Garden Guild to revive garden tour event

The Dickinson County Garden Guild is reviving an event the group hosted annually many years ago.

Gina Dalton said the conversation about hosting a tour of some of the county’s most fabulous gardens started last year. However, at the time, it was too late in the season so they opted to wait.

Although she doesn’t remember the event when she was growing up, she said Calista McKee, who owns the Flower Box, told her how much she loved the garden tour when she was a child.

“She said it was one of her favorite things, “Because our grandpa used to pay us to swim in the pool so it looked like it was festive,” Dalton said recalling her conversation with McKee.

Dalton, who owns Sandy Springs Venue, said guild members identified several locations they wanted to start with this year. Five of the seven tour stops are private homes.

“Darrin and Robin Volkman’s place is an absolute dream — it is a dream property,” she said. “Wilma Calovich — her rose garden is next to none. It is beautiful. Those two are out in the country and Wilma’s place, you’re just driving along and you would never imagine this huge old, historic home out in the middle of nowhere would have such beautiful rose gardens.”

A garden tour in Dickinson County could not be complete without a stop at the Eisenhower Park and Rose Garden. Joy Maas has, for years, planned and tended the garden to keep it blooming in vibrant colors throughout the planting season.

The Rose Garden and Dalton’s event center are the two stops that are not private homes.

At the end of June there should be an array of flowers in full bloom to include roses day lilies, and petunias.

She hopes seeing the beautiful gardens helps motivate others.

“We want to inspire people,” Dalton said. “They can go home and pick a little spot in their yard and do a beautiful little garden display flowers, it doesn’t have to be elaborate. We want to show them an example of what they can do.”

She continued, “You'll see mothers and daughters, you'll see friends coming out in groups. We want to bring people together and enjoy beauty.”

If the inspiration takes hold, Dalton said people can get guidance from any guild member or the extension office ,but they should be aware of the biggest challenge to growing flowers in Kansas.

“The heat,” she said. “The summertime heat. You have to water, water, water, water and water again.”