CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – The Champaign County Master Gardeners is holding its annual Garden Walk later this month, and invites the public to experience the joy of gardening and community. The much-anticipated Champaign County summer tradition will take place on Saturday, June 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s event, “Designing Our Gardens,” features a self-guided tour of six private home gardens and two public gardens across Champaign County.
This year’s Garden Walk celebrates creativity in garden design, showcasing bold color palettes, unique hardscapes, or intentional layouts for pollinators, productivity, and peace. Master Gardeners will be on-site at each location to offer guidance, share tips, and answer questions about everything from plant selection to sustainable practices.
“This year’s gardens are a vibrant reflection of how people thoughtfully design their outdoor spaces,” said Mary Knight, a Master Gardener and event organizer. “From pollinator havens to edible landscapes and artistic plant combinations, visitors will leave inspired and ready to rethink how they design their gardens.”
The Garden Walk coincides with National Pollinator Week, a nationwide pollinator health and conservation celebration. Extension Educator Karla Griesbaum encourages attendees to participate in the Champaign-Urbana Pollinator Quest, a community science project that invites people to observe and record pollinators using the iNaturalist app.
Tickets are $10 and free for children ages ten or younger. They can be purchased in advance at Country Arbors Nursery in Urbana (1742 CR 1400 N) and Prairie Gardens in Champaign (3000 W Springfield Ave), by calling the University of Illinois Extension office at 217-333-7672, or online at go.illinois.edu/GardenWalk. Proceeds from ticket sales support the Champaign County Masters Gardeners’ community outreach and education efforts, including demonstration gardens at the Crisis Nursery, the Idea Garden, and Ying Ying’s Garden.