckthorn and overgrowth. A lot of work!! When you visit their yard you will see herbs, veggies, annuals, perennials, chickens, and more!
Artist: Dick Zawacki, Wood Carving dickzawacki@gmail.com
Wood is a tactile as well as visual medium. The exposed grain and facets seen in a completed piece begins with the environment where the tree grew and ends with the finish that is applied to the piece. My goal is to enhance these qualities in each piece I create and make it truly “one of a kind.”
Artist: Glynnis Lessing, Pottery www.glynnislessing.com
I strive to make beautiful, highly functional work that finds an intimate niche in people’s lives. It is shaped for inherent harmony and pleasing lines; the form inspires the surface and the surface enhances the form. The decoration is often a reflection of my love of the natural world and my belief in the restorative power of being outside. My work is meant to be used, lived with on a frequent basis and, I hope, will enhance people’s daily life through aesthetically pleasing objects.
4. Mary Jane Lipinski / Bill Jokela 706 5th St E
Among rocks, bricks, concrete, and discarded plastic treasures, Bill and Mary Jane discovered a 1940-era cast iron sink buried in the backyard, which is now a prairie garden. Their backyard features pollinator-friendly native plants interspersed with perennials and annuals. A co-mingled garden landscape surrounds the home and includes a bee lawn and kitchen garden vegetable patch.
Artist: Becky Jokela, Plein aire nature watercolor www.beckyjokela.com
I live on a farm overlooking Sogn Valley. I love my surroundings and am inspired by nature and the changing seasons. Working outdoors is my favorite approach. I’m in the fresh air and as a pastel painter, I can take my easel anywhere… to a hillside pasture or to a woodland valley carpeted with wild flowers. Or maybe best of all is when I walk out my door and paint the garden in my own backyard.
5. Kathy Tegtmeyer Pak / Steve Pak 600 9th St E
This garden, featured in “Front-Yard Foodies” of the Northern Gardener March/April 2022 MSHS publication, shows how to make the most of small sunny spaces in the front yard. It features pink, purple, and blue native perennials to support pollinators and birds, and raised beds for fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Larger plants include dwarf crabapple trees and hydrangeas. Non-natives show pops of color in July. Thymes, lavenders, alpine strawberries, and sedum varieties flow over rocks gathered from area farms to fill in all the spaces.
Artist: Suzanne Klumb, Glass Garden Beads 318 Central Ave. Suite 105, Faribault, glassgardenbeads@gmail.com
I have a professional history as a textile designer under the name of Brigg Evans Design. Since 1980 I have been creating with beads in jewelry and recently in textile designs. I’m drawn to color, texture, design structure, and the finishing of hand-made creative pieces. I enjoy seeing creative twists and am always inspired by creative makers.
6. Cathy Larson / Steve Albers 1401 Parmeadow
This property features a steep, terraced backyard and an unusual shingle-style house with large prow windows facing the gardens. The yard was landscaped by previous owners, Yocks and Vig Oliver, with rock terraces, paver patios, stone/paver pathways, and garden plants, including a wide variety of ground covers. The current owners have added pollinator-friendly plants, shrub/vine variety, fall/winter interest, and a section of low-mow lawn. Cathy, a Master Gardener intern with UMN Extension, will be on hand to answer questions. Steve, a retired farmer, can share tips on controlling buckthorn and wild parsnip.
Artist: Geralyn Thelen, Fused glass jmgag@yahoo.com
When I work with glass, my heart sings and the glass talks to me. Each piece of fused glass I create is formed in my heart and is created with great love. My designs include whimsy garden stakes, two-dimensional pieces, sculptures, and insulations. They honor the significance of women's hands in the history of art and design.