During this one-day annual event, Master Gardeners and other gardening enthusiasts show off their extraordinary gardens. This is a family friendly event with gardening resources and activities for children and adults.  The tour will delight your senses, stimulate your curiosity, and inspire new ideas as you venture through seven gardens in the Metro Area.

These home gardens reveal a variety of backyard spaces with patios, garden paths, garden features, perennial beds, water gardens, pollinator gardens and bountiful vegetable spaces. Shade or sun - inspiration abounds, all with the addition of a few native plantings and other alternative spaces.

Enjoy a breathtaking display of color and fragrance as you experience the activities and wander through the vegetable and flower gardens of Polk County Master Gardeners!

Meet the Gardeners

Meet Ruth Stevens

Ruth has been an Master Gardener since 1997! Over those many years her volunteer hours were earned by working in the greenhouse, plant sales, and the Garden Tour. In addition, she spent time working in the horticulture department at the Iowa State fair, the Beaverdale Farmers Market and a a few of county fairs.

Ruth and her family have lived in their home since 2005, At the time it had some basic landscaping in front. It’s been a work in progress ever since. During the time they have lived in their home, she and her husband have built a brick patio, retaining wall, raised beds, hosta beds and several garden areas. We’ve taken out trees and added new. They are never finished and enjoy  continually renewing and transforming their garden through change and time.

They favorite parts of her garden are their front garden bed and she most enjoys growing flowers and tomatoes. Ruth loves bunnies-real and artificial. See how many bunnies you can find in her garden!

Meet Margo Hay

Margo Hay has been a Master Gardener since 2010. Margo Hay’s “children’s storybook” garden is a labor of love. Pay attention to the little surprises all around. Like the owl peeking out of a tree trunk or the fairy garden at the base of the tree. Look for beautiful natives and check out the outdoor rooms that Margo has created. look for hidden and prominate story book delights such as Billy Goat’s Gruff, Humpty Dumpty, and more! 

Margo's impressive garden is a great example of creating outdoor rooms and spaces!

Meet Jenny McCoy

Jenny McCoy is a Master Gardener intern this year. She considers herself a bit of a gardening geek, "one who constantly listens to plant podcasts in the car, has an insatiable appetite for gardening magazines and Instagram posts, falls asleep to BBC Gardeners World, and has honed her skills at propagating, trading, and finding the best bargains to help fill her space."

She is especially interested in eco-friendly gardening, and has been working hard to add more natives and biodiversity to her home landscape. Her garden was recently recognized as a Gold winner by the DSM Magazine Home Design Awards in Exterior and Outdoor Living: Garden Design/Landscape/Hardscape. Don't miss this beautiful example of curb appeal and intuitive design.

Meet Jacquie Brewer

Jacquie Brewer moved into her home 8 years ago. She explained that her first year was spent identifying what was in the gardens and cleaning up as they had been neglected for a couple seasons. Having a love of gardening and being a new Master Gardener; maintaining these beds is a dream come true.

Daisy, the family dog, is her constant garden companion. Gardening, and these gardens are always a work in progress for her. She thoroughly enjoys the process from planting to bloom. Don't miss her lovey perennials at the height of the season.