Garden Tour ReTree

By Renee Lapham Collins

ECUMSEH'S RETREE WILL STAGE A GARDEN TOUR ON SATURDAY, JULY 8 FROM 1-5PM. ACCORDING TO ORGANIZER CHERI HINKLEMAN, THERE ARE FIVE GARDENS INCLUDED IN THE TOUR AND IT CULMINATES IN A SPECIAL “YARD ACCENT SALE” AT THE TECUMSEH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Tickets for the event are $10 and are available from retreetecumseh.org or on the ReTree Facebook page, Hinkleman said. The addresses of the participating gardens will be printed on the tickets.

“We have all different kinds of gardens in the yards of our five volunteer families,” she said. “Homeowners will be available to talk about their plantings and designs. These aren’t people who are necessarily master gardeners, but people who have put together different kinds of plants to create their own style. There is a lot of creativity, with different plants paired together that you might not expect to find.”

This is the second year for the event, which benefits ReTree Tecumseh. “People are very interested to see what other people are doing,” Hinkleman said. “Last year, the tour was very well received.”

Hinkleman, who is president of ReTree Tecumseh, said the money raised helps the organization plant trees on public land in the city. For example, the nonprofit can apply for grants, which typically require matching funds. The garden tour and plant sales throughout the year help ReTree meet those requirements plus a little extra to buy a few more trees. They also purchase water bags for trees at a cost of $2,500, as well as supplies. Hinkleman said ReTree Tecumseh was first organized in 2018 and the first trees were planted in 2019. “We had a goal of planting trees on public land and rights-of-way, so we had fundraisers and applied for grants,” she said.

In recent years, the volunteer organization replaced all of the flowering trees lining North Evans Street from the city limits to River Acres. They planted trees in Evans Park and Adams Park and on Chicago Boulevard, they planted 53 trees in honor of the late D.J. Martin. They also planted 20 trees on Russell Road, and 20 at Brookside Cemetery in partnership with ReLeaf Michigan, which is based in Ann Arbor. Hinkleman said there are 15-20 regular volunteers, but when there is a big planting, volunteers can number as high as 100.

“The city had always done tree planting,” Hinkleman said. “But 20 or 25 years ago, the budget was cut and that meant trees weren’t getting replaced. That bothered me, especially on North Evans. Those trees were getting really bad and they needed to be replaced.” Hinkleman decided she wanted to do something about it. She approached the Lenawee Community Foundation and was able to establish a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to funding an ongoing tree-planting program on public property in the city of Tecumseh, as well as protecting and preserving the existing urban tree canopy through care and education. Joining Hinkleman on the board are Lee Walsh, Rochelle and Doug Bird, Pam and Scott Adair, and Bill Swift. Hinkleman said there are typically 30-35 people who show up on “planting days.” Most of the trees planted are flowering trees and “street trees” like oaks, maples, and ginkgoes. Other tree species include sycamore, Kentucky coffee tree, hawthorn, tulip, and hackberry. “A lot of the trees we are replacing now were planted in the late 1950s and early 60s, so getting 60 years out of a tree is pretty good,” she said. “Street trees usually last 75-150 years, and oaks can last 300 years.”

ReTree also is sponsoring a memorial tree program at Brookside Cemetery, part of its effort to add more trees to the cemetery, especially in the expansion area. In May, 20 trees were planted and with the memorial program, Hinkleman expects to add significantly to that number. Those interested may choose to purchase a 6”x12” granite plaque and a tree for $350 or a tree only for $275.

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