2025 Tour Garden Preview

Gardens are open from 8:00 A.M to 2:00 P.M. on Saturday.

Greg and Letriana Cantrell

Our collection of hostas is a hobby that happened quite by accident.  It began over 20 years ago when we decided to build a pond in our yard.  Once our pond was completed, we wanted to incorporate plants to complete the look. As we were shopping, we continued to notice this interesting looking plant called a “Hosta”. We decided to buy one. Knowing nothing about them we planted them in the worst possible places. As we continued to add more to our yard, I noticed that there were different types to choose from. As some thrived and some did not, we began researching and learned the best place to plant them. During our landscape frenzy, we started creating beds strategically by sizes, colors and textures. Two decades later we have numerous beds with over 750 different hosta varieties with more beds that need to be created to house our new arrivals. This hobby has turned our yard, “Green with Envy”. Yes, we have that one too.

Don and Carolyn Jones

Don and Carolyn Jones’ interest in hosta gardening began many years ago when a friend planted one on the construction site where they were building a house.  In the spring, it appeared bigger and better than when it was planted, and so it began.  Currently, they have about seven hundred with many companion plants on their hillside corner lot.

One of Carolyn’s favorite things is her fairy garden.  Fashioning fairy houses for Carolyn’s collection is a winter hobby for Don.  At this time, their fairy community consists of sixteen structures with over two hundred fairies and countless items that makes it a genuine fairyland.  Don and Carolyn firmly believe that gardening is good for the body and soul and would love to share their garden with you.

As an added bonus, you may arrive at the garden when a bluebird is caring for babies in the bluebird house in their yard.

Warren and Carol Koch

Though Carol Koch lives on a smaller city lot, she enjoys being able to incorporate both sun and shade gardening.  She and Warren moved into their home 37 years ago and the landscape has evolved with time.

A room edition had been added a year prior to their purchase.  Dirt from the new addition was piled around two soft maple trees in the backyard.  These trees are still living and provide the main hosta garden its shade.   In July of 2024, a storm came through the area taking out one of the maple trees.  At the time of this writing, it is uncertain how the dynamics of her shade garden will change.

Carol grew up with sun gardening and could not understand the popularity of hostas until she saw a high school classmate’s shade garden and joined CIHS.  This gave Carol an inspiration for improvement of the mound in the backyard. This mound is now her favorite area of the garden and considers it the most pleasant in which to spend time.

Sun gardening is still a big part of Carol’s gardening passion.  Her love of daylilies has grown greatly over the years. Hopefully, a few of them will be showing off when you visit.

A recent change in Carol’s garden was in a bed in the front yard.  The oak tree had grown large enough that it was shading a triangular shaped bed of sunflowers.  In the fall of 2023, the sunflowers that were struggling with the shade were removed and the space was converted into another hosta bed.

As you arrive, start walking down the south side of the house through the sun garden, then step through the arbor into the shade. You’ll experience the best part of her garden.

Carol thanks you for coming and hopes you enjoy the labors of her love as much as she does.

Frank and Kathy King

Frank and Kathy King live in rural Washington on a two-acre lot surrounded by trees on two sides.  Ten years ago, Frank began his gardening journey amassing reject plants from the landscape company where he was working.  In the true sense of the hosta as being the friendship plant, Frank’s hosta gardens started with divisions from friends.  The hosta gardens have grown to over 500 varieties—not all from friends.  Strategically planted throughout the hosta gardens are numerous Japanese maples.

Frank’s love of art appears abundantly with numerous art pieces throughout the gardens.  You will see concrete painted elephant ears and statues, along with interesting tree roots and boulders.  Many decorative pots of annuals appear in the beds elevated above the hostas.

Along with hosta beds, Frank’s love of dwarf conifers are displayed in two separate beds.  Drip irrigation provides a constant supply of water to his hosta beds.  To keep the deer out of his hosta beds, Frank has the area surrounded with fishing line which the deer cannot see at night.  Sun-loving perennials enjoy his many beds found in unshaded areas.

He hopes you will enjoy your walk through his garden and glean some ideas for your own garden.

Illinois Central College

AHS National Display Garden

Established in 1980, the Illinois Central College (ICC) Arboretum and Gardens began with a modest hosta collection.  In 1983, Roy Klehm of Klehm Nursery provided a huge boost to the hosta collection with a significant donation.  Following Klehm’s initial contribution, contributions from Green View Nursery, Hoerr Nursery, Tom Micheletti (Hosta Patch Nursery), and others, the collection grew to over 300 cultivars and was one of the gardens on display at the 1998 AHS convention.  In 2000, a Classic Hosta Collection was added.  We initially limited the number of plants in this garden to 32.  Additional classic hostas were added in 2014 to include the Benedict Garden Performance Medal Winners and more classics.  The gardens also include specific beds dedicated to the Hosta of the Year winners, to Mary Chastain Lakeside series hostas, and to Robert Solberg and Mark Zilis hostas.  There is also a bed dedicated to hostas of Japanese and Korean origins, as well as, a bed of only small and mini hostas for viewing.  Yet another contributor, Barry Ankney of White Oak Nursery, generously provided over 100 popular varieties in 2017! This garden was also on display for the 2018 MRHS Convention. More new hostas are added each year. Three new pergolas were built by the ICC Landscape Construction classes (one per year) in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

 Be Sure to Notice other areas also:

  • The Japanese Garden – The tranquility of the Japanese garden welcomes the visitor to pause to relax for a time.
  • The Water Garden – Work your way to the outer limits of the gardens to find a small fish pond with beautiful water lilies.
  • The Master Gardener Garden – Peoria area Master Gardeners have designed and continue to maintain floral, herbal and vegetable plots.