Rochester Garden Walk Strollin Along for 17 Years

From town to country, the 17th annual Rochester Garden Walk co-sponsored by the Rochester Garden Club and the Rochester Hills Museum and Van Hoosen Farm shows off many unique and private gardens in the greater Rochester area.  This year's event takes place Thursday, June 16 from 10 am to 6 pm.  In addition to strolling in the private gardens, guests can also tour the Children's Garden on the Rochester Hills Museum grounds as well as the award winning Calf Barn, Dairy Barn and historic planting surrounding the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse.

Featured gardens include a two-acre property that is graced with massed planting of hostas, astilbe, allium and many other lovely groupings.  Not to be missed are next door neighbors who share the gardening bug.  As friends for nearly 50 years, these fellow gardeners exchange plants, ideas and share a space between their homes that they call the "Friendship Garden." Two gardens on the tour combine lovely outdoor living spaces with delightful gardens guaranteed to please.  Completing the walk is a beautiful woodland garden that beckons both people and wild life, that features a welcoming arbor and stone pathways.

An Open Air Market featuring Michigan artisans will be held at the Museum from 10 am to 4 pm on walk day.  Shoppers will find unique creations in metal fabrication, garden art, pottery, plants for the garden, fabric work and vintage finds.  The wares will be offered inside and around the 1927 Calf Barn which has been completely restored to enable its usage as a rental facility for weddings, receptions and meetings.  Rochester Garden Club members Ethel Stepnitz and Pat Hambleton will present "Growing and Cooking with Herbs" at 11:30 am in the Calf Barn.  This program will feature ideas for successfully growing your own herbs, and delicious recipe ideas and tastings so you can learn to better use your own garden bounty.  For the avid gardener's convenience, herb plants from Foglers will be on sale before and after the herbs program.  Door prizes will be awarded during the program which is free to Garden Walk ticket holders.

Garden walk participants can also explore the award-winning Children's Garden which boasts hands-on activities such as patchwork checkers and hopscotch.  They join other popular features such as the sundial, pizza ABC, and butterfly areas.  There's also the Stoney Creek Schoolhouse replica complete with working bell and Kathleen's Pump in the garden which is planted and maintained by garden club volunteers.  Strollers can learn about the important role of native bees and insects in gardens at the newly installed habitat structures recently donated by a club member.

Another perennial favorite of the yearly walk is the Cookie Room located in the Dairy Barn.  Garden club members welcome guests to sample their homemade cookies and lemonade.  If cookies and lemonade don't satisfy, new this year is a vendor who will serve hot dogs with a variety of toppings to delight every palate.  Be sure to stop by the current museum exhibit, Benchmarks, Lime Pits, and Mill Ponds,- Historical Maps of the Rochester Area.  In addition, there are several touch screen computers and wide variety of local history videos available for viewing.  The Museum Store has wide variety of unique gifts for every age.

Advance tickets are available from May 27 through noon on June 15 on the museum website, rochesterhills.org/musprograms as well as at Bordines Nursery and Lytle Pharmacy.  Cost is $12 in advance or $16 on the day of the event.  Beginning June 10, tickets can be purchased at the Rochester Hills Museum, 1005 Van Hoosen Road, Rochester Hills, 48306, from 1 - 4 pm Monday through Saturday and all day on June 16.  For more information visit RochesterGardenClub.org or call (248) 656-4663.