Get a peek at lovely yards during Arlington Heights club's annual garden walk

The Arlington Heights Garden Club's annual Garden Walk and Unique Boutique fundraiser began in 2000, and it has grown in popularity each year, according to publicity co-chairwoman Connie Landwehr.

This year's walk takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 25, and will feature six residential gardens and one community garden. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 the day of the walk. It starts at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont St.

"For many years the club held garden walks that were only attended by members," Landwehr said.

"The proceeds of the walk are used to sponsor scholarships for students pursuing degrees in horticulture and related fields, and to fund projects around the Arlington Heights community, as well as monthly programs with various topics related to gardening, horticulture and environment."

The walk includes a Unique Boutique with up to 40 vendors selling items for the garden and home. Master Gardeners, an arborist, the village of Arlington Heights Public Works Department, and the Arlington Heights library will be available to answer questions. Admission to the boutique is free.

Putting the walk together is a big undertaking for the club, which comprises 120 members.

"We have a garden selection committee that works a year or two in advance," Landwehr said. "They get suggestions from garden club members, members of the local community and from just being observant as they travel around Arlington Heights."

Here's a look at some of the gardens on this year's walk:

A Sun-Powered Garden

The front yard of this charming Cape Cod has a small Japanese maple tree and some pots for color. The real show is in the full-sun backyard, which includes a large deck.

This house was part of Arlington Farms years ago. The location of the garage was the horse barn. When the owners excavated, they found a plethora of horseshoes. This might explain the wonderful garden soil.

Behind the garage is an awesome vegetable garden.

The flower borders are filled with sun-loving bee balm, Shasta daisy, "Becky" clematis, coneflowers, balloon flowers, wild daisies, milkweed, and black-eyed Susan. Lilac bushes surround a water feature, and there is another water feature on the corner of the garage.

There are five hummingbird feeders around the yard, which are visited frequently by the birds.

A Multi Generation Garden

The owner rescues plants the way some people rescue cats and dogs. He discovered many plants are thrown out after garden shows, and nurseries throw out plants that do not look healthy enough to sell. These plants flourish in the owners' garden where they are showered with love and attention.

Plant rescues are scattered about the garden, but the majority are in the enclosed side yard. The front porch is framed by Karl Forrester ornamental grass, lavender, a purple smoke bush, Elijah blue fescue, euonymus, and "Diablo" ninebark.

To the left, on the north side of the yard, is a peanut shaped island bed. A neighbor pruned an evergreen, which appeared to be dying, into a beautiful shape. There are barberry shrubs and ornamental grasses here.

Next to the house is a large burning bush surrounded by "Annabelle" hydrangea, more ornamental grasses, barberry and hellebores. The corner of the house is anchored by a "Miss Kim" lilac and a Scotch broom evergreen.

Hosta Heaven

The owners are retired schoolteachers who have been gardening for 32 years. The house is west facing, but it is still protected from afternoon sun by the neighbor's tree.

There are five beds in the front containing burning bush, azalea, pachysandra, zinnias, and hostas. There are approximately 200 hostas scattered around this property, many of them purchased through mail order. A brick patio circles the back of the house, and a planting bed with a majestic redbud circles the patio.

There are several copper tubs for displaying annuals placed around the patio to keep the rabbits from munching on the flowers.

Conifer Kingdom

There are some rare conifers in this yard. Most of them used a witch's broom technique (named because of its different and unusual shape), where a branch mutation is grafted onto a seedling tree of the same species.

Next to the garage is a very rare Weeping Norway spruce trained to grow upright, which has both male and female cones: the red male pollen cones fertilize the female cones, which form seeds like pine nuts - the seeds take two years to form.

Behind the garage there is a beautiful Indian arbor which use to be in the owner's home. There is also a wooden ball covered in metal, which is aging nicely out in the elements. A 30-year-old "Bush's Lace" Engelmann Spruce tree anchors this space.

How Green Was My Garden?

This charming home is on a corner lot that faces south. The garden is in the front and on each side of the house. The beds on either side of the front door contain a white pine, Tsuga canadensis "Pendula," and a magnificent bright yellow Chamaecyparis "Golden Mop." There are also small round evergreens with a bluish cast that are very prickly.

Around the right of the house are large evergreens, and a deciduous tree with purple leaves. The tree is surrounded by a ring of evergreens with yellow tipped branches. To the left of the house there are several peonies, flowering shrubs, flowering trees, a Korean fir "silberlocke," and a weeping variety of mulberry tree.

Four Season Garden

The front yard has mostly shade during the day. There is a beautiful river birch, an evergreen hedge, a holly bush and a burning bush. The side door of the home is framed by beds with spring blooms of bleeding heart, tulips, and toad lilies. There is a katsura tree, a rhododendron, and a redbud tree located here also.

An oakleaf hydrangea is to left of the driveway, near the entrance to the side yard, which is the star of the show. In the back of the property, a koi pond has several koi and many generations of goldfish won by their children at Frontier Days when they were young. The pond is surrounded by beautiful trees and evergreens such as "Prince Osier" weeping willow, weeping white pine, Serbian spruce, and Hinoki false cypress.

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Arlington Heights Garden Club's annual Garden Walk and Unique Boutique

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 25

Where: Starts at Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Fremont St., Arlington Heights

Cost: $15 in advance or $20 at the walk

Details: Admission to the Unique Boutique, selling items for the garden and home, is free. Master Gardeners, an arborist, the village of Arlington Heights Public Works Department, and the Arlington Heights library will be available to answer questions. Proceeds will fund scholarships and conservation programs and projects.

About the club: Founded in 1955 by Irene Lisec, the club meets at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month, September through May, at St. Simon's Episcopal Church, 717 W. Kirchoff Road. Meetings feature speakers offering information and advice to both beginning and experienced gardeners.

Tickets and info: (847) 394-0135 or www.ahgardenclub.com