Smile Politely

The 2023 Champaign County Master Gardeners Garden Walk recap

Louise Knight-Gibson
The idea garden pavilion is centered in the middle of the picture. It has a large gray roof and is surrounded by plants in various shades of green. There are two people in the center of it, sitting in the shadows.
Ashanti Thomas

On June 17th the Champaign County Master Gardeners hosted its 27th annual Garden Walk. This year “Inspirational Gardens: Old, New, Reimagined” included six private and two public gardens throughout Champaign and Urbana. Each garden had a theme, including “The Urban Oasis, My Secret Garden, and Garden of the Towering Redwood”. In addition to the private gardens available to tour, The Idea Garden in Urbana featured demonstrations throughout the day and a garden marketplace, where unique plants, garden decor, and art were available to purchase. Our photographer Ashanti Thomas spent the day touring and photographing these beautiful spaces. 

A large group of purple flowers. The stems are tall and slender and the flowers are tiny clusters going up the stalk. There is a small plant tag that says English Lavender.
Ashanti Thomas
A big backyard with a large open lawn and flowers and plants on the perimeter. People are scattered around the space admiring the garden.
Ashanti Thomas
3 white women sit together on a bench under a red umbrella on a sunny day. They are smiling. The woman on the left is white and wears a large sun hat and sunglasses and a white shirt. The woman in the middle is white with brown shoulder length hair and wears a printed shirt with blue, red, and white colors. The woman on the right is also white and has gray and brown hair and a blue and white shirt.
Ashanti Thomas
An image of a fairy garden. The garden is surrounded by gray bricks, with tiny houses, flowers, and gnomes. There is a stone in the center that says believe.
Ashanti Thomas
A large group of red flowers with yellow centers. The stems are tall and slender and the flowers have eight petals coming out from each yellow center. There is a small plant tag that says Tickseed.
Ashanti Thomas
An image of a brown wooden fence with a well worn sign with chipped white paint and blue hand painted letters that spell out "secret garden"
Ashanti Thomas
Two women stop and admire a large flowering bush. The bush is shoulder height with small yellow flowers and tiny green tendrils shooting upwards. The woman in the front of the images wearing a gray shirt, yellow pleated skirt, and sunglasses. The girl to the side of her on the left wears a blue shirt and green romper and is reaching toward the plant.
Ashanti Thomas
The entrance to the Idea Garden. A wooden pergola you can walk under with the words Welcome to the Champaign County Master Gardener Idea Garden in blue letters on a white sign.
Ashanti Thomas

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