Brightly colored quilts and gardens attract a crowd

Sisters' 17th annual self-guided "Quilts in the Garden" Home and Garden Tour showed that when you combine quilts and gardens it's beneficial and rewarding for both gardeners and quilters.

One of the event coordinators for the Sisters Garden Club, Marsha Lewis, traveled around to the different homes on tour during the day to make sure everything was going well with their hosts.

"It is a fundraiser, but our main goal is to provide an event for our community and our visiting quilters," said Lewis.

Each attendee purchased a ticket, which served as the actual tour guide map as well. You could take the tour at your leisure from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and drive to the five specified homes in any order you liked on the tour guide list. The sixth tour was of Sisters Community Gardens.

The home and garden of Edie and Bob Hines was number one on the tour, and their garden demonstrated what can be accomplished in a very small space, with high fences to keep out the deer. Their yard included colorful displays of quilts made by Hines and a variety of flowers from petunias to pansies that curved their way through and around eye-catching glass and metal garden ornaments.

"We have lived here for only three years, and I started this garden from scratch, I have annuals and perennials. There is no plan to my garden, just where I can put another plant," said Edie.

Edie Hines has been quilting for 30 years, and took her first class at Stitchin' Post in Sisters. Her favorite quilt, "Wonky House," was on display, among others.

Garden number two, belonging to Al and Fran Boyette, spilled softly around their acreage as more of the landscape blended with trees, flowers and hanging baskets full of bright colors that were hung around the yard to capture your attention. One of the featured quilters throughout the Home and Garden Tour was Sandy Koch, who had her "Rooster" quilt - among others - hanging between the junipers and pines for that added impact throughout the yard. The Boyette's home overlooks the Deschutes Land Trust Preserve meadow.

"We have been here for 14 years; I'm not a quilter, but I am a member of the garden club," said Fran.

As folks walked through Roy and Marcia Salmon's place, they found themselves in a secret garden, an ethereal place with islands of flower beds, tall trees and benches where you could hide away and relax in the shade on a summer's day. Silver lace vines topped off the fences, and hops grow up the sides of the fascinating Norwegian Victorian farmhouse that the Salmons built themselves. The many eye-catching quilts that hung between the porch posts added to the surroundings.

"None of these beautiful quilts are mine; I usually make quilts and then give them away to friends," Salmon said. "We started the garden in 2005 after we finally finished building our home; I did all the woodwork."

At garden number four, owner Toni Harding was on hand to let folks know that when she moved in seven years ago there was no garden at all.

"It looked like a moonscape," she said.

It took a labor of love to finish her garden in the style Harding wanted. Her New Zealand petunias and delphiniums are started from seed, and she has been successful at growing cold-climate roses. Assorted arches, homemade gates, arbors, trellises and birdhouses among the wildflowers were situated around her unique backyard. Hanging over the porch looking almost ready to pounce into the garden was "The Red Fox" quilt made by Mary Smith.

At the home and garden of Glenn and Lenny Weber, number five on the list, you could see the love of detail inside the home as well as in the garden. Lenny, a quilter for 20 years, showed off her "Horsing Around" quilt that was hanging in the kitchen of their cozy cottage-style home. Her quilts adorn every room in the house.

"My Horsing Around quilt was in the international quilt show in California," Weber said.

Throughout the backyard the landscaping makes use of native plants along with a Wild West theme and décor, including a wooden sculpture of a cowboy, his metal frying pan, lantern and coffee pot ready for an open campfire made up of specially selected rocks. Inside the high-fenced flower garden - to keep out the deer - splashes of color zigzag around a blue birdbath and a walking trail. From poppies to Johnny-jump-up violas and a gopher plant to keep out the gophers, the attention to detail is distinct.

A few residents of Sisters have their labor of love growing at garden number six, Sisters Community Garden on Barclay Drive at Camp Polk Road (see related story, page 5).