Six Enid gardens will be spotlighted Friday and Saturday during the annual Garden Tours of Enid.

The event is a fundraiser for Garfield County Master Gardeners. Proceeds are used to fund a $1,000 scholarship for an Oklahoma State University horticulture student.

The tour will be 6:30 p.m. to dark Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. To ride a bus to the locations, call 234-6646 for reservations. Cost is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under.

Tickets can be purchased at the Oklahoma State University Extension Center, 316 E. Oxford, or at any home on the tour.

On display this year are:



1814 Mockingbird Lane

Barbara and Harlan Anderson



The modern architecture of the Anderson’s home provides a hint of what visitors will see when they enter the gate to the courtyard. The garden is a contrast between the straight lines of the raised beds and the whimsy of the plant shapes.

Karl Foerster grass, Scoth broom and ornamental and culinary oregano are in brick raised beds. Switch grass by the fence does not bend under the weight of snow and supports unusual winter shapes. Whirling butterflies (gaura) and Russian sage catch the eye in the center of the courtyard.

In the back yard are arborvitae, deciduous hollies and a large native rough leaf dogwood.



2433 Robin Ridge

Sharon and Paul Franklin



Antiques, birdhouses, birdbaths, crosses and old wood have been used to create an innovative garden.

Pines, rocks and a river birth with peeling bark can be seen. An old bench from Franklin Motor Co., founded by Paul Franklin, holds his collection of old bricks.

A mound of creeping juniper and a small pond highlight the walkway. The back yard features an old metal wheelbarrow, an attractive building with a porch and a dry stream with pond liner and rocks the Franklins found on hikes. The long wooden bench on the porch was used by people waiting for the train in Woodward. The potting bench next to the shed was made from old barn wood.

A gnarled redbud tree broke in the 2002 ice storm and was successfully bolted back together. Sharon Franklin’s father build a tall birdhouse that stands at the back of the yard.



1111 W. York

Vicki Garber



The first thing seen when entering the east gate is the patio and pool. Potted palms add to the sense of a perpetual vacation. Pots of red geraniums and spiky cordyline ring the pool.

In a shaded corner beyond the pool is a pond with water lilies of many colors.

The garden is 19 years old, but always is changing with new plants being tried in new spots. The sense of continuity comes from mass plantings of shrubs such as wild rose and photinia along the back fence.

Tall crape myrtles and mounds of cotoneaster border the west end of the lawn. The straight lines of the border mimic the pool and give the area a finished look. The huge magnolia tree by the house creates a shade garden where abelias and nandinas have been planted. Adding annuals near the patio is a way Garber has of adding color.



304 Oakdale

Sherry Shaw



Shaw begins to tell her stories in the stepping stones designed by her grandchildren on the path along the south side of her house.

Randy McWilliams, a master gardener, helped her design her garden by giving her a five-year plan. She’s in her fourth year. Three focal points include a miniature blue spruce, box wood and pyracantha. Shaw has chosen red, purple and yellow as primary colors and uses red mulch to not only draw attention to the foliage of her daisies and hostas, but to visually unify the small garden.

Shaw’s grandmother was an inspiration for her gardening. Some of her plants are from seeds her grandmother received from a writing group. Iron candle holders and crosses enhance the prayer and memorial garden. Iron planters on the fence, containing geraniums and asparagus ferns, complete the scene.



1116 Wynona

Sally and Robert Whiteneck



A hedgerow of yew along the path gives visitors the first hint they are entering a classic perennial garden.

An abundance of daisies and many varieties of poppies, some with seed heads drying in the sun, are evident. Larkspurs do the garden landscape. Tucked in the corner is a small fish pond, which uses no chemicals. Rather, water hyacinth, water lettuce and water lilies are used to keep the water clean.

Roses are seen throughout the garden, which generally has color all throughout the growing season.

Sally Whiteneck has learned to use annuals among her perennials to punch up the color. Dwarf flowering almond, knockout roses and a variety of herbs and hydrangeas are seen throughout the garden.



1301 Vinita

Gail and John Wynne



The garden is entered through a wisteria-covered gate. A shade garden beyond the patio draws attention.

The Wynnes’ garden starts blooming around Valentine’s Day with the hellebores and ends its color display around Thanksgiving.

Gail Wynne has built an ingenious support structure for her dahlias, tying tomato cages together and supporting them with rebar.

Brick stepping stones lead to a garden house, which is filled with books, wooden cupboards and displays of pictures and tools. A dogwood stands at attention in the back corner of the garden.

They have been working on their garden for four years.