Historical September–October 2018 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Each year on the Breakfast Garden Tour we explore a different part of Skinker-Debaliviere. For our 20th annual tour in addition to backyard gardens, we also visited other areas that gardeners take care of outside of their own backyards.
We hope you will discover the talent and hard work with which these neighbors grace our community!
On 5900 Kingsbury at Nina Place, Cecelia Younger’s garden was only three weeks old on the day of the tour.
When she bought her house, she was surprised to learn that the garden next to her house was also her property! Cecelia now takes care of this triangle of land with a beautiful berm garden, which sports hostas, two varieties of liriope, cockscomb, and sedum, all of which are shaded by two flowering cherries, backed up by a row of flame bushes. Back by the alley, two colors of barberry make a vibrant live fence, to protect the greenspace from heavy foot traffic.
In the street at 5900 Kingsbury are three concrete planters. Neighbors at first did not like these planters and tried to get rid of them until the beautification committee and a St. Roch girl scout troop magically turned these white concrete pipes into stone masonry. Beverly Price adopted these planters and grows gorgeous colorful flowers in them. Beverly’s private garden, which was also on the tour, is a beautiful New Orleans style garden featuring Mardi Gras colors of purple, yellow and green, and 50+ year old ferns from her mother’s garden in New Orleans. Next to Beverly, Jim and Mary Ellen Price’s private yard has an open fence for all to enjoy, along with an area between the street and alley which they maintain for nature to thrive in. Coneflowers attract birds that love the seeds, along with phlox, columbine, native hibiscus, and native grasses, along with non-natives stella d’oro daylilies,and lilac. Their Ohio Ironweed grows to be 4½ feet tall, with pale blue blossoms, which pollinators love.
They used to stop feeding the birds in the summer, because of damage to the plants, so they now grow native grasses under the bird feeders: a sustainable pair!
An avid birdwatcher, Jim says the three kinds of bird feeders draw “all of the usual suspects,” and even occasional cooper hawks.
It is thrilling to see blue jays again! Lucier park was recently planted with 50 trees and 25 shrubs as a grant from Project ReLeaf. Many long-time neighbors joined in planting these trees as a family project, as they got to label each of their trees with their family names.
In 2007, the beautification committee and St. Roch Girl Scout Troop 3528, planted the row of now-mature trees along the Delmar alley.
The new trees are maintained and watered by neighbors and the SD Beautification Committee.
As these new trees grow, the park will be even more beautiful, healthier, and cooler.
Another gardening project is a pair of large metal planters halfway down the park, by the 5900 DeGiverville alley, planted and watered by neighbors of this block. Neighbors pick up the trash which lands in the park, and are working on maintaining a garden which surrounds the sign at the park entrance.
In Kingsbury square, not many houses have backyards, but many have narrow planting areas in front of their houses. Inspired by his neighbor Irving Clay, who placed pavers in his pathway, Jim Schmidt took the initiative and placed pavers in his yard and other’s yards as well. Jim developed a watering system for his garden and the nearby neighbors’ grow spaces.
It is low maintenance: Jim says, “turn on water, make a cocktail, sit and water the plants”.
Also in Kingsbury Square, Derek and Jenny Knight have a corner yard which they grace with a lovely garden. Derek is a regular contributor to the Times of Skinker DeBaliviere and wrote a wonderful article about his garden in the previous issue.
The tour wrapped up in Kingsbury Square Park.
The soft rolling landscape is not hilly, but much more interesting than just a flat plane. You’ll find a wide variety of trees of many sizes and different foliage including mature pin oaks, redbuds, and flowering trees.
The boxwood, pachysandra, and begonias grace the gardens at each corner entrance to the Kingsbury Square Park.
The inside gardens at these corners have boxwood, hostas, and bright green and yellow liriope.
These gardens are meticulously cared for by James Baalmann and Steven Weisenfels along with Delores Horstman.
In the shade garden near the gazebo is a collection of around 100 hostas of different varieties.
This park has been the site of neighborhood gatherings including the senior ice cream socials and the Porchfest music festival. Thank you to the many neighbors who attended our special 20th anniversary tour. Thanks also to the gardeners who opened their private yards, and a very special thanks to the gardeners who take care of the open areas for all our neighborhood to enjoy.
Original photograph caption
Garden Tour participants; individual people not identified in source.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, September–October 2018.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2018_09.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
