A Garden Tour and Much More

On June 25 and 26, Gateway to Hope Garden Tour offers central Iowans a tour of six Pella gardens—and much more. It also offers an adult-child outing opportunity, with a Kid’s Corner at each garden, along with a chance to paint a planter, pot a plant, and take it home. It provides presentations that include growing vegetables, building a water feature, arranging a bouquet in a teacup, including garden greens in your diet—and a shopping opportunity for plants and garden art.

These options and more will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. On Sunday, June 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the gardens will be open for a quiet Sunday afternoon stroll. 

All moneys donated to the tour will fund arts camps for Nicaraguan children living in the poorest-of-the-poor neighborhoods. Donation boxes will be available at each garden, with a suggested minimum tour donation of $10.

Featured Pella gardens are:

·         Van Klompenburg Gardens. 599 228^th Place. An engineer’s vegetable garden with raised beds, irrigation, and row covers. Also a flower-lover’s perennial gardens.

·         Vue Garden. 2209 West Washington Street. A huge Hmong vegetable garden, known for its immaculate upkeep and Asian vegetables.

·         Burg Garden. 509 Liberty. A veteran gardener’s vegetable garden featuring heirloom tomatoes and traditional North American vegetables.

·         Kuyers Garden. 506 Liberty. A gracious backyard garden with a patio, iris, peonies, and more.

·         Groenenboom-Kreykes Gardens. 1115 East Seventh Street. A two-for one tour of adjacent gardens, each with a water feature.

·         Faith Church Community Gardens. Corner of University and E. 12^th Street. A flower garden maintained by church members and individual vegetable garden plots for interested Pella residents. Includes a plot grown with vegetables popular in India.
A garden tour tea, a retail shop, information about the Nicaraguan children’s arts camps, and children’s lawn games will also be provided here.

More details will be added to this blog as the tour date approaches. Check back again!