Important: Pick up your map to the Tour Gardens at Topiaries on the day of your tour. Maps will not be available online.
Ticket Sales will be at Topiaries (138 East 4th Street) in downtown Hermann on tour weekend beginning at 10AM. These sales are cash and check. You will be given a map at time of purchase.
The 27th Garden Tour is on June 4th and 5th, 2022. The Descriptions below detail the features of those gardens. Gardens open at 10AM. Welcome to the 27th Year of Garden Tours in Hermann. We are happy you have decided to join us. The money we raise from our tours supports beautification in Hermann and scholarships for Hermann students.
Please do not rely on GPS to find gardens. GPS is unreliable in both the town and country portions of the Tour. Use the maps provided. A green flag will mark the entrance to the garden. There are also some green signs that guide you on turns. Please note that many gardens have uneven areas and historic or steep walkways and steps. While we are thrilled that you have decided to come on our tour, the Garden Club and garden owners assume no liability for those who choose to enter the gardens. The tour goes on rain or shine. Visits may be spread over Saturday and Sunday. We hope you enjoy the tour and will return next year; our tours are always the first weekend in June.
Welcome to our gardens!!
1. Garden Tour Ticket Sales and Topigardens at Topiaries 138 East Fourth Street Topiaries is located at the corner of East Fourth Street and Schiller Street. Tickets will be sold here from 10 until 4 on Saturday and 10 until 3 on Sunday. A map will be provided to the Gardens. Don’t miss the beautiful, two-level garden behind the shop called TopiGardens. Enter from Schiller Street through the Moongate, and enjoy all the beautiful plantings and garden ornamentation. The gardens are a combination of form and function with a focus on bird habitat. Flagstones connect the two levels of the garden with multiple water features perennial flower beds, and multiple seating areas to watch the birds.. Some uneven terrain on rock paths and stepping stones.
Parking: Street Parking on both sides of Schiller and Fourth
2. Chief and Happy’s Garden The entrance to both front and back gardens is the driveway. The garden features both window boxes, a raised bed vegetable garden, an espaliered apple tree, rose tuteurs, and a shade garden. There are also some grape vines along the back fence. Possible blooms in early June include roses, liatris, dianthus, purple salvia, marigolds, and, zinnias,
Parking: Visitors may park on both sides of the street or in St. George’s parking area. St. George’s Hill is STEEP, so be prepared for that when parking on the street. The terrain in the garden is uneven. There is a slight slope going to the backyard. Wheelchairs could be pushed through with some difficulty.
3. Village View Oasis Enter this charming small garden from Second Street. Go up the steps at the side of the house and walk into a peaceful spot for relaxation. Plantings include conifers and hostas along with containers filled with annuals.
Parking: Park on either side of West Second Street. You can walk to Deutschheim and the Hermannplatz from here.
4. Deutschheim State Historic Site (Public Garden) Enter using the steps located between 101 W. 2nd and 107 W 2nd. Pass through the beautiful old iron gate and step back in time. A traditional German four-square gemüsegarten is planted with heirloom vegetable varieties, as it would have been in the 19th century. There is also a Kraütergarten (herb garden), black raspberry bushes, heirloom peach trees, and a variety of flowers including roses. A guide on 19th Century German Gardening Practices will be provided when you pick up your tickets. Visitors can exit the gardens the way they came in or walk along the barn to see our hops and roses then exit brick steps along the Feldmann house to return to 2nd Street. Guided tours of the homes are offered at 10:00, 12:30, and 2:30 on both days and the visitor center will be open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm each day. The guided tour is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
Parking: Park on either side of West Second Street. Walk to the Hermannplatz from here.
5. Hermannplatz (Public Garden located behind the Hermann Firehouse). After you visit Deutschheim, walk east on Second Street and across Market Street to this lovely garden behind the old Firehouse. To reach Hermannplatz, park near the old Firehouse and follow the sidewalk behind the Firehouse around the side of the building to the garden with the bronze statue of the German hero Hermann in its center. This Hermann entrance garden was funded by the Garden Club and other community organizations. This beautiful garden has year-round color. Plantings include Deciduous Holly, Itea “Sweetspire”, Crape Myrtle, Drift Roses, Annual Coreopsis, Prairie Dropseed Grass, Dwarf ‘Hamelen’ Grass, and Limelight and Annabelle Hydrangea. A landscape plan will be provided.
Parking: You can leave your vehicle on Second Street and walk to the Hermannplatz or you can park on Market Street – either south of the Firehouse or in the lot at the corner of West First and Market,
6. German Four Square Garden at Hermann Farm A brand new feature at Hermann Farm, this garden is on tour for the first time. Walk to (and through) the Visitors’ Center and follow the sidewalk behind it up the slope and around the house to the garden. The four-square garden is the forerunner of “green gardening.” Such a garden can be created in a small area, and it maximizes soil fertility and pollination. Its design also helps with weed and pest control. The plantings promote a healthy diet while providing plants for medicinal purposes such as Chamomile and Rosemary. You will also find many companion plantings such as Nasturtiums and Zucchini that help with pest control and improve pollination. A guide detailing the many plantings will be provided.
Parking is available in the Hermann Farm parking lots across from the entrance to Hermann Farm and Garden. Wheelchair access is possible from the lot behind the Visitors’ Center.
7. Pea Ridge Tree Farm Pond Garden This private and peaceful garden created by the Rood family, owners of Pea Ridge Tree Farm, is a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. The many plantings include conifers, small deciduous trees, and annuals. More specifically, you will find hydrangeas, crape myrtles, a Japanese maple, various sedums in the rocks, a weeping bald Cypress, and annuals. A significant feature is the waterfall on the far side of the pond.
8. Joey’s Bird House and Onion Garden Prominently featured in this garden are perennial vegetables and herbs. Tour guests will see six or more varieties of perennial onions, elderberries pruned into a variety of ornamental shapes, and a most impressive hedge of mint. Educational placards explaining the uses of selected perennials such as day lilies, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, dandelions and more will be displayed. Lots of Perennial vegetables and herbs in an untidy profusion of growth. An emerging Food Forest.
Parking is available for all size vehicles along Sterline. The terrain is uneven in the garden behind Joey’s Birdhouse, but the garden beside the Mercantile is wheelchair accessible.
9. Green Acres The positioning of this garden is part of its charm. Set on a knoll, you can see the log cabin surrounded by perennials and annuals from a distance. As you turn into the garden, don’t miss the large rock on your left covered with sedum. In the garden you will find zinnias, spirea, sunflowers, and lilies. The terrain is both steep and uneven. Parking: Watch for someone to direct you to a parking spot. Turning around will be difficult unless you park as directed.
Caution:!!You will exit this garden at the gate, cross over Hwy EE, and continue straight on Warden’s Branch Road. Please be very careful! Visibility is limited on your right. You may want to consider turning right, crossing over the hill, finding a place to turn around, and then coming backup the hill to turn right on Warden’s Branch Road.
10. Breezy Point Farm Garden This garden has the challenge of deer constantly eating the many hostas in the shaded gardens near the house and the plantings in the beds surrounding the house, so it is included as lagniappe, something different and extra. There are flowers that attract bees beside the barn (note the beehive nearby and there are lilies beside the pond. Walk down the grassy path near the beehive to reach the pond. There is also a Barn Sale going on this weekend, and you are invited to join in; it is on both floors of the Barn.
Parking: You will be directed to an angled parking space. Parking will be tight because of the Barn Sale. The terrain is uneven and steep and as such is probably not suitable for wheelchairs.
11. Gardens at The Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, Starkenburg Look for the steeple for the church as you drive along Warden’s Branch Road. Turn left at the intersection and the gardens are on your right. There are many gardens in this important historic and religious site. Daylilies, knockout roses, and many perennials will be blooming. A detailed guide describing the site and the plantings will be provided.
Parking: There is ample parking. Public restrooms are also available.
All images and text copyright Hermann Garden Club, Hermann, Missouri, 2010-2020
