Ruth and Lou Yetter prepare their backyard in Palmyra for the tour, which will include their notable daylilies.
Porch Club of Riverton hosts tour of nine private gardens
As spring enters full bloom, it offers the pleasures of gardening: fresh air, hands in the dirt and a pleasant break from the world.
To mark the season, the Porch Club of Riverton will host its annual two-day tour of nine private local gardens rain or shine on Friday and Saturday beginning May 19.
“If you haven’t been to Riverton, I think you will love this day trip,” said Ruth Yetter, who along with her husband Lou has created a backyard at her Palmyra home with flowers and vegetables and two fish ponds.
The couple’s garden – just three blocks from Riverton – will be on the Porch Club tour.
“I enjoy everything about gardening, especially creating hybrid daylilies,” said Ruth, who has 1,200 different varieties of the plant, including 600 babies.
Three of her new lilies are registered with the American Hemerocallis Society, and two more are pending. She names her creations after her grandchildren, Emma, Matte, Amelia and Gabe.
“Every hybrid is a sibling; you take the stamen of one plant and bring it to the pistil of another for pollination,” explained Yetter, who has made two presentations on plant genetics to seventh graders at Riverton Elementary School.
“I’m excited – this is our first time on the tour,” Yetter enthused, adding that she and two Porch Club volunteers will guide people through her garden. Besides the lilies, it has an azalea bush and other species. The Yetters also grow potatoes, carrots and radishes, among other vegetables.
“I just love the way our garden looks,” said Lou Yetter, who recently put a new lining in the above-ground pool at the center of the backyard.
Porch Club tour hours will be 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 19 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 20. The latter will feature a buffet lunch at $39 a person from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the club, 213 Howard St.
Tickets for the garden tours are $20 and can be had by visiting theporchclub.org or buying at the following Riverton businesses: New Leaf Tea Room, 606 Main St.; Home Off Main, 523 Howard St.; and Tillie’s Trinkets, 304 Broad St. Tickets are also available at Fresh Produce of Palmyra, 427 W. Broad St.
Founded in 1890 to inspire, encourage, educate and better its members and the global community, the Porch Club has served as a center for social, civic and cultural exchange.
