In the Garden: Coeur d’Alene Garden Tour features six gardens on July 11

Do you look for inspiration in other people’s gardens? You’ll find plenty of it and more during the Coeur d’Alene Garden Tour on July 11 featuring six diverse gardens in Coeur d’Alene and Hayden.

One delightful garden in Coeur d’Alene is nestled into a hillside and features a lovely view of the lake. The garden’s charm is the result of a collaboration among Vern Harvey, Dan Dolezal and Abdul Samad.

“I’m the labor guy who does the hard labor and shapes the beds to get things ready,” Harvey explained. “Dan likes putting the baskets together and enjoys growing unusual things that are hard to find from seed. Abdul helps out by watering and mowing the lawn, but he wants to create his own garden next year.”

The garden had its humble beginnings in 1996 and has changed dramatically over the years, said Harvey, an art teacher at Hayden Meadows Elementary School. This garden has appeared on the tour previously, but it is always evolving.

“Every year, we’ve done something different, so there are always new surprises for visitors to discover. This year, we have the (elementary school) kids’ art in the garden as well,” Harvey said.

The men have put in all of the water features, which include a creek, fountains, ponds and even a small lake. Among the towering pines, there are decks and serene sitting areas, colorful containers, wine grapes, fruit trees and berries and two separate areas for growing vegetables. Lush shade plants enhance this peaceful setting.

“The design of the garden rooms has been organic and has been dictated by the lay of the land,” Dolezal said. “The funny thing is I hated gardening when I was growing up, but I’ve been enjoying creating a ‘wow’ factor here.”

Harvey, Dolezal and Samad are looking forward to welcoming tourgoers while providing them with an opportunity to explore their garden and perhaps take home some innovative ideas.

Here are the locations of all of the tour gardens:

Vern Harvey, Dan Dolezal and Abdul Samad, 4405 S. Vista Loop, Coeur d’Alene

Larry Running and Terry Pratt, 718 N. Eighth St., Coeur d’Alene

Nikki Betts, 812 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Coeur d’Alene

Bethann and Joel Hersey, 1815 E. Davis Ave., Coeur d’Alene

Susan Lovelace, 11391 N. Riata Road, Hayden, Idaho

Marilyn and Joe Harris, 2468 E. Hudlow Road, Hayden, Idaho

The Coeur d’Alene Garden Club is hosting the tour. All proceeds will benefit local charities and North Idaho College scholarships.

Garden centers that will be selling the tickets are:

Aspen Nursery, 6075 E. Commerce Loop, Post Falls, (208) 667-7511

Ace Hardware, 4th and Harrison, Coeur d’Alene, (208) 667-9466

Greenacres Nursery, 18605 E. Appleway Ave., Greenacres, (509) 928-1922

Mix It Up Gifts, 513 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene, (208) 667-8603

New Leaf Nursery, 12655 N. Government Way, Hayden, (208) 762-4825

Northland Nursery, 8093 W. Prairie Ave., Post Falls, (208) 773-3247

Northwest Seed & Pet, 2422 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane, (509) 534-0694, or 7302 N. Division, Spokane, (509) 484-7387

Petal Pushers Nursery, 201 E. Sixth Ave., Post Falls, (208) 763-4355

Vanhoff’s Garden Center, 1844 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, (208) 930-4424

Westwood Gardens Nursery, 15825 N. Westwood Dr., Rathdrum, (208) 687-5952

Susan Mulvihill is author of “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.” She can be reached at susan@susansinthegarden.com. Watch this week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video at youtube.com/susansinthegarden.