Welcome everybody to Midday magazine for this Friday July 12th, 2024.
Have your host James J. Mail off here and we're welcoming into the studio
great friends of ours. We just met but we're already good friends.
We have Lily with us from the Wood County Master Gardeners along with Richard
who is a garden host for the Master Gardeners walks. We'll be talking with him about that.
I do want to send a big thank you to our friends at visit Wisconsin Rapids Bureau
setting this up. A big thank you to Meredith and to gang over there. Love our friends over there
appreciate them always looking out for our community and looking and putting into our
community. So Lily I want to put you on the spot. I mean talk to you first.
Not kidding. Thank you both for being here and thank you so much for not only being a host in
this event Richard but Lily for you and the work that you do on this. I want to get right into
the 21st annual Garden Walk and first off what is the Garden Walk Lily? Well the Garden Walk
is hosted by the Wood County Master Gardeners and we've held this event for 21 years now.
We had a three year pause because of COVID and the inability to be in close contact with others
but we're back and the Garden Walk actually is a time for gardeners or gardener wannabes
to get out and see how others garden and get ideas and be inspired to take on projects on their own.
First off how good does it feel to have it back? Oh we're excited. The community has been asking
for this event to return for several years now. We missed it. It's fun. It's a lot of work
but we're glad to have it back next week. We have Janelle we're on with us usually once a
month, once every other month and Janelle and I talk a lot about the Master Gardeners organization
a club and this event in particular she was just on with us a little bit ago and whether it's
on air or off air she can't hide her excitement. She's so excited about this and so excited for
the community and people that enjoy this event so much. It's really gained a lot of popularity
in recent years and to see it back and flourishing and growing so well and I didn't mean that
no pun intended with that but it is blossoming if you will. It's a really fun event. There is
six local gardens that you'll be taking that tour of Tours. Yes four of them are in Wisconsin
Rapids and two in Port Edwards. Now this is something that people can travel to on their own
and find their own ways to kind of how they want to take this walk in. Yes we'll have signs out
on key areas and the streets in the community. We have a website where you can
get information about the garden walk as well in the locations. Yeah that website we'll
mention it again before you wrap up would county master gardeners dot org would county master
gardeners dot org and again we'll mention that before we wrap up today again and other information
if you want to find out more or volunteer some of that we'll talk about. Now literally this event
while the walk itself in the these hosts families and their gardens are beautiful and amazing
there's more going on at this event too. Oh yeah we want to bring customers in and have an enjoyable
time. We have a couple artists who are one artist in fact is going to be doing artwork in the garden
on site and that's that Richard's garden. Yeah that's pretty cool. We'll talk more about that
in a moment Richard but I'm very excited to talk about that. We also have musicians. Yeah and we
have some an excellent baker who's going to be selling cookies and we have other vendors Cindy
Orzel who has a business in mosaic work and beating and another one Laura who comes to us
from Rothschild area and she does garden art. Oh wow that's great. One more thing I had to bring out
is that we are having a basket raffle and a silent auction with a lot of really cool items so
that's going to be a big draw. There are a number of things that this community loves but one of
any event that is starting out or has been going on for a while I ask do you have a raffle?
This area loves our raffles and you got to have a raffle at the event that's great to hear.
When it comes to the live music or these bake treats that you mentioned since this is a mobile
event where will those be located? The musicians and the baker are at a specific garden in Port
Edwards called the wedding garden and the people are going to be dressed in wedding attire. The
music is going to sound like something you'd hear at a wedding so we've got a real theme going
there. That's wonderful and very cool to hear we're good to know that. Does every spot all six
locations do they each have a different theme? I would say so yes a different kind of a flare
and that's what we do when we go out in search homes. We look for uniqueness. We have one that
has a little bit of whimsy a gardener who enjoys taking antiques and putting them into her flower beds.
We have someone who has complete shade which makes life challenging for gardeners but this guy
is a rock star and he manages his shake garden very well. We have another one who's just bouncing
with colors so yeah they're all very unique. And as far as the baked treats is there any
a variety of that or just your normal and your your love we love baked treats. Yeah and I just
I'm basically just want to talk about baked treats for a second. That's our baker specializes
in cookies and cupcakes but she's going to be offering cookies that are in the shape of
bridesmaid gowns, tuxedos or flowers. That's good that's smart. So we've got all that going for you
along again with the basket raffles and silent auctions and these wonderful homes that you get
that these great guests that these hosts have for us and everything and I want to talk to you a
little bit about that Richard if you don't mind. First up when you how did you find out that your
garden was selected that your house was selected? Well I was first asked to be a host on the garden
walk in 2012 then again in 2017 and then again this year normally the master gardeners would have a
five-year interval between asking someone to be a host again but like Holy said there was COVID
in there so there was three years no garden walk. So when it comes to doing this what does it
mean to you to be able to be a part of this? Well I really enjoy gardening. I used to be an
engineer so one of the the features of my garden is hardscape, flagstone, retaining walls. I
and I grew up on a farm. I worked with my father. I enjoy work. I enjoy that because you can see
results of it. Other people enjoy hiking and other things but and good for them but you don't see
the results of it. So I really enjoy gardening. I enjoy the I have a plant sale also every year because
I enjoy the the people that come to it. I get to know some of them. You know it's just various
things. Every garden evolves all the time and I enjoy watching that. I I feel a real
kinship to that. So my father was a construction worker my whole life and me if I got five,
ten minutes to do I want to build something. I want to build something and I just like the
seeing my time I put into something you know I developed it turned into something like that.
That's that's great to hear. Engineering is such an awesome field too. We might have to have
you back to talk about that someday. When it comes to the fun of your garden to the the
uniqueness of your garden what stands out to you about your garden? Well the uniqueness
of my garden and every garden is different based on people's preferences and what they have
to work with. But my wife and I bought the lot that we have and built on it in 74 we bought it,
75 we had it built and we bought it because it had huge white pine and huge red oak on it.
So it's shade and I didn't realize initially that you could grow a lot of things in shade
but there's a number of plants that you can grow and shake. So mainly my I would term
my garden is hostas, hardscape and now I've discovered martagon lilies in the last few years which
are lilies that can thrive in partial shade. So that's the that's the uniqueness I guess of it.
I have about 250 different varieties of hostas. Wow and I I'd even learn something right there
because I wasn't sure about certain flowers being able to grow in the shade either. That's really
interesting. Is your wife a big part of the garden as well? She helps me clean up in the fall
and this way but otherwise no the garden is my she enjoys it she likes it but this isn't her thing.
That's cool. That's that's great and good on her for still helping it a little bit than
really the gut. Richard thank you so much for sharing that with us and being here is
what we like to do too though is encourage others to be just like you and take up their garden and
make it unique and add some beauty to it and put some energy and time and get their hands in the
dirt a little bit if I can be just real about it. Get out there and enjoy your gardens.
For you if you are encouraging others to do be a part of something like this or even
throw their hat in the ring for the master gardeners to be able to maybe choose their garden one
day. What would you say to people about your experience with this event?
Well I have you enjoyed it? Yeah so I have enjoyed it. I probably enjoy showing it off.
Yeah that's not wrong with that. I enjoy it. It's nice to share it. Yes exactly.
Yeah but I enjoy my garden also in 2006 I built a six foot high wooden fence all the way around
my lot so as I so I could keep out the deer I refer to the I used to be a deer hunter right now
I refer to them as woods rads. And so that but that not only keeps the deer out but
you know it's it's a time of I enjoy people but I enjoy also times of solitude and I enjoy
you know just being out in my garden and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.
Yeah well sets are well set and then again again thank you for the time and thank you for
being a host house and being able to being a part of this and everything and sharing some
of your garden with us. We appreciate that. We're speaking with Lily and Richard about the 21st
annual garden walk that is coming up Saturday July 20th from nine to four be a part of this and
Lily if people do want to be a part of this and get tickets where can they get them? Well we still
have tickets available in Wisconsin Rapids at the Angel Floral and Designs Reeves Greenhouse
which is closed now is not available but Urban's is still open and so is one Rose. In the Kusa
Beaver's Dine Store is offering tickets and those early tickets are $10 I want you to let you know
$12 the day of the of the walk and Foss's Garden Center in Rome and then finally important
Edwards at El Café. Wonderful place to stop. Yeah well big fans of El Café around here they're
one of our sponsors of our birthday and anniversary club and a couple of those places we work with
very strongly all great local businesses and as we always like to mention support those that
support us by local support local everybody there are a lot of great businesses in our community
that put back into our community we appreciate you supporting them like they support us.
I also wanted to mention those sponsors that we have here because we got a lot of great sponsors
a part of this event. Yeah you know because we had dry times with our garden walk getting it started
we had no budget so we went out and looked for some sponsors to help us with promoting the event.
Ace Hardware locally was a big part of that Beaver's Dine Store. El Café again. A lot of green
houses like Foss's, Jung and Steven's Point, the Hostestop, Garden Villa, J. Marr, Ellen J. I
mean Reeves, Urban's, Shadows, Nursery and Marshfield, Wiggins. We got Tri-City Golf Course and
we also got the Regis Disponsor us and that was great and quick trip has been amazing to help us out.
Again all great local businesses all people to put back into this community and encourage you
to support them like they support us and great to hear them being a part of this event. That's
wonderful thank you for that Lily appreciate it. We do want to mention that this is also a great
way to support local artists as you mentioned it'll be an artist at Richard's Place. That is
going to be pretty fun Richard it seems like that's going to be a unique part of the experience
over at your spot. Yes there's actually going to be two artists there. Oh okay I have already been
I've met both of them of course sometime with both of them but Sonja is the first name of
Sonja Copa is the name of the one artist and she has taken, it was her suggestion she took some
of my flagstones and has painted some of my Martagon lilies on them so we'll have those displayed
in front of the stands of Martagon lilies that I have throughout the garden. Isn't that cool because
the gardens have already bloomed or either the flowers have so. What a great idea. Oh that's
awesome and then another thing that I did in conjunction with her is I made a hexagon casted
out of concrete the same size as were given to me by the master garden in the two previous garden
walks and so she's going to paint a hostile on that and also paint on that garden walk 2024.
Oh three displays on my deck. Oh is that cool. Similar I mean with different designs on them.
Yeah oh that's awesome that's great I shout out to her. You mentioned there's two artists.
Is there another or the other? Carol Henke used to be a school teacher. Yeah it's going to say
we make Carol. Yeah Carol's great. Our future at the local high school. Yeah Carol's going to
she'll be she'll be on display during the garden walk. She's going to be painting. Oh that's
awesome. Very cool and again as important as I think it is to support these sponsors and these
people to put into this our artists as well and our supporting the arts in this area is very
important in central Wisconsin and there's another opportunity to be able to do that. We'll also
get outside enjoying yourself taking in some of these host families great gardens. We do want
you to keep that in mind that we are guests when we're coming past these places and everything and
be respectful and enjoy yourself and be respectful and have a good time with it and when it comes
to ticket sales again that how you you said that there are still tickets available they sounded like
we're getting a little low on those Lily are we are. We're going to have enough for everybody.
Okay good good we just want to make sure that we get we encourage people to get those tickets
sooner than later. You don't want to wait and see you don't just make sure to get them and get
it out of the way and and have that taken care of appreciate the time from you all so much thank
you very much. I didn't want to take a moment a little bit to just talk about the wood kind of
master gardeners association. This association that's an energetic group of gardeners who are
dedicated to their communities and excited to gain and share knowledge with the public. I know
that that is something Janelle talks a lot about it. This is a wonderful event we want you to take
it in but if you have questions please feel free to ask and and find out more about how your garden
can look as beautiful as theirs. We will have a master gardener throughout the day in each of the
garden gardens on the walk and they're there to answer any questions you have. We also have
information on how to become a master gardener available at each of the gardens because we really
need to bump up our numbers. Pre COVID we were about 130 some members and then I think that
COVID changed our lives in a lot of ways and for us we lost membership but we are a fun group.
We work on a lot of projects throughout wood county and volunteer hours. One of my projects is
the museum and the museum gardens are beautiful right now. We help out at Edgewater Haven.
There are projects down in Rome and also in Marshfield so it's a big area. Volunteers are
scattered and we do what we can but we could use your help. Yeah and it's part of the well we want
to certainly promote the garden walk. We want to promote the master gardeners as well and maybe get
to bump those numbers up a little bit. The master gardeners host fundraisers as Lily was mentioning
there they financed projects. They put into this community like like like Sally was Lily was
sent mentioning there but the group meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month and meetings are
open to the public and include an educational session along with business meetings. Something to
keep in mind as well you don't necessarily have to be a quote master gardener to be a part of the
program. You can become one by being a master gardener. Yes. So that's something I think good to
keep in mind out there for those like I know my mother has been interested in this but she fears
that she doesn't have a green enough thumb. I don't like mom that's not what it's about. I've
explained it to her so I think you might be having at least one other member coming out your way
pretty soon. For more information on the Wood County Master Gardeners Association that could be
found at Wood County master gardeners.org. That's Wood County master gardeners.org encourage
you to reach out and find out more that way and Lily if we did want if there is people out
there listening they would like to volunteer they would like to help out in any way they can.
How can they reach you guys? Is that the best way to reach you through the website?
Yeah the website would be a great idea otherwise personal contact you know if you see any of us
on the day of the walk next week let us know what your interests are.
Yeah thank you for that. Lily did we cover everything I think we covered everything pretty good
there. Yeah I forgot to mention a couple of our sponsors. Okay please. Wiggins and
Willasic landscaping they were awesome to help us out too. In fact we have some donations from some
of these sponsors that are going to be raffle or items you can bid on at Garden One. So please
come and hit all the gardens they're all very unique it's going to be an enjoyable day.
It's going to be a great time and you guys are going to have great weather for it and we're
going to have a great crowd. The 21st annual Garden Walk comes up Saturday July 20th 9 to 4
get your tickets there are still tickets available over in rap in angels floral and design
Reeves Greenhouse, Urban's Greenhouse, One Rose Greenhouse, Indicusa Beaver's Dime Store,
Fosses in Rome, Elcafe in Port Edwards, Shalos in Nursery and Marshfield and Jamar in
Clover. And of course find out more information and become a wood and maybe become a wood county
master gardener at woodcountymastergardeners.org woodcountymastergardeners.org. And also find out more
about the Wisconsin Rapids area with our great friends at VisitWisconsinRapids at VisitWisRapids.com
VisitWisRapids.com. Thank you both again for the time appreciate you. And I want to say a big
appreciation to our head scheduler here in Pam Hilke the heart of WFHR doing a great job
week in a week out scheduling this program for us. We will have more midday magazine for you next
week right here at 975 FM 1320 AM WFHR we are locally grown radio.
