Garden tour centers on Geneva

"Explore the Gardens of Geneva, Mn" is the theme for Albert Lea Art Center's ART & GARDEN TOUR 2024. Five gardens in Geneva will be open to the public to visit on Friday, July 19th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 20th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

Tickets may be purchased at any of the tour locations on either day for $15.00 per person. This is a rain or shine event.

 

Team Geneva will be offering refreshments at the Geneva City Park both days as a fundraiser for their annual projects. This local organization sells Christmas trees during the holidays, and maintains the flowers around town in the summer. Your support is appreciated.

 

Also, with each ticket purchased, discount coupons are available for eating at George's of Geneva and Geneva Bar & Grill.

 

It should be noted that there are uneven areas in many of the gardens, as well as walkways that may not be level. Caution is suggested as you walk through the gardens to be safe from falls as you enjoy the tour.

 

These are the participating Gardeners and Artists who put their hearts and souls into their work and share it with us:

 

Gardens of JON & 

BERNIE WARNKE

215 East Main, Geneva

 

Jon & Bernie radically transformed a rather plain and barren yard 20 years ago into a vibrant landscape with thick, lush gardens under virtually each of their towering shade trees. There are many multi-colored hostas with splashes of color from bleeding hearts, coneflowers and painted palettes. Last year, more colors were added with flower boxes beneath the windows of their three-season porch.

 

Thick rows of evergreens line the driveway and a brick pathway casually winds down to the back of the house where a trickling water feature is nestled into hostas at the end of the path.

A short distance from the house patio is a beautiful garden bursting with color from zinnias and numerous other flowers. Metal fencing and sculptures accent the pathways of this lovely garden area.  

 

Artist JOAN RICHTER WIELDING is featured at the Warnke's. Her passion for art started in middle school with acrylic paintings of animal characters and pencil drawings of animals in nature. After her undergraduate degree in art, she started her own card and art prints business as Custom Notables by Joan. Today her diverse designs include animals, birds, flowers and landscapes using watercolor, acrylic, color pencil, digital painting, texturing, and multi-medium art.

 

Gardens of KEITH & 

RUTH HAGEN

106 - 2nd Avenue N.E., Geneva

From the street, the Hagen residence looks quite unassuming until you enter their fenced-in backyard, which encloses numerous mini-gardens that Ruth calls her "memory gardens." Planted in honor of various loved ones, it includes, for instance, "Ralph's garden," with its old wooden ladder, strung lights, birdbath, and metal sculpture accents.

The main feature of the backyard is a bright, lush garden ringed with rocks, sitting in front of their grandkids' play equipment. The imaginative garden features a trickling water fountain and mini-pond in the center, with a wide variety of colorful plants and flowers.  

Nestled beneath a giant evergreen in one corner of the yard is a fun little nook with a small round table and bright yellow chairs, giving the area the look of a whimsical fairyland tea setting. Nearby is a large tractor tire overflowing with purple flowers and a rusty, red wagon holding an adorable fairy garden.

Scattered throughout the enclosure are a number of ground lights for night-time illumination of a wonderland of serenity.

Artist SHERRIE HANSEN, featured at the Hagen residence, is well known for her highly acclaimed Blue Belle Inn B&B and Tea House Cookbook. She has also written 20 novels set in various European countries. She recently renewed her love of painting, which incorporates broad, loose brush strokes in colorful acrylic landscapes and florals reflecting her relaxed lifestyle in a picturesque area of northern Iowa.

 

Gardens of NEAL & SHELLEY PEDERSON

212-1st Street N.E., Geneva

A Master Gardner for 35 years, Shelley has beautified pretty much every square inch of their property in some way with her knowledge and creativity.  

The front of the house showcases diverse gardens of shade and sun with roses and giant lilies, as well as every type of shade-friendly plant imagineable, accented with mushroom and fairy statues.

Their variety of vegetables are grown in raised gardens with a magnificent garden close by, which is divided into sections representing the colors of the rainbow. Plants and flowers have been meticulously chosen for their bright, vibrant, and unique color, including many tree lilies.

The creativity of these gardens is enhanced with the clever use of metal sculptures, plus there is a livestock tank filled with flowers and even a barn cupula in her Heavy Metal garden.  

Artist BONNIE BROITZMAN, featured at the Pederson residence, uses the fluid nature of watercolor as a perfect medium for enjoying her creative process. She begins with pure primary pigments on wet paper which allows her to capture beauty with loose and playful abstraction. She has an undergraduate degree in art education, a master's in education, and did graduate work in art history across Europe and Egypt. Currently she teaches abstract workshops that emphasize color and design.

 

Gardens of LONNIE & THERESA BAARTCH

304 - 1st Avenue N. E., Geneva

Lonnie and Theresa live on a rustic two acre spread with a lovely balance of sun & shade areas.  Lonnie's grandparents originally owned the acre the house is built on. Their lush, beautiful iris garden began with plants from each of their grandmothers.

In the back yard, there is a relaxing, sand-filled spot with a cozy fire pit and wooden furniture, surrounded by well-manicured plants and shrubbery. Behind this is a fun play area for the couple's ten grandchildren.

Sitting beyond towering evergreen trees is their large vegetable garden area that combines traditional gardening with raised beds. They are currently experimenting with straw bale gardening and have bales of straw with plants growing in them.

Artist TAMMY SCHNEIDER, featured at the Baartch residence, uses several mediums for her paintings, including graphite pencil, watercolor, and acrylic. She creates mini-paintings of farm scenes on little easels, and does commissioned works of pets from photographs. Her artwork is for sale at several art centers in the area, including Albert Lea, Waseca, Mantorville, and Rochester. She has won numerous awards over the years at local fairs and shows. She also shares her love of music with her guitar at area care centers.

 

Gardens of DAN &

 SUE RICHARDS

602 - 5th Street S.E., Geneva

 

Dan and Sue's home is surrounded by modern landscaping with a solid, well-structured look.  The back of their house has an elevated patio that overlooks Geneva Lake, and features a fire pit and a pair of well trimmed bushes that look like jade sentinels guarding the front steps.

There are two delightful flower beds, chock-full of bright, sun friendly plants and flowers, accented by large field stones, decorative sculptures, a stone bench and birdbath.  

 

The back edge of the property is a wild and attractive area of a virtual forest of native trees, shrubs, and grasses with a variety of bright flowers planted in the grasses, resulting in an excellent habitat to attract butterflies.

 

Artist DEVONA MAHER is featured at the Richard's residence and her avid love of animals is reflected in her artwork. Some of her favorites to draw include African safari animals, plus bright renditions of rustic African landscapes, pastoral scenes, and golden cornfields in Iowa.

 

She creates fun, vibrant works of art in several mediums, including watercolor,  pencil, pastel pencil, and watercolor with pen and ink. She lives in Northwood, Iowa, and is a fervent supporter of animal rescue programs.

 

This event is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the MN State Arts Board and Southeastern MN Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage fund.

 

Supplementary funds provided by Thrivent Financial Services and Albert Lea Seed House.