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Color all year

Skip Thompson’s gardens to be featured in annual garden tour

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson Skip Thompson, of Fort Dodge, kneels in one of her flower gardens at her home, 701 Crest Ave., recently. Her gardens are part of the Fort Dodge Federated Garden Club annual tour of gardens July 7.

All throughout the year, variations of colors can be seen in Skip Thompson’s flower gardens.

“We try to keep color at all times,” Thompson said. “We have spring flowers and then as they no longer bloom then something else comes in.”

“Out on the corner there is always color,” she added. “There is always something blooming.”

Thompson is a member of the Fort Dodge Federated Garden Club. Thompson and her husband D.J. Campney’s flower gardens, located at 701 Crest Ave., will be featured during the 16th annual tour of gardens on Friday.

Six homes will be showcased during the tour. Attendees can go to the homes in whatever order they choose, Thompson said. Tickets can be purchased at any of the homes or at Becker Florists, 1335 First Ave. N.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson Skip Thompson, of Fort Dodge, removes some of the old blooms from her hibiscus at her garden recently. Hibiscus boom in July and also rebloom, she said. Thompson's flower gardens are being featured in the Fort Dodge Federated Garden Club annual tour of gardens July 7.

“It’s a fun evening out,” she said. “This will be our first twilight tour.”

Thompson said the tours are typically held earlier in the day.

“We normally have it on a Saturday,” she said. “This time we are trying something different — an evening tour.”

“People can come and go after work and it might be a little cooler,” she added. “Every garden looks different at different times of the day. We think it will be a positive to try something new.”

Proceeds from the tour will go to support Fort Dodge Federated Garden Club projects such as local tree plantings, local flower shows, and book donations to the Fort Dodge Public Library.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson A section of Skip Thompson's flower gardens are shown here. Pink roses, mint, basel, and sage are among the items planted in the garden.

“It’s a way to raise money for the garden club,” Thompson said. “It also allows people in the city to walk through some of these gardens that they might see driving by. It helps people get ideas. It’s like an open house. Maybe a chance to see something different or say, ‘hey I hate that.'”

Thompson said everything in her gardens is a work in progress.

“It’s never done,” she said.

Depending on the time of year, crocus, daffodils, tulips, columbine, daylilies and hibiscus can all be seen throughout Thompson’s property.

“We have a lot of hosta,” she said. “We have a lot of flowers.”

Her gardens also feature pink roses and herbs such as mint, basel, and sage.

Thompson said she tries to match the flower with the amount of light that it gets.

“We have a shaded yard, so there are a lot of things that are not grown well in the sun,” she said.

Lost trees have also impacted the gardens.

“We lost two trees this year, so that has changed the complexity of what our garden is,” Thompson said. “We lost half a tree in the storm. The others were just of old age.”

During the summer months, Thompson spends much of her time in the garden watering the plants.

“It’s watering this time of year when everything is blooming,” she said. “It takes a lot of nutrients to keep the flower in bloom and in nice shape. We try mulch as much as possible. Once you have things weeded, you don’t have to weed as much. You water and then you fertilize when you water.”

Thompson also spends time removing the old blossoms.

“Some flowers will bloom, but you have to take the old spent blossoms off or they won’t rebloom,” she said. “We water early in the morning and late in the evening. When it was really hot like last week, a lot of the hanging baskets we water twice a day.”

Thompson said she spends between three and four hours a week in the gardens.

Campney is responsible for the landscaping aspect of the gardens.

“My husband does digging, planting, and restructuring,” Thompson said. “He does brick and mulching. If we put it in stones, he does all of that. I do weeding and day-to-day upkeep. He does all the heavy work.”

Campney works as a journey lineman.

“He works for multiple companies,” Thompson said.

Thompson retired from Nestle Purina Pet Care Co. in August 2016. She worked there for 19 years as logistics manager.

She has lived in Fort Dodge for about 25 years. She moved to her current residence about eight years ago with Campney.

Gardening has served as an escape for Thompson.

“Being outside is very pleasant,” she said. “I use it as stress relief. When I worked I would come home and work in the garden. It’s quiet. The phone isn’t ringing. It’s just something nice about nature. If you have a bad day at work you can go pull weeds.”

Thompson said she plants the flowers that she likes.

“I raise flowers I like,” she said. “They are for my pleasure. We have garden club members that know what those are. I just raise what I like.”

“We pick flowers for what we will grow in our climate,” she said. “We want to put everything into perennials. It’s color all year long. It’s matching the plant with the amount of light in the day.”

Thompson and Campney have plans for the gardens for years to come, she said.

“My husband has plans for the next 10 years,” Thompson said.

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If you go:

FD Tour of Gardens

What: Fort Dodge 16th annual Tour of Gardens, twilight tour

When: Friday

Time: 4 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $10 for adults, children 14 and under are free

n Tickets can be purchased in advance at Becker Florists or on the day of the tour at the first garden, 337 Ave. G.

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