Marquette gardens on full display

Hundreds of flower lovers got a chance to stop and smell the roses this afternoon, as green thumbs from across the U.P. took part in the Marquette Beautification Committee’s 20th Annual Garden Tour.

Eight homes scattered throughout Marquette opened their doors to the public and helped guide people through a wide array of arrangements. While most yards look like perennial powerhouses, the same sites and smells might not have been possible twenty years ago.

“The Beautification Committee is 35 years old. Some of the people who founded the committee when they moved here thought, ‘This is a beautiful environment, but it’s not a very pretty city.’ So, they got together to form the committee, which encouraged people to make their yards more beautiful. I think the town’s done a beautiful job of it,” explained Phyllis James, Garden Chair of the Beautification Committee.

The tour also acts as a fundraiser to help pay for the Pentunia Pandemonium that lines the entrance to the city with rows of flowers. It cost $10 to take part in the festivities, but its small price to pay to see months of preparation in full bloom.

“Oh, I love sharing with everyone. I think this is something we’re really proud of: the effort our family puts into this. It’s great for other people to get a sense of what it yields. I think, from a more practical stand point, our hard work does yield vegetables and things like that, that end up on our table as well,” remarked George Stein, who’s home and garden was featured on the tour.

The Beautification Committee is always looking for new gardens to feature on the tour. If you’d like to offer up your prized patch, you can contact the committee by email at pres@mqtbeautification.org.