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By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal home writer
POSTED: 11:37 a.m. EDT, Jun 20, 2008
Some of the most delightful gardens are the ones we just happen upon.
They're tucked away behind buildings or off city streets. They rarely show up in tourism guides or garner a lot of publicity, but they charm the visitors who are lucky enough to find them.
We've gathered a few of those lesser-known hidden gems. Some are sprawling landscapes; others are pleasant little pockets.
All are open to the public. And each, in its own way, is a joy.
Hoover Historical Center herb garden
1875 E. Maple St., North Canton
The boyhood home of William ''Boss'' Hoover, founder of the Hoover Co., is also the home of an herb garden suited to the farmhouse's Victorian-era, Italianate style.
The garden, surrounded by a picket fence, is meticulously tended by the Herb Society at Hoover Historical Center. It's formal without being stuffy, with paths edged in low boxwood hedges leading through plantings of roses, daylilies, lavender, yarrow and a host of other herbs and perennials.
Throughout the garden are little surprises: a fairy garden in the shelter of a semicircular stone wall, a pair of tiny sneakers planted with succulents, a couple of circular stones inscribed ''Hoover Electric Cleaner — It beats as it sweeps as it cleans.'' The splash of a fountain in the center provides the background music.
Visitors to the garden are welcome anytime, and there's no admission charge. Tours of the museum are conducted hourly from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays for $3.
Alexander Park
West Market and North streets, Akron
This triangle of land in West Akron is familiar to the many motorists who zip by it each day, but it's worth more than a passing glance.
Alexander Park is a lushly landscaped sanctuary in the midst of a commercial area. Shrubs, ornamental trees and flowers border the park, which has at its center a fountain that's a replica of one that stood there a century ago.
Opened as Neptune Park in 1893, the triangle had become a weedy lot by the mid-1960s and eventually was spruced up with grass and some flowers. But in 2002, Keep Akron Beautiful, with help from the city and support from donors, gave it new life.
Brick paths traverse the small park, where deep beds of shrubs, perennials and annuals are set off by small sections of lawn. Jolts of color are provided by pockets of bold pink Knockout roses and oenothera, with lemon-yellow flowers and silvery leaves.
Don't keep off the grass here. Otherwise you might miss the markers that identify many of the plants.
Celtic Garden
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1250 W. Exchange St., Akron
This quiet enclave next to the church gets its name from its brick walkway, which forms a Celtic cross, an emblem of Presbyterianism.
The garden is enclosed by a white rail fence and shaded by mature tree. Beds along the border hold light-loving plants such as lilies, zinnias and roses in its sunny spots, while astilbe, ferns, hostas and rhododendron thrive in the shade. At the top of the cross is an arbor practically overtaken by an exuberant pink climbing rose.
It's a small garden that's a pleasant place to rest and reflect.
Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township
If you love roses — especially old-fashioned ones — this garden in OARDC's Secrest Arboretum is a must-see.
Some 1,500 plants representing about 500 types of heirloom roses fill bed after bed in this 2.7-acre garden, created in memory of rosarian Michael H. Horvath. Here you'll find such intriguing names as Duchess of Sutherland, Nova Zembla and Meg Merrilies, a bright pink rose clambering over a metal arch. There are the delicate light-pink blooms of Lady Penzance, the bold red flowers Blaze and the ruffled magenta blossoms of Cesonia. You'll find ramblers, climbers and shrubs, some as tall as 8 feet or more.
A pavilion at the center provides a shady spot to rest and take in the beauty.
While you're there, be sure to wander the arboretum's Discovery Gardens nearby. They have water gardens, a songbird habitat, a Unique Collection Garden filled with unusual specimens, a Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden and an Ohio Native Garden, which is a miniature prairie.
Justin T. Rogers Care Center
3358 Ridgewood Road, Copley Township
You might think of a hospice as a place for the dying, but the grounds of the Rogers Care Center teem with life.
Gardens abound at the center, operated by Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service. A stream tumbles down a landscaped waterfall and meanders down the slope of the land. A path bordered by ferns and wildflowers leads through a section of woodland. A brick path winds among patches of perennials, shrubs and grasses on its way to a large pond, and the property is dotted with ornamental trees.
Smaller gardens hug the building, so patients can look out their windows onto a bit of nature.
The newest addition is the Garden of Dreams, a meditation garden with a Japanese theme that will be unveiled June 22 at the annual grounds dedication ceremony.
The gardens were designed to be accessible to patients, so most areas are easy for people in wheelchairs to visit.
Keep in mind that this is a health care facility, so impromptu visits by groups are not appropriate. Visitors other than patients' families are asked to call ahead.
Rain gardens
Bath Community Activity Center
1615 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Bath Township
While most gardens are principally decorative, these are hard workers. They're noteworthy not so much for their beauty, but for their educational value.
The two rain gardens at the entrance to the Bath Community Activity Center were installed to solve the problem of storm-water runoff that would rush off impermeable surfaces.
Rain gardens are specially designed to collect storm water and allow it to percolate into the earth, where the soil and plants clean the water naturally. They're meant to solve the problem of runoff draining into bodies of water, carrying fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants with it.
The Bath rain gardens were designed by landscape architect John Vittum using native plants such as sedges, black-eyed Susan, ferns and wild iris. These aren't manicured gardens, but wilder-looking plantings that blend with the woods beyond. A sign explains the purpose and creation of the gardens for visitors.
If you visit, you might want to wander a little farther into the park to see the butterfly and hummingbird garden installed by the Bath Alpha Garden Club. A sign there helps visitors identify the most common types of butterflies that visit.
Rock and Herb GardenF.A. Seiberling Nature Realm
1828 Smith Road, Akron
The Nature Realm is a place of natural splendor containing pockets of cultivated beauty. One of them is the Rock and Herb Garden.
This peaceful garden, sheltered by mature trees, follows a wide paver path that makes most of the garden handicap-accessible. As its name suggests, herbs grow among clusters of rocks, some of which are labeled just as the plants are.
The herbs are grouped according to their common uses or outstanding features — for example, medicinal, culinary and aromatic. Look for the fairy garden, complete with sprite-size gardening implements.
Benches invite visitors to relax, and a waterfall and pond populated by bullfrogs and turtles enhance the garden's tranquility.
Lakeside overlook
Laurel Lake Retirement Community
200 Laurel Lake Drive, Hudson
Laurel Lake Retirement Community is known for the beauty of its grounds, which are carved from woods and dotted by plantings tended by both residents and staff. A favorite gathering spot is a dock overlooking Laurel Lake, one of three bodies of water on the grounds.
It's probably better described as a small park than a garden. Clusters of petunias line the walk, and flower boxes planted with petunias and sweet potato vines hang from the railings. There's a double garden swing and benches overlooking the scenic lake, making it an inviting place to relax and recharge.
Although Laurel Lake is a private facility, visitors are welcome to walk its grounds, sit by its lakes and even fish (catch and release only).
Know of other gems?
What are your favorite hidden-gem gardens?
Share them with readers by adding them to this story's comments section on Ohio.com. You'll find it at http://homes.ohio.com.
Please include only gardens that are open to the public, not gardens at private homes.
Some of the most delightful gardens are the ones we just happen upon.
They're tucked away behind buildings or off city streets. They rarely show up in tourism guides or garner a lot of publicity, but they charm the visitors who are lucky enough to find them.
We've gathered a few of those lesser-known hidden gems. Some are sprawling landscapes; others are pleasant little pockets.
All are open to the public. And each, in its own way, is a joy.
Hoover Historical Center herb garden
1875 E. Maple St., North Canton
The boyhood home of William ''Boss'' Hoover, founder of the Hoover Co., is also the home of an herb garden suited to the farmhouse's Victorian-era, Italianate style.
The garden, surrounded by a picket fence, is meticulously tended by the Herb Society at Hoover Historical Center. It's formal without being stuffy, with paths edged in low boxwood hedges leading through plantings of roses, daylilies, lavender, yarrow and a host of other herbs and perennials.
Throughout the garden are little surprises: a fairy garden in the shelter of a semicircular stone wall, a pair of tiny sneakers planted with succulents, a couple of circular stones inscribed ''Hoover Electric Cleaner — It beats as it sweeps as it cleans.'' The splash of a fountain in the center provides the background music.
Visitors to the garden are welcome anytime, and there's no admission charge. Tours of the museum are conducted hourly from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays for $3.
Alexander Park
West Market and North streets, Akron
This triangle of land in West Akron is familiar to the many motorists who zip by it each day, but it's worth more than a passing glance.
Alexander Park is a lushly landscaped sanctuary in the midst of a commercial area. Shrubs, ornamental trees and flowers border the park, which has at its center a fountain that's a replica of one that stood there a century ago.
Opened as Neptune Park in 1893, the triangle had become a weedy lot by the mid-1960s and eventually was spruced up with grass and some flowers. But in 2002, Keep Akron Beautiful, with help from the city and support from donors, gave it new life.
Brick paths traverse the small park, where deep beds of shrubs, perennials and annuals are set off by small sections of lawn. Jolts of color are provided by pockets of bold pink Knockout roses and oenothera, with lemon-yellow flowers and silvery leaves.
Don't keep off the grass here. Otherwise you might miss the markers that identify many of the plants.
Celtic Garden
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1250 W. Exchange St., Akron
This quiet enclave next to the church gets its name from its brick walkway, which forms a Celtic cross, an emblem of Presbyterianism.
The garden is enclosed by a white rail fence and shaded by mature tree. Beds along the border hold light-loving plants such as lilies, zinnias and roses in its sunny spots, while astilbe, ferns, hostas and rhododendron thrive in the shade. At the top of the cross is an arbor practically overtaken by an exuberant pink climbing rose.
It's a small garden that's a pleasant place to rest and reflect.
Garden of Roses of Legend and Romance
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township
If you love roses — especially old-fashioned ones — this garden in OARDC's Secrest Arboretum is a must-see.
Some 1,500 plants representing about 500 types of heirloom roses fill bed after bed in this 2.7-acre garden, created in memory of rosarian Michael H. Horvath. Here you'll find such intriguing names as Duchess of Sutherland, Nova Zembla and Meg Merrilies, a bright pink rose clambering over a metal arch. There are the delicate light-pink blooms of Lady Penzance, the bold red flowers Blaze and the ruffled magenta blossoms of Cesonia. You'll find ramblers, climbers and shrubs, some as tall as 8 feet or more.
A pavilion at the center provides a shady spot to rest and take in the beauty.
While you're there, be sure to wander the arboretum's Discovery Gardens nearby. They have water gardens, a songbird habitat, a Unique Collection Garden filled with unusual specimens, a Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden and an Ohio Native Garden, which is a miniature prairie.
Justin T. Rogers Care Center
3358 Ridgewood Road, Copley Township
You might think of a hospice as a place for the dying, but the grounds of the Rogers Care Center teem with life.
Gardens abound at the center, operated by Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service. A stream tumbles down a landscaped waterfall and meanders down the slope of the land. A path bordered by ferns and wildflowers leads through a section of woodland. A brick path winds among patches of perennials, shrubs and grasses on its way to a large pond, and the property is dotted with ornamental trees.
Smaller gardens hug the building, so patients can look out their windows onto a bit of nature.
The newest addition is the Garden of Dreams, a meditation garden with a Japanese theme that will be unveiled June 22 at the annual grounds dedication ceremony.
The gardens were designed to be accessible to patients, so most areas are easy for people in wheelchairs to visit.
Keep in mind that this is a health care facility, so impromptu visits by groups are not appropriate. Visitors other than patients' families are asked to call ahead.
Rain gardens
Bath Community Activity Center
1615 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Bath Township
While most gardens are principally decorative, these are hard workers. They're noteworthy not so much for their beauty, but for their educational value.
The two rain gardens at the entrance to the Bath Community Activity Center were installed to solve the problem of storm-water runoff that would rush off impermeable surfaces.
Rain gardens are specially designed to collect storm water and allow it to percolate into the earth, where the soil and plants clean the water naturally. They're meant to solve the problem of runoff draining into bodies of water, carrying fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants with it.
The Bath rain gardens were designed by landscape architect John Vittum using native plants such as sedges, black-eyed Susan, ferns and wild iris. These aren't manicured gardens, but wilder-looking plantings that blend with the woods beyond. A sign explains the purpose and creation of the gardens for visitors.
If you visit, you might want to wander a little farther into the park to see the butterfly and hummingbird garden installed by the Bath Alpha Garden Club. A sign there helps visitors identify the most common types of butterflies that visit.
Rock and Herb GardenF.A. Seiberling Nature Realm
1828 Smith Road, Akron
The Nature Realm is a place of natural splendor containing pockets of cultivated beauty. One of them is the Rock and Herb Garden.
This peaceful garden, sheltered by mature trees, follows a wide paver path that makes most of the garden handicap-accessible. As its name suggests, herbs grow among clusters of rocks, some of which are labeled just as the plants are.
The herbs are grouped according to their common uses or outstanding features — for example, medicinal, culinary and aromatic. Look for the fairy garden, complete with sprite-size gardening implements.
Benches invite visitors to relax, and a waterfall and pond populated by bullfrogs and turtles enhance the garden's tranquility.
Lakeside overlook
Laurel Lake Retirement Community
200 Laurel Lake Drive, Hudson
Laurel Lake Retirement Community is known for the beauty of its grounds, which are carved from woods and dotted by plantings tended by both residents and staff. A favorite gathering spot is a dock overlooking Laurel Lake, one of three bodies of water on the grounds.
It's probably better described as a small park than a garden. Clusters of petunias line the walk, and flower boxes planted with petunias and sweet potato vines hang from the railings. There's a double garden swing and benches overlooking the scenic lake, making it an inviting place to relax and recharge.
Although Laurel Lake is a private facility, visitors are welcome to walk its grounds, sit by its lakes and even fish (catch and release only).
Know of other gems?
What are your favorite hidden-gem gardens?
Share them with readers by adding them to this story's comments section on Ohio.com. You'll find it at http://homes.ohio.com.
Please include only gardens that are open to the public, not gardens at private homes.
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