Bob & Randy Wilson are brothers that share a love of gardening. Their gardens are on their parents' home place. Which is now Randy's home near Knoxville, IA. There are acres of daylilies, peonies, ornamental grasses, hostas, & many other perennial plants & ornamental trees. The gardens are meticulously tended by both Bob & Randy.

The wonderful reputation of Wilson Gardens is spreading fast. Word-of-mouth advertising is still the best recommendations. The Des Moines Register had a nice article about them this summer. Many garden clubs tour each summer. Bob & Randy both give gardening presentations to interested groups. They are two of the nicest guys you ever want to met.

Hostas are a main spring attraction. The gardens triumphantly explode in July with brilliant color of thousands of day lilies they grow & hybridize. Ornamental grasses adorn the gardens all season while other workhorse perennials alternate decorating the hillsides. One of my favorite times to visit Bob & Randy is when the peonies are in full bloom. And I can buy hostas then too. Day lilies are sold in July. Appointments to visit are recommended.

Connie (my best gardening buddy) and I discovered Wilson Gardens a few years ago. We went on a "run-away" day where we hop in the car without any idea of where we're going or what we'll end up doing. One such adventure led us to Wilson Gardens. We met Bob that day and have been great garden friends ever since. We visit each others gardens back & forth plus have fun trading hosta seeds and plants.

Deciding where to include "Holland Drive Gardens" was difficult. Bruce & Trudy Van Wyk built their little backyard nursery just across the road from us a couple of years ago. So they are neighbors, friends, garden friends, & a favorite place to buy hostas. I could be over there every day making quite a pest of myself.

Trudy specializes in hostas & daylilies. You will always find the best & newest plants waiting to go home with you. There are other perennials too, many that Trudy starts herself, like corkscrew willow trees, rose bushes, & scented geraniums. Buying plants from Trudy is a plant-adoption process. She loves all her plant "babies" & wants to be sure they have a good home. It's a very special, unique, personalized plant experience. And it's fun too!

I love visiting Trudy's display gardens. It's a wonderful botanical experience. We walk & talk & escape into plant paradise. Trudy's bubbling enthusiasm & plant knowledge is intoxicating & contagious. Her gardens are lovingly tended; filled with delightful, vibrant plant specimens & experiments. At every glance there's intriguing garden art & alluring water features. The yard boast nearly 40 different varieties of shade & ornamental trees. Every thing is "picture perfect".

Ron & I are truly blessed having such good neighbors & living in such a fun gardening neighborhood. We have six "little piece of heaven" gardens within walking distance. Eventually I'm hoping to include each one on this website.

This past summer our neighborhood hosted garden tours for the Russ O'Hara Hosta Society complete with box lunch & afternoon hosta auction. Then the Knoxville Federated Garden Club. It rained the morning Knoxville came but it didn't dampen the gardening spirit. We just got out umbrellas & away we went, tromping all around the neighborhood. Summer / 2003 we hosted the Pella Historical Society Garden Club tour. We always have a great time. "It's a good thing".

Also see Spring Fling & Garden Friends.

Stark Gardens

Backyard Garden nurseries are favorite places to visit. I love the one-on-one personal attention. I enjoy learning about the plants. I know they are healthy and well tended. Each purchase is almost an adoption process.

Stark Gardens became a part of my gardening community after becoming acquainted with Dean Stark & Brenda Harvey as members of the Russ O’Hara Hosta Society. All real hosta people know about Stark Gardens.

A couple of years ago Eric Kinman became Dean’s apprentice at Stark Gardens. With Dean’s retirement in 2005, Eric & his wife, Sheila became the new ‘Stark Gardens’. I became better acquainted with them that same year when we hung out together during the National Hosta Convention.

Eric & Sheila bring passion, enthusiasm, & the seemingly endless energy of youth to Stark Gardens. Gunther Stark’s legacy shall live-on in the hosta world.

2006 Stark Gardens Catalog (pdf file)

National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Provides List of Plant Societies
National Garden Clubs will assist in researching the societies and will provide membership information.

Plant Society Brochure (Word Document file)

Day Trips for Iowa

Central Iowa Tourism

American Garden Museum - Garden History and Heritage Gardens Across America

Denver Botanic Gardens

Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha Botanical Gard

Chicago Botanic Garden

Powell Gardens

Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Bickelhaupt Arboretum

Muscatine Arboretum

Iowa Arboretum

Dubuque Arboretum

Brenton Arboretum

Flying Frog Farm

www.flyingfrogfarms.com

June 10 - 2007: Day Trips are fun especially when 4 friends that all love gardening, go on - "Girl's Day Out". Arrangements had been made to visit Marcia & Bruno at FFF - Flying Frog Farm.

How did they come up with the name? Well, without too many gory details, it stemmed from an incidence involving Bruno, a riding lawn mower, & lots of frogs or frog pieces flying through the air.

After retirement, Marcia & Bruno are capitalizing on their love of growing things. They built a garden shed retreat that doubles as a gift shop now. They grow and sell shade plants with hostas as the mainstay. Hostas are queen of the shade garden. Their acreage is in a beautiful natural setting, very peaceful, very tranquil, with spectacular hosta display gardens. Visit FFF to get away from the hustle & bustle of the city. (see website for details)

I took just a few pictures to share. Enjoy!

See Slide Show: Flying Frog Farm.