Over 250 garden lovers spent their Saturday venturing through seven gardens in Naperville for the fifth annual Garden Walk hosted by Knox Presbyterian Church.
“The gardens are just amazing there’s something that you wish you could do in your yard, and you always bring home a snippet or two that you pick touring a garden that you can bring back and put in your own yard,” said Garden Walk Committee Member Pat Warren.
Walking and giving back
The walk is also a fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Each garden location features: flowers, birdhouses, little waterfalls, a greenhouse, and even fairytale-like decorations.
“In gardening, there’s always a wow factor. Every spring, when the flowers come up, there’s a wow, and it’s nice to share those wow moments with over 300 people,” said Warren.
First-time gardens on the tour map
One of the stops on the tour is known as The Happy Place, owned by Beth and Dennis Riordan.
“The main attraction is our fairy garden. When we had our first granddaughter, we built a fairy garden for her. And now we have three granddaughters that enjoy it,” said home and garden owner Beth Riordon.
The Riordan’s say they like the opportunity to show what they’ve done and welcome people to ask questions.
“It’s nice to share those, especially here in downtown Naperville where it’s so busy in the front of the house, but you come into the back, and it’s a park. It’s a quiet zone, and I think many people have been surprised by that,” said home and garden owner Dennis Riordon.
New gardens to come?
After touring the many gardens, some visitors may be inspired to create their own garden.
“You do see that gardening interests have been up because it’s now available at Home Depot and Lowes. Twenty years ago you wouldn’t have seen that so I think that’s an interesting thing. There’s a lot of gardening channels on tv and YouTube so if you’re wondering how you can start a garden just look it up on YouTube.” Said Warren.
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