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BISBEE — For the past eight years Bisbee Bloomers have taken visitors on relaxing walking tours to see the breathtaking and bountiful gardens in the historic town.
This year’s tour will be a spectacular one as the Bloomers head for the hills high above Old Bisbee where nine gardens are being opened to the public in support of the nonprofit organization that helps keep the downtown’s parks looking green and tended.
The tour starts with the lovely grounds of Jane and Larry Borger, who moved full time to Bisbee just three years ago. In that short time they have planted border gardens, a small orchard, a fish pond and several terraced rock gardens that blend in with the surrounding environment.
“We asked the mason to make the walls look old and sort of blend in,” Jane said. “He did a great job.”
 Vice president of the Bisbee Bloomers Jane Borger talks about being green at her home in Old Bisbee. (Beatrice Richardson-Herald/Review) |
A hand-carved gate by Larry under a trellis intertwined with wisteria welcomes you into their little paradise. Zinnias, tithonia, unusual red and white salvia and butterfly bushes provide lovely color to the rich green lawn that only grows during the monsoon. An old cottonwood has been revitalized with the gray water plumbed to irrigate the front yard plantings.
The orchard holds several fruit trees, one of which looks like an apple but produces a small dry, sweet fruit. Though the Borgers have been told it’s a Chinese apple tree, they have yet to find anyone who knows.
Like many plants in the old mining town, some could have been brought over by the immigrants who came to Bisbee to work in the mines. Some plants remain unidentifiable.
Just two weeks ago, the Borgers started on the fish pond — a dream of Larry’s for many years. In it they have water nasturtiums, water irises, optic grass and lily pads that are already taking off and growing well, as are the few fish they have introduced.
“We were told to just put three fish in at a time,” added Jane Borger, who is the vice president of the Bisbee Bloomers.
The pond is based around an enormous flat rock with embedded fossils they found in Texas 20 years ago.
“It’s a feeding station for the grandkids,” Jane said.
They decided to terrace the backyard for a more pleasant view of the hillside rising behind their home. The area had been wildland, but with a lot of hard work, it’s been tamed to a large extent. Even though it’s only been a few years, the gardens seem like they have always been there in the shade of the trees. Young hydrangeas with their heavy blue heads create a nice accent.
Volunteer plants tend to pop up everywhere, and Jane doesn’t know what they are. One small white bush resembles yarrow. The marigolds sprout from cracks and crevasses, and she is kept busy transplanting them.
“And sometimes I forget what I put where,” she added. “I get some seeds from the Farmers Market and just throw them down.”
Climbing a fence at the rear of the backyard shade garden, bright orange nasturtiums bounce and wave in the breeze. They provide fresh blossoms for salads, she said.
An empress tree is starting to take over one corner of the backyard garden, but she keeps the lower branches pruned to not only give sunlight to the plants beneath, but clear the rock pathway leading to the back terraces.
The Borgers have been so pleased with their rain water harvesting system that they plan to add more barrels. It didn’t take long for the two 500-gallon barrels they have to fill up this year, she noted. The orchard and other flowering plants are watered with the system.
Down the road a ways, the Danforths have followed an informal system of gardening with winding paths that take you through a diversity of container plantings bursting with petunias to quiet cactus and succulent gardens. Passing by lilacs, heavenly bamboo, which also provides red berries the birds love, the small areas seem like they just take care of themselves.
A few homes down is another treat with raised rock veggie gardens and small ponds, the work of Ann and Al Anderson. Santalina and vinca provide a different backdrop to a large pond. Century plants 5 and 6 feet tall were preserved and flourish.
The raised rock veggie beds hold sweet cherry tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers basil asparagus and a variety of squashes and melons. Drip irrigation is used in the beds. Old blackberry bushes mound up from the side of an old rocked drainage way that follows the back of the property. They have placed outdoor seating in various places along the path for relaxation in the shade of the trees.
There are many other gardens on the tour that are sure to please everyone and provide ideas on what to do in one’s own backyard, said Kay Lynn Cummins, president of the Bloomers.
Bisbee’s Highest Gardens — A Tour of the Top
• Tour date: Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Admission: $10
Tickets can be purchased at the Bisbee Visitor Center at 2 Copper Queen Plaza in the Convention Center in downtown Bisbee, or at the Bisbee Farmers Market at Vista Park in Warren on Saturday, or on the day of the tour in front of the Mining and Historical Museum in Copper Queen Plaza Park.
Local musicians will perform in some of the featured gardens.
Again this year, the Bisbee Art’s Commission will sponsor a “Plein Air” painting competition in conjunction with the garden tour. Artists from all over will be painting in various gardens and all around Bisbee. Their artwork will be displayed along Main Street in Downtown Bisbee from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday evening for judging and will then be available for sale via silent auction from 4 to 7 p.m.
The nonprofit organization founded in 2000 is committed to community service through park adoption and clean-ups.
Bloomers adopt the Old Bisbee parks and have kept Grassy Park by the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum looking good. This year they are adding Higgins Park to their list of projects.
They hold lectures on gardening techniques, water conservation and landscaping.
The group also provides the Mutt Mitts placed around town so residents can clean up after their dogs.
The proceeds from the tours provide funding for these efforts.
Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
