Sharon Moore submitted this feature and photo.
These ever-popular phrases that were, and still are, trending on TikTok: “Nobody’s gonna know!” “They’re gonna know!” “How are they gonna know?” Not many know what lies behind the front gate of Debby and Bob Vaughn’s home on S. Base Street, Morrison, IL. We thought we would give you a glimpse of Debby’s beautiful gardens and their history. Morrison Garden Club has chosen her garden for June’s Featured Garden.
The Vaughns started garden planning in the mid-1980’s. The north garden was the original limestone driveway and a sand area for kids. The south garden was originally hot and dry, with clay soil.
A brick paver path was installed in 1990. It surrounds the house and made an easier access to the future gardens. They used the Purington pavers from the old Morrison sidewalks that were being torn out. The north garden in the mid-1990s was fully amended with Peat Moss and a Compost blend from their own compost bin. They compost year-round with grass and flower clippings and peat moss, and they sparingly add banana peels and fruit. Bark mulch is not used, as their compost retains moisture and is an excellent medium for good insects.
The north garden has a mixture of perennials that provides an unmatched fragrance with Lily of the Valley, Woodland Poppies, Phlox, Hollyhocks, Russian Sage, and Honeysuckle vine. They all provided fresh stems for the tables in “Tea n’ Things” in the 1990s.
With the arrival of spring, Debby enjoys shopping for annuals that will complement her garden areas as well as draw-in pollinators. While strolling through the garden areas you can find Hot Lips’ Salvias, Snapdragons, Petunias, Cosmos, Purslane, and Verbena. Lantanas are always placed strategically to draw in the Hummingbirds.
The well-amended garden soil also supports their small ecosystem for the bees and birds. They nurture their two apple trees, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce plants. Each and every plant, flower, and bush provides a symphony of scents, tastes, and an ever-changing palette of colors throughout the season.
More photos can be found on our Facebook page @”Morrison Garden Club.”
Would you like your garden or yard featured in 2023, or would you like to nominate someone? Please send us a message of your nomination on our Facebook page “Morrison Garden Club,” or send an email to sharonkmoore@mchsi.com.
Organized on December 10, 1948, Morrison Garden Club has aimed to stimulate the knowledge of gardening and encourage civic pride. Meeting the first Thursday of the month, the club has continuously beautified Morrison–through tree planting programs, youth garden clubs, nursing home and hospital plantings, garden walks, and floral shows. More recently, our annual plant sale, maintenance of Odell Library’s landscaping, spring plantings in the Veterans Park, and Route 78/U. S. Highway 30 corner have kept the club busy!
Morrison Garden Club members would like to invite anyone interested in gardening to join our group and share in social and learning times. If you are looking to just volunteer, please contact us for future opportunities. Notify us if you would like to be added to our email list. The location of meetings may change to reflect the current month’s program or space availability.
For information on membership or the location of the next meeting, please contact us on Facebook, or send an email to sharonkmoore@mchsi.com.