Tour of Gardens / Information
OPEN Hours:
Friday, June 20, 4 to 6 PM
Saturday, June 21, 10 AM to 4 PM
Restrooms & Free Lemonade at Old Towne Inn, 110 East Tennessee Avenue, open Friday 3 to 6 pm and Saturday 9 am to 12 pm.
Pets are not allowed, except for service animals.
Adults must show their tickets at the entrance to each garden. Children 18 and under are free with paying adult.
SCROLL DOWN for information on each garden
Gardens may be visited in any order; however, they are listed from the eastern most garden, and following clockwise in a 15-mile loop.
Master Gardeners of Anderson County are on hand to answer questions. Several of the properties are official “Tennessee Smart Yards,” which is a yard that is in balance with the local environment for the benefit of both people and our ecosystem. Read more about the Tennessee Smart Yard program here.
Garden #1 Klein Garden - SECRET GARDEN - 36 Rockingham Lane
ACCESSIBILITY - This garden is sloped, but the front garden beds are visible from the street and the driveway is level.
PARKING ON STREET - Please do not block the driveway.
Jerry and Janice Klein bought their property on Rockingham Lane in 2006, and the backyard was a “blank slate and garden adventure,” said Janice, who is an Anderson County Master Gardener. They designed the garden themselves with help from a local nursery and tree service. Today it is a Tennessee Smart Yard and attracts a great deal of wildlife. “We love the varied wildlife, including all the birds, turtles and yes even the snakes, although a few less deer would be helpful!” she said.
Their favorite part of their garden is the veiw from the back balcony. In the winter it offers a view of Melton Lake. In the summer it offers wooded privacy. Their “Garden Secret” in the summer is the lower patio space which is fenced and has many varieties of flowers in cobalt blue ceramic pots.
The garden is sloped, and although that has created some challenges, they say it has also offered a unique opportunity for a variety of rock gardens and a wide assortment of plants.
Be sure to check out the whimsical pieces of artwork around the garden and down the woodland path, including a kinetic sculpture made from recycled metal, a water feature, a blue bottle tree, a Princeton elm tree sculpture, a wired praying mantis, turtle sculpture and more.
Best Planting Tip: “Right plant, right place.”
Garden #2 Bunick Garden - HIDDEN GEM - 117 Claymore Lane, Oak Ridge, TN
ACCESSIBILITY - The garden is sloped, but if you go through the garage, you can see most of it from the back deck.
PARKING - On the street. Please do not block driveways.
This Tennessee Smart Yard is the garden of Dr. Elaine Bunick, who is also a Master Gardener. It features a series of wet-weather run off pathways that welcome pedestrians in the dry weather.
This garden has been featured on the Lavender Festival Tour of Gardens previously, but Elaine is always replanting and adding beds. “I love to propagate plants and use them to fill beds to decrease erosion,” Elaine said. “This year the rain has made the plants grow big and lush.”
The garden is filled with a variety of native plants and backs up to the UT Arboretum, with abundant wildlife coming to visit. Elaine intersperses hostas, which the deer love to eat, with prickly and stinky flowers, hoping to deter them. Unusual plant species such as Amorphophallus, commonly called Dog’s Penis, are interesting to see as well.
Her favorite thing about the garden is the peace and tranquility offered, the waterfalls during the rainy season in the wet weather creek, and the many critters like frogs, owls, rabbits and coyotes.
Elaine will have a display of information on the Master Gardener program and the Tennessee Smart Yard program in her garage.
#3 - St. Mary vegetable Garden - FEEDING THE COMMUNITY - 327 Vermont Avenue
ACCESSIBILITY - This garden is level and accessible to scooters.
PARKING is plentiful. Follow the signs to St. Joseph Food Pantry. The garden is right in front of it.
Established in 2010 by Gary Sega, St. Mary Community Garden is the primary vehicle for growing fresh produce for the St. Joseph Food Pantry, which distributes food every Wednesday morning.
The garden is managed by Walter Dykas, a Master Gardener of Anderson County, and staffed entirely by volunteers who work together 2 to 3 days per week, almost year-round. While the goal is to produce vegetables for the food pantry, a close second is to minimize the effort required by the all-volunteer staff! “Low-maintenance is likely the most sustainable and earth-friendly,” said Walter.
The garden operates like a mini-farm, with a drip irrigation system, the use of companion planting to encourage pollinators, the utilization of cultural practices to manage pests, weeds, and plant diseases, the implementation of a crop rotation, the minimization of flood damage and erosion, and experimentation with self sowing of key produce such as kale, borage, and chard. They always welcome volunteers! Contact Walter to help. It’s a great way to learn vegetable gardening.
Favorite part of the garden? Giving to the community.
Most interesting or unusual part? The beautiful flowers in the summer.
#4 - Atomic Roots -A Native Prairie- 400 & 402 New York Avenue
ACCESSIBILITY - Parts of this garden are not accessible to wheelchairs or mobility scooters, although most of it can be viewed from the street, which is sloped but has a sidewalk in the front.
PARKING is next door at the Oak Ridge Schools administration building.
Alyssa Ip and Tina Matta are two neighbors who became fast friends in 2020, when Alyssa moved in next door to Tina on New York Avenue.
Inspired by a water problem, the two neighbors began planning a joint native prairie, a once abundant but now critically endangered ecosystem in the southeast.
Their garden has since morphed into a bigger vision, and they have applied for nonprofit status as “Atomic Roots,” whose mission will be to provide education and resources for others in the community to incorporate sustainable gardening practices in an urban environment.
A honeybee hive on the property is managed by Dr. Larry Millet of UT, which lets them enjoy an abundant vegetable harvest. A seed library is set up to provide native seeds for free to the community.
Favorite part of the garden? Alyssa says it’s the loud humming sound it makes very early in the morning: “The whole prairie seems so alive just as the sun is rising.” Tina says she loves seeing all the different flowers blooming throughout the year, and the diversity of birds and other wildlife.
Best gardening tip? Plant native varieties that can handle the climate and need less maintenance. Also, spend a few minutes per day in the garden to watch it change and grow.
Biggest challenge? The native blackberries are taking over!
Join the Community - Alyssa and Tina have big plans! You’ll find Atomic Roots on Facebook @atomicroots, or on Instagram, @atomicroots_or
#5 -Sachitano Garden - 111 Scenic Drive - AN ORCHARD (AND MORE!) on the ridge
ACCESSIBILITY - The front yard and parking are level. The back yard/orchard is very sloped, but fully visible from the terrace.
PARKING is on the street.
India and Adam Sachitano moved into this property high on a ridge in Oak Ridge in 2012.
“When we first moved in the orchard was in terrible shape with disease and neglect,” she said. “The front yard had no life left, but you could see potential. Over the first several years we tore out old fruit trees, shrubs and invasive vines and overgrowth. Every year I pulled out a section of lawn to expand my vegetable garden. Every year we add more varieties of flowers, herbs, fruit, nuts and vegetables. Our goal is to have as little actual grass as possible and for every bit of space to be used for food, beauty, and wildlife,” she said.
Favorite Part: India says the beautiful blending of the colorful floral and the edible harvest, while paying homage to the original Oak Ridge owners.
Best gardening tip: Have a plan, but don’t worry if it takes a few years for it to take shape. Not everything has to be picture perfect all the time.
Greatest Garden Challenge: Pests! We struggle with chipmunks, voles, deer and bugs.
What about your garden brings you the most joy? The mixture of colors and textures between my flowers, greens, and vegetables. The flash of a white eggplant, neon green gound cover. Orange persimmons near purple elephant ears amongst 100s of pink, purple, yellow and white mums in the fall. Brilliant lacy red mustard greens planted near crinkly yellow Peruvian peppers. I love it all.
