Press Releases
Annual Garden Tour, Living History Day in Hermann June 3-4, 2006
May 30, 2006 | For Immediate Release
There will be an opportunity to see some of the prettiest gardens in Missouri’s “Most Beautiful” Town this weekend, when the Hermann Garden Club hosts its 12th annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale. This year’s tour features 10 gardens, including some that have not been on the tour before. Six of the gardens are located in Hermann’s historic district and four are located in the hills surrounding town.
Another highlight this weekend will be the Hermann Living History Day, presented by the Deutschheim State Historic Site and featuring 19th century artisan skills. Living History Day will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is no admission charge.
The gardens of Deutschheim are included as part of the garden tour, which will be held on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets for the self-guided tour are available at the German School Museum for $8 and includes admission both days. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 573-834-5560.
There is no charge for the plant sale, which will be open until all plants are sold. The sale will also include landscape designs and work from area artists. Many of the plants are grown locally and sell out early. This year’s sale also features perennials and a few native shrubs and trees from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Some of the new plants featured at the sale this year include Double Decker Coneflower, “Firewitch” Dianthus, Gilt-edge Toad Lily, “Grandmother’s Garden” Aquilegia, and Epimedium “Cantabrigiense.”
“We encourage our garden tourists to spend the weekend in Hermann and spread the tour over a two-day period,” said Alice Calhoun, tour coordinator. “There are so many wonderful gardens to see -- some deep into the woods, others down winding country roads -- which one can easily fill two days viewing them at a leisurely pace. Garden tourists will also want to have plenty of time to shop at the Plant Sale at the German School and artists’ gardens. ”
The Deutschheim Living History Day will feature things like Zither, Dulcimer, and Scheitholt music; spinning, weaving, basket weaving and clothing making; Civil War weapons and accoutrements; Fraktur and Scherenschnitte Arts; Springerle cookies and other displays.
Mary Fritts, president of the garden club, pointed out that proceeds from this year’s tour and sale will be used for scholarships in Horticulture for Hermann students.
Fritts pointed out that Hermann was recently voted as Missouri’s Most Beautiful Town by readers of Rural Missouri Magazine and said one of the reasons for that selection is the town’s many gardens.
“Six of the gardens in the tour are in or near our historic district and offer a lot of variety and new plantings,” said Fritts. “One, for example, features arbors covered with roses and roses bred especially for the Midwest in a European Cottage style garden; here you may even see a whimsical faerie or green man peeking out at you. There’s also a peaceful cottage garden featuring lots of shade-loving plants and whimsical garden crows and wooden wonders.
“At Deutschheim, visitors can see gardens that illustrate the historic significance of gardening to Hermann including perimeter gardens, four-square gardens, and grape arbors. On one of the ridge lines above Hermann is an artist’s garden. With its waves of colorful irises, roses, hellebores, and flowering shrubs, this garden is a perfect setting for the “en plein air” painting that the artist loves. Another has a magnificent waterfall created by the owners, terraced rose gardens, acres of vineyards, rows and rows of daylilies, and a fabulous view overlooking Hermann and the Missouri River. This year a brand new garden that can best be described as a city garden with a hill feature joins the tour; this garden will enchant you.”
Each garden on the tour is unique and will provide many ideas to take home. Garden tourists will be given a map and a brochure describing each of the gardens and gardeners will be available for questions at most stops.
For additional information, call the Hermann Welcome Center at 1-800-932-8687 or go to www.hermannmo.info.
Contact: Jim Grebing, Director of Tourism, 573-486-8995 or Hermann Garden Club, Alice Calhoun, Publicity 573-486-3060
