Marshall residents show off their gardens

MARSHALL — The rainy weather has been good for the people participating in the Show-Me Water Garden Tour this year.

“Everything is so lush,” said Barbara Prichard, owner of the water garden at 617 W. Summit Street in Marshall. “We’ve had two and a half inches of rain since Thursday. We’ve almost had too much rain.”

The Saline County Water Garden Club hosted its 11th annual tour Sunday as a way to support the club’s community projects, according to a release.

Prichard has participated in the tour three times, and every year, she said, her garden gets better.

“I love it all. I keep coming up with new ideas,” she said. “My husband has a fit because it’s hard to mow around all the flowers. But I enjoy getting dirt in my hands and working.”

Judy and Jim Klasing, of Slater, wait for the tour every year.

“People come up with their own ideas and the way they blend the plants in, it’s just so nice,” Jim Klasing said.

His wife Judy said she feels inspired by everyone’s work on their gardens.

“You just get to see a lot of beautiful yards and come up with ideas for your own,” she said. “We’ve never started a water garden, but we always think about doing it.”

Betty Lenz, at 221 E. Rosehill Street in Marshall, has 70 different types of plants growing in hers.

“We have flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs,” she said. “I don’t usually have herbs, but this year I have six or seven pots and it’s been fun.”

Lenz has been involved in the tour for 10 years, but has only been in her current house for two.

“My husband helps tremendously with the lawn and the weeding,” Lenz said. “But I do all the planting and the plant selection. The general plan was a three-year plan because you can’t do it all at once.”