Thank you for sharing your gardens and making the 
Master Gardener Association Genesee County 
Garden Tour 2014 a success
Scroll down to see slideshow pictures of each garden.

Doc and Marge Taylor

Our Garden is a Work of Love

Doc and Marge share in the work load except Marge says, “I don’t   share in MOWING!” They say that their gardens are a work of love and that God has blessed them with good soil, and they have a shared love of their yard and home.

When they moved into their home forty years ago, there was no landscaping.  There have been many flower gardens which have moved over the years.  The bank is their iris garden. It has hundreds of irises and large blue pots to hold annuals.  The landscape displays perennials, bulbs, flowering bushes and annuals.   Some flowering plants are lilacs, poppies, tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, phlox African violets, lilies, and multiple roses. In the fall, they have a rainbow of color of mums.

They will sometimes get cards from individuals who drive by and love the yard.  Some are just addressed to “Flower Lady, Grand Blanc, and the mail person seems to know where they are supposed to go.  They feel very blessed.

Pat and John Laycock

Picture Perfect Curb Appeal

“A home without flowers just doesn't look right.”

Pat and John acquired a love for gardening as small children.  Through planning and hard work, they now have an all season garden with colorful plants shrubs and early and late vegetables.  Walking the property is a favorite activity on a summer evening.

Their flower beds are lush.  Pat’s goal is to fill every empty spot with as many different varieties of plants and flowers that she can find and afford.  So many plants, so little room! John’s favorites are double marigolds, while Pat loves the hibiscus, butterfly bush, wegelia and oh, so many more. To a gardener, plants are like children, how do you pick a favorite?  "Our garden is special because of the many varieties and sheer volume of plants and shrubs on one-half acre."

Lou and Theresa Koslowski

Our Little Piece of Heaven

Lou and Theresa’s backyard is a paradise at home.  The pond and garden have been a work in progress for almost twenty years.  They added trees and shade to their once sunny, plain backyard.  The trees include variegated beech, curly willow, river beech, Siberian weeping pea, tiger eye sumac, and pine. Then came the hostas of the year walkway which includes the winning hostas from 1996-2014.  Wood sidewalks built by Lou will guide visitors through the gardens.   The family’s favorite place is sitting under the covered seating area by the pond which Lou dug himself. They  enjoy watching and feeding the Koi with grandchildren or spotting the oriole, grosbeak, and hummers visiting the bird houses and feeders.  They truly love their “Little Piece of Heaven” and so will you. 

Debbie Hazel

Artsy, Artsy, Artsy 

A yard is just a canvas to an artist gardener.   Deborah uses her art degree knowledge to enhance her garden landscape. She is very conscious of form and design as she layers her garden from high to low. She also incorporates circle design patterns throughout –rounded grass in back yard, rounded solar lanterns, and more.  Deborah designs with a repetition of blues and oranges. She uses her eye for art to transform junk into interesting garden art.  

The yard has various focal points. The side yard perennials draw birds and butterflies. A small corner is set aside for Deborah’s Japanese garden.  The flagstone patio was laid by Deborah and a friend. A beautiful garden does not just happen. It is planned. You will want to take the whole view in to appreciate the artist's touch. 

Carol and David Groat

Informal Nature Haven

Carol and David enjoy their one-half acre of pathways meandering through a variety of multi-leveled greenery and flowers.  Carol says that she sees many forms of wild life. As she walks the path, she gets scolded for being too close to bird’s nests.  Rabbits hop everywhere as she continuously lectures them not to eat her hostas.  Carol says that her gardens are a bit on the wild side, but so should life be.  There is a sense of control, but not completely, but that is what makes gardening fun for her.  It is a retreat from a busy world.

Carol says as you follow the path, look for the unexpected.  Study the habitats, remind the rabbits to leave the hostas alone, but most of all relax and enjoy the gifts of nature. 

Alan Fraiser

Flashes of color a block away! 

Annuals, perennials, Clematis, hanging baskets, oh my! Alan took over his mother’s garden when she became ill. The more that he dabbled in his mom’s garden beds, the more he realized that he enjoyed it. The following year, Alan started expanding the gardens. As he finishes his seventh year gardening, he is already thinking of the changes that he will make in his eighth year. Alan says, “My garden is always in a state of flux and change.” People often stop as they are driving by to admire and compliment his colorful garden creation.  He loves his entire garden, but the flower memorial he has planted in his parent’s honor really hits home.

Tricia and Andy Bogner

Eye Catching

When Tricia and Andy first moved to Warwick Hills six years ago, they inherited a challenging gardening environment- including a poison ivy thicket and a heavily shaded one acre yard.  The combination of  clearing  garden areas, moving overgrown yews from the front of the house, removing more trees to create more sun and adding soil to the the existing clay was the first step  From that point , choosing the proper plants, shrubs and trees for the growing environment began. 

Now, six years later, the gardens include ornamental shrubs such as twisted redbud, weeping cherry, dogwood,  and Alaskan weeping cedar.  There are shade loving medicinal plants such as sweet Sicily, wild ginger, and angelica.  The garden also includes: ligularia, lobelia, iris, bee balm, lilies,  loosestrife, grasses and more.   This all provides a beautiful place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the amazing collection of song birds at the numerous feeders.  The gardens expand yearly as the never-ending process continues.

Kevin and Brenda Christie

Big Garden Landscape 
with a Little Bit of Everything

Brenda and Kevin have been landscaping their two acres for twenty-eight years. They have one hundred trees including apple, peach, plum, pear, and cherry. About fifty of the trees are pine and the other fifty are some variety of ornamental flowering trees.  There are many beds throughout the landscape with 200 hostas, 8 varieties of day lilies, bee balms, shasta daisies, black eyed Susan, astilbe, and 5 different sea grasses.  The landscape also includes many flowering vines such as trumpet, wisteria, lace vine, and bittersweet vine. There are approximately fifteen varieties of flowering bushes.  Their favorite area is their pond. Enjoy a relaxing stroll.

Pam Dooley

Casual Rustic Gardener 
Found Treasures to Garden Art

Pam and her family in 1991 started with only two trees.  Since then, Pam has planted every tree, shrub and plant.  She says, “Every year I say no more, but then I see something I want to add a new space for it.”  Some of the family's feature plants are the gingko tree, paper bark maple, and pansy forest redbud.  They also have numerous flowering shrubs. 

The yard art will definitely draw your attention.  Some people look at something as junk, but not creative Pam. She is a master at taking trash and building it into something useful or decorative for her garden.  Her family has dragged from dumpsters and trekked through yard sales to locate material that later become Pam’s garden treasures.  For example, she has created seven out of her eight rain barrels.  She and her family have created benches, chairs, trellises and bird bath holders from wood and branches.  After visiting this garden, you will start looking at junk in a whole different way.