Plum Grove’s flower garden was overflowing 25 years ago, when my granddaughter, Katie Vitosh, and I posed for this picture. We are sitting on a stump under a canopy of trumpet vines and surrounded by heirloom plants.

The canopy is still there with flowering vines just beginning to climb right now. The stump is showing its age and is weathered and split. Katie has grown up, still likes flowers, but doesn’t wear pink bows in her hair very often.

Time has made this garden of heirloom flowers and its companions, vegetable, rose, and wildflower showpieces to complement the beautiful 1800s house.

Plum Grove was the home of Iowa’s first territorial governor, Robert Lucas, and his wife, Friendly. It was built in 1844. Iowa became a state in 1846. The house is maintained by the State Historical Society and the gardens by the Johnson County Master Gardeners.

In 1995, Betty Kelly succeeded in convincing the historical society that a garden of heirloom plants, raised the way Friendly Lucas did, would add to the history of the house and of agriculture in the mid-1800s

The vegetable garden was first, and every effort to make it authentic was explored. It is a slightly raised bed, planted with all heirloom seeds of herbs, corn, tomatoes, squash, beans, all vegetables Friendly Lucas would have grown. To fertilize, a pail of fish water was used. To deter pests, a large cigar fermented another pail of water.

In the beginning, a lone deer also inhabited the grounds and a fence was needed. Master Gardener Bill Terry, along with Loren Leach, researched wooden gates and fences of the 1800s and they constructed a picket fence that, though in need of paint, stands today.

Flower gardens may not have been as important as the vegetable garden, but it was decided to find a sunny spot on the four acres and plant only heirloom varieties of flowers and plants from the 1850s.

Of course, money was needed to maintain the gardens, though the Master Gardeners did all the seeding, weeding and watering. It was decided to give a party using the heirloom plants as a base for a “Taste of a Heritage Garden.”

I believe the first party charged a dollar for this taste and included beets, carrots, soups and tea made from rhubarb. About 100 people signed up, but more than 200 up for this unusual party.

Now this summer, on July 13 from 5:30-7 p.m., the Master Gardeners will celebrate the 25th year of the tasting party.

Unable to have it the last two years because of COVID-19, all are excited to bring it back.

The menu will be lengthy, with some surprises. Soups and salads, beans, beets, perhaps carrot cake, and the usual array of cold teas made from herbs and plants. The suggested donation is $5.

The old Post Office Brass Band will play again as it has for many years. Garden flowers will decorate the tables and be given to names drawn at the end of the program. Photos from past years will be displayed and a tribute to the late Betty Kelly, who spearheaded the gardens, and the tasting evening will be a special part of a short program.

As many have said, Kelly was a force of nature. She, along with Joanne Leach, was a tireless worker as a Master Gardener. Her ideas for the gardens have brought local, state and national recognition to Plum Grove and the four gardens now — vegetables, flowers, wildflowers and roses.

The National Smithsonian Garden Award, the Iowa State Service Award, and the Irving Weber Award have honored these gardens and the Master Gardeners who have diligently worked there for a quarter of a century.

Displayed next to the vegetable garden is a bench. The curved top has the names of those Master Gardeners who have passed on. Kelly’s name will be there for the tasting party, though her absence will be deeply felt.

All are welcome to come and help celebrate the dedicated work of the Johnson County Master Gardeners.

Note: Project GREEN is calling for Iowa City or Coralville residents to open their gardens for the Open Gardens Weekend 2022 event, July 9-10. Anyone excited about gardening and proud of their efforts is encouraged to sign up: large property or tiny patio; flowers, vegetables, whatever. Your participation can inspire others to begin gardening by showing what you’ve done and raising money for Project GREEN’s mission of making the Iowa City area an even more beautiful place to live and work. Sharing your garden can make a difference. Sign up by June 15 at www.projectgreen.org.