It's a chance to peek into the personal gardens of area growers and get inspired to install a waterfall, plant your own vegetables or experiment with different varieties of flowers.

The Rapid City Garden Walk on Sunday, July 12, will provide a day of inspiration and appreciation for all things green and growing, whether you live in the city or the Black Hills.

Gardeners Mel and Tammy Glover, both master gardeners, have been planting flowers and vegetables for 30 years in their Rapid City garden.

"We plant lots of everything," Mel Glover said. "We figure if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

They make the most of the growing season in their vegetable garden, starting with onions, cabbages, broccoli and three varieties of potatoes in the spring. When the soil warms up, they plant summer crops such as tomatoes, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers.

"It's going all the time," he said.

Glover is especially proud of his onions - they have seven or eight different kinds in the garden - and they are enjoying their orange tomatoes, which are a bit sweeter.

"We eat a lot, we can a lot - like the tomatoes and the beans - freeze some and we give a lot away," he said.

They're also willing to share their expertise, and will be on hand during the tour to answer questions about composting, integrated pest management and how to grow different varieties.

"It's pretty much a passion," he said.

But don't think that gardening has to be intimidating. As Lucille Kerner will tell you, "I'm not good at gardening. I don't have any training or background; I just do what I like and it goes from there."

She and her husband, Bob, have lived in their Black Hawk home for nine years and have created theme gardens around the yard, often using what grows naturally, with an eye to fending off the deer. Their two-acre yard includes a rose garden, an iris garden, a fern and hosta garden and a prayer garden, featuring a statue of an angel and benches.

When faced with a pile of rocks, they brought in some topsoil and created a rock garden.

Although they brought some flowers from their old yard, "I just go to the nursery and find things I like," she said.

Garden walk participants will want to take note of the 20 different colors of roses and the use of natural plants.

"It's just a lot of flowers that come up naturally - lilies, wild irises, wild roses. I like it, it's pretty," she said.

The tour also will highlight the new Educational Nature Walk at Canyon Lake Senior Center. Participants may start the tour at any of the addresses below. The reception will be at Craig and Joan Uhre's home, 11003 Amber Lane in Black Hawk.

Rapid City gardens

Educational Nature Walk at Canyon Lake Senior Center, 2900 Canyon Lake Drive - Groundbreaking for this project was June 27. When complete, it will feature theme gardens, a teaching structure and an observation deck. This summer, the focus will be on putting in the Black Hills Forest Garden, the Black Hills Prairie Garden and the Children's Garden.

Arthur and Pat Handel, 1501 Summit Blvd. - This garden sanctuary has evolved over time, as one idea has led to another. The couple bought the home - which features almost one acre of yard - 10 years ago. Since then, they've found inspiration in the Pennington County Master Gardeners program and from last year's garden tour, which prompted them to rebuild their waterfall.

The yard has been used for the Handels' youngest daughter's wedding reception, for entertaining and relaxing, and as a playground for their grandsons.

Mel and Tammy Glover, 2513 Judy Ave. - Both became master gardeners in 2002 after they retired from Rapid City Area Schools, but they've been growing vegetables, herbs, fruit trees and flowers for many years. Mel's vegetable garden started as a small plot, but is now 134 feet by 14 feet. They build their gardens on two main gardening principals: sustainable resources and integrated pest management, using homemade and city-made compost to retain moisture and keep bugs at bay. Their garden includes comfortable chairs for the Glovers and their friends to enjoy the yard and garden.

Garden the woods

Rick and Rene Schroeder, 7004 Ridgeview Drive, Black Hawk - Their home showcases a water feature with two ponds, a stream and waterfall, perennial plants and wild flowers. The pond houses various Koi fish, water lilies and other water plants. They enjoy watching the deer and turkey that drink from the pond or listening to the croaking frogs. Rocks from places they have visited are placed along the banks of the stream and pond. Their garden is a "work in progress," with plans to add another waterfall and stream, a shade garden and sitting benches. Their goal is to keep it eco-friendly.

Ken and June Meyer, 6815 Ridgeview Drive, Black Hawk - The Meyers started from scratch, when they inherited three sickly rose bushes and a few lilies that were planted in an area without any sunshine. They have put up two retaining walls, hauled in dirt and compost and have planted many types of flowers, including columbine, asters, iris, tiger lilies, tulips, morning glories, phlox, lily of the valley, primroses, clematis, hollyhock and a butterfly bush.

Bob and Lucille Kerner, 6814 Ridgeview Drive, Black Hawk - The Kerners have lived in their home for nine years, and brought many plants from their old place. They have created theme gardens around the yard, including a rose garden, iris garden (which also has tame gooseberry bushes), old garden (a mostly natural garden with wild roses, lilies and iris), rock garden, fern and hosta garden and prayer garden.

Craig and Joan Uhre, 11003 Amber Lane Black Hawk (also site of the reception) - This place - dubbed the Over The Hill Ranch - features prairie vistas to the north and Harney Peak and the Black Hills to the west. The Uhres say they are continually making changes to the house and landscaping that reflect their family, interests and lifestyle. Their considerations were six kids, horses, dogs, cats and not much time to devote to upkeep. They call it a "labor of love" and try to incorporate new projects every year, from trying grapevines to making the small garden space a little bigger.

For information on the garden walk or answers to gardening questions, call Rick Abrahamson at the Extension office, 394-2188, or e-mail him at ricky.abrahamson@sdstate.edu.

If you go

What: Rapid City Garden Walk

When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 12; reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 11003 Amber Lane in Black Hawk

Where: Start the tour at any of these addresses: 1501 Summit Blvd., 2900 Canyon Lake Drive or 2513 Judy Ave. in Rapid City; 7004, 6815 or 6814 Ridgeview Drive or 11003 Amber Lane in Black Hawk.

Tickets: $5, available at any of the homes or in advance at Black Hills Piano at Tuscany Square, Black Hills Bagels, Jolly Lane Greenhouse and Family Thrift at Baken Park. The fee includes admission to all garden sites.

The reception will feature refreshments by Black Hills Symphony League, entertainment by Liz Benusis, Dakota Artists Guild members and gardening questions answered by Rick Abrahamson, new Pennington County Extension educator. The event is sponsored by the South Dakota State University Pennington County Extension Office, Pennington County Master Gardeners and Rapid City Garden Club.