Open Gardens Weekend offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of Iowa City

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Over the weekend, Project Green hosted the Open Gardens Weekend to showcase residential gardens across Iowa City and Coralville.

Jeff sigmund

Mike Farran, far left, chats with visitors at a Project Green event in Iowa City on Saturday, July 9, 2021.


For most of the year, residents are encouraged to stay on the sidewalk and only watch their neighbors’ curbside projects from afar, but Open Gardens Weekend, a Project Green event, invites the community to open its gardens to the public.

Project Green, founded in 1968, is an offshoot of the Iowa City urban renewal process.

Over half a century ago, Project Green’s first project was to transform the midways of Iowa Avenue. Now Cindy Parsons, co-chair of Project Green, has explained that her mission is to beautify the city.

“We are focusing on beautification projects around town and educating the community about gardening and landscaping,” Parsons said. “Since 1968, we’ve spent about $ 2.2 million on projects. “

On July 11 and 12, Project Green hosted its second annual Open Gardens weekend, two years after its inaugural event. The pandemic has delayed follow-up events planned for last year. The event allows the Iowa City community to organize tours of their private gardens.

Beth Cody, president of the event, said a similar event in New York City became her inspiration to start touring Iowa City.

“We previously had a similar garden tour where we charged admission and only a handful of gardens hosted at the time,” Cody said. “Then I discovered Garden Walk Buffalo in New York State. “Instead of charging entry, they allow local businesses to sponsor the event. This allowed us to open the event to the whole community for free and to raise funds.

The money raised is used to fund future beautification projects, such as the Ashton House, a private house built in 1947 by Edward L. “Ned” Ashton.

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Ashton was a civil engineer and professor at the University of Iowa. In 2001, Ashton House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“After the 2008 floods, the town purchased the Ashton House and we are working with the town to further develop it as a venue for community events, such as weddings, parties and reunions,” Parsons said. .

She added that these tours can be beneficial in inspiring the community to make an effort to improve landscaping around the city.

“It’s not necessarily the big gardens, but the original little ones that can inspire,” she said.
“Guests will see ideas that they can incorporate into their own gardens. “

One of the tour’s garden hosts, John and Kim Anderson, fits the original description. They moved into their home in downtown Iowa City in 1998, and then started working on the garden.

When asked when her garden was finished, Kim Anderson replied, “It’s never finished.”

In Anderson Garden, aka The indignant chicken, there are tropical influenced ornaments at the rear of the property. There are signs indicating the direction to different islands – Easter, Hawaii, etc.

There are several places to be entertained, Kim Anderson said, including the wraparound porch overlooking the street. In the garden one feels isolated from the busy street in front of the property, she said.

“I would love to live in a tropical place and I can’t,” she said. “Also, [I like] escaping places like Tiki in Vegas and the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disney World, taking everyone’s ideas and making them inspire me. It’s like this little isolated refuge. From the street, you have no idea that there is even a backyard at this house.

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