Stanley Sawvel (left) and Art Mikolowski turned a rough suburban yard into a secluded oasis.
It’s hard to believe it now, but when Art Mikolowski and Stanley Sawvel moved to Rochester Hills 12 years ago, “Most of it was just scrub stuff back here,” Sawvel says. Today, their suburban property is anything but that.
A fish pond, a gazebo, potting shed, tool shed and composting area are all tucked neatly into the fenced and gated backyard while leaving plenty of room for perennials, shrubs, walkways and art. Not a square inch is wasted. “We have scale,” says Sawvel, an interior designer, explaining how it all works together.
The koi pond is so packed with fish the filter must be cleaned daily.
The garden is one of six on this year’s Rochester Hills Museum Garden Walk June 20. The gardens on the self-guided tour are located in Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. Though some have been professionally landscaped, most are tended by the homeowners.
“The fun part is introducing people to gardens. I think people like to see people with dirty fingers,” says museum supervisor Patrick McKay. “I think people are inspired after they leave here. They say, ‘I can do this.’”
Mikolowski is the one with dirty hands at his house. A former optician, he travels but comes home to work in the garden. On the road, he’s always on the lookout for plant nurseries.
A homemade gate keeps dogs in and strangers out.
“He’s probably out here 20 hours a week,” Sawvel says. In addition to feeing the huge fish in the pond daily, Sawvel builds the structural elements. Wrought iron is particularly favored; Sawvel built the garden gate by disassembling an inexpensive arbor and framing the pieces in. Some architectural details came from an old apartment building when it was torn down.
The same attention to detail goes into the planting. Eight thousand bulbs were planted last year; roses are grown in urns, then moved to the potting shed to overwinter. A composting area is tucked out of sight, and each year one planting bed is reconstituted.
The backyard’s artificial turf might seem an odd choice. But when Zoe, an Australian shepherd/pit bull mix joined the family, grass became a problem. “The minute we got the dog, you could see the lawn turn brown,” Sawvel says. After putting sod down twice in one year they chose the turf, which has a 20-year life expectancy.
The brick path and gazebo were created by homeowner Stanley Sawvel, an interior designer.
Before moving to Rochester Hills, Mikolowski and Sawvel won Pontiac’s beautification award three years in a row. They brought a lot of plants from that house to this one; one peony has been handed down for generations and is now 100 years old. “A lot of the stuff here is from people who have passed,” Sawvel says.
A full day of activities, plus preview
During the walk, photographer Jay Hurtgen will show his garden photos in the yard. Five plein-air painters will be distributed through the other gardens. An Open Air Market featuring Michigan artisans will be held on the museum grounds 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kathy Miller of Kathy’s Gardening will present “Creative Container Gardening” at 2 p.m. Door prizes will be awarded during the program, which is free to ticket holders. Guests can also tour the Children’s Garden on the Museum grounds as well as the Dairy Barn and Calf Barn and historic plantings surrounding the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse. Refreshments will be provided during the market.
This year’s preview party on June 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. will be at a home on four acres along the Paint Creek Trail. Residents Kim and Jim Palmer are co-owners of Harbor Springs Vineyards and Winery at Pond Hill Farm. Their award-winning Pond Hill wines will be offered at the preview party, along with appetizers and desserts, live music and plein-air artists. Tickets for the preview are $60 per couple or $35 per person and include a ticket for the next day’s walk. (The preview garden will not be included in the Thursday walk.)
The 14th annual Rochester Hills Museum Garden Walk and Preview Party is co-sponsored by the Rochester Branch of the Woman’s National Farm and Garden. Walk hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Advance tickets are $12 ($10 for museum members) or $14 on walk day. They are available using PayPal at rochesterhills.org/musprograms or at the museum on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 1005 Van Hoosen Road off Tienken Road between Rochester and Dequindre. For more information call (248) 656-4663.
