LOTS OF PHOTOS BELOW -
By Monty Siekerman
What do these words describe? Cutting, shoe, fairy, tea, recycle, herbs, memory, annual, perennial. They are types of gardens, all of which are found at the home of Deb and Van Curlis whose two-acre spread will be part of the Findlay Garden Club’s 2018 garden tour this coming weekend.
Deb, who is the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce director, and her husband, Van, a homebuilder, live on the southeast side of McComb. (Directions to their home are found later in this article.)
Garden tour hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 14 and 1-5 p.m. Sunday, July 15.
Locations: 10 homes in and around Findlay and Marathon Petroleum on S. Main St. Maps are available at Brinkman’s, 50 North, Garden Central and Plant Peddler.
Cost: Free. Donations accepted to cover tour costs and help with the club’s other community projects.
Deb and Van have lived near McComb for 15 years with Deb doing much of the gardening while Van did serious remodeling to the house on property that they call Oak View Herbs. Herbs have been one of Deb’s favorite plants since childhood. The property is dotted with tall oak and pine. Scattered about are gardens after gardens, including one by the front door with a water feature surrounded by perennials. Along the way, visitors will find a huge variety of pants, including some unusual ones such as a hardy banana tree.
As they say, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” Over the year’s, Deb has collected many garden ornaments at yard sales and flea markets. Look close, and you’ll see them among the plants.
Gardeners will find color, even in shady areas. Deb’s gardening talent, and continual search for new varieties that fit into her landscape, combine to bring color to shady areas, something hard to accomplish.
She recycles old baskets, places a portion of a fence in a memory garden, tea cups and pots go into her collection of mint...every cup of tea needs a little mint, you know. Creativity is at work here, as well as weeding and digging.
One of the highlights of the yard is the “she shed” where Deb can relax, reflect, enjoy the garden views, read a book, and listen to a wide variety of birds sing their songs. The miniature treehouse is built on the stump of a giant oak tree that fell in a storm.
For those interested in beauty or gardening, the Curlis property is a must-see.
Directions
To find their house from Ada (about 30 minutes north and east) take SR 235 north to SR 224. Turn right. Take SR 224 to SR 186. Turn left. The Curlis home is the fourth house on the left at 6748 SR 186, McComb, with signs in the yard identifying the property as a tour location on Saturday and Sunday.
