join us
Come tour gardens in Siloam Springs! Local gardeners are generously opening their spaces for the public to tour, to benefit Mothering Matters, a community group for mothers of young children. Join us, to enjoy the beauty of a variety of landscapes and plantings! Featured gardens also include a unique cedar shake playhouse, beautiful stones, interesting garden decor, and inspiration regarding native plantings.
Your ticket ($15, children 5 and under attend free) includes entrance to tour all gardens at your leisure, May 14 from 10am-1pm, and free refreshments. In need of cookies for a spring celebration? Bring some cash to purchase a box at our bake sale, located at the garden refreshment site!
All proceeds benefit local mothers and young children through Mothering Matters. We are grateful for your support! In the past, our yearly fundraiser has been the Christmas Home Tour.
Purchase a ticket online here, or at the following local businesses:
Beautiful Lives • Cafe on Broadway • Occasions • Sassafras • Savvy Salon • Whisk and Spool
Tickets can also be purchased at the garden sites, the day of the tour, with cash, check, or online.
Your ticket ($15, children 5 and under attend free) includes entrance to tour all gardens at your leisure, May 14 from 10am-1pm, and free refreshments. In need of cookies for a spring celebration? Bring some cash to purchase a box at our bake sale, located at the garden refreshment site!
All proceeds benefit local mothers and young children through Mothering Matters. We are grateful for your support! In the past, our yearly fundraiser has been the Christmas Home Tour.
Purchase a ticket online here, or at the following local businesses:
Beautiful Lives • Cafe on Broadway • Occasions • Sassafras • Savvy Salon • Whisk and Spool
Tickets can also be purchased at the garden sites, the day of the tour, with cash, check, or online.
Select garden addresses below to go to Google Maps
Retired Benton County Judge Stephen Thomas has approximately 2,000-3,000 peony plants on his home acreage south of town. He first began raising peonies with his best friend from college, Henry Chotkowski, who resides in Fayetteville and has a peony garden of his own. He credits Chotkowski for introducing and teaching him about raising peonies. The nearby Lake Francis was named after his mother, for whom Thomas expressed deep appreciation, and gladly opens his garden to the public to benefit moms.
When John and Stephania first moved into their house, there wasn’t a plant in sight! Stephania’s mom, who was 74 at the time, helped roundup their large garden. By hand, they spread sand and bales of peat moss all over the space. Over the years, they incorporated plants from her mother’s garden, as well as purchased plants based on her recommendation. From age 86-94, Stephania’s mom lived with her and John, always enjoying smelling the roses. When visiting John and Stephania’s 1986 cottage garden space, make sure to be on the lookout for some special little woodland figures! Gifted to them by their children, Stephania’s favorite is the rooster named Tom.
Follow the long, winding, gravel driveway up the hill to the green two-story house. Parking will be in the side yard and easy to see. The Andrus family’s acreage is a shady spot with lots of trees (and sometimes deer). They describe their style as rather “cottagey” and wild “farmhouse style.” They love lots of different colors! They also focus a lot on shade loving flowers like impatiens, begonias, and hostas, as well as herbs, and plants that deer do not like! They are thankful for a sunny spot for our vegetable garden, and don’t really consider themselves great gardeners, but have fun with it! At times they use pots and “container gardens” since the NWA soil can be challenging. There are lots of places to sit around on the property, so feel free to bring your coffee and a good friend and have a nice visit together! Homemade bake sale items will also be available for purchase!
Travis Chaney can be found puttering around in his naturalistic garden regularly. While his ranch house was built in 1954, his meadow gardens are only 2 years old, and were established from approximately 2,000 individual landscape plugs. Sadly, 75% of his flowering perennials were eaten by deer and groundhogs the first year, causing him to rethink the garden plan. This year, he is experimenting with growing individual perennial plants from seed, working to create a dramatic, dynamic, deer-resistant garden with four seasons of interest. A little word of advice from Travis: Don’t plant more than you can conveniently hoe. When visiting his garden, some successful species to notice include Switchgrass, Indiangrass, Little Bluestem, Penstemon, Milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, Goldenrod, Bee Balm, and Travis’s favorite, Rattlesnake Master.
Jed and Rachel Harris live in their beautiful 1984 Ranch Farmhouse. Surrounded by shady woods, they love to spend time walking their backyard trails that wind through the woods admiring their favorite plants, hostas. The couple also enjoys watching their daughter play in her unique playhouse that Jed built himself. The magical, fairy-like playhouse is covered in cedar shakes and is popular among their daughter and her friends, often being referred to as the gnome house. The Harris family loves to have company over, and they welcome friends, old and new, over anytime!
Keith and Kim Kretzer love to spend time in their backyard enjoying the peaceful quiet and scenic views of nature. Some of their favorite critters to watch are the chirping birds and playful squirrels, as well as the beautiful butterflies and buzzing hummingbirds. They currently have 3 birdbaths, 4 bird feeders, and 2 hummingbird feeders to help keep all of God’s little creatures happy. Fun Fact: In February 2021, their 19-year-old Holly Bushes that formed a 3’ tall hedge across their entire front yard were mostly killed due to the polar vortex. So, they decided to pull them all out and replace them with 23 Wintergreen Boxwoods. The plan is to hedge the Boxwoods as they grow in the coming years. Make sure you visit the Kretzer’s lovely space, and don’t forget to check out their favorite flowers, Azaleas, Hydrangeas, and Crape Myrtles.
the gardens
Harris Family
garden
Surrounded by shady woods, guests will enjoy backyard trails that wind through the woods showcasing hostas as well as a unique fairy cedar shake playhouse.
Andrus Family
garden
Come tour a lovely home garden described as "cottage" and wild "farmhouse style," filled with lots of different colors, including impatiens, begonias, and herbs!
Brown Family
garden
This is a beautiful cottage garden! When visiting, make sure to be on the lookout for some special little woodland figures, gifted to the owners from their children.
Kretzer Family
garden
Azaleas, Hydrangeas, and Crape Myrtles are enjoyed here, as well as a pleasant space that is welcoming to butterflies, hummingbirds, and squirrels!
Chaney Family
garden
Native plants found here! This garden is growing perennials from seed, working to create a dramatic, dynamic, deer-resistant garden with four seasons.
Thomas Family
garden
This peony acreage is in bloom! Come visit this garden space south of town and enjoy over 2,000 varieties of peonies - visitors will be in for a special delight!
contact us
Guests who have purchased a ticket will receive an email with the Garden Tour locations during the week before the tour, on May 14. Locations will also be posted on this website on the day of the tour, for reference.
Questions? Feel free to fill out this form and we'll be in touch!
Questions? Feel free to fill out this form and we'll be in touch!