THE HISTORY OF THE GARDEN

Perched atop a rocky limestone bluff overlooking historic Galena, IL, is the city's best kept secret: an oasis named Linmar Gardens.  Now a 3-1/2 acre wooded wonderland, the site had been mined for lead, quarried for stone, and used as a garbage dump until a chance encounter with Harold Martin.

A Chicago Art Institute-trained professional artist who left an advertising career to paint, Hal fell in love with Galena and purchased the property as a weekend retreat in 1976.  His artistic soul was stirred when visiting the property.  Eight years later he became a permanent resident, settling in to the once-stately 1853 brick home and its neglected surroundings.

After several years' attention to the fixer-upper residence, Hal turned his artist's eye to the land.  He had no tourist attraction in mind: no grandiose plan.  "I started out at the back door and it just went from there," says Hal.  "It was simply an extended beautification of the house.  The places I planted looked so much better than the bare spot next to them that I just kept going." 

Hal began by carting out debris, cleaning up the land and trucking in tons of soil and rock to build pathways, walls, terraced garden beds and outdoor rooms.  He called in friends to help with the projects, and consulted local landscapers and nurseries about plants that could survive the difficult Zone 4 climate.  Slowly, the garbage dump evolved into a masterpiece featuring meadows, waterfalls, meandering paths, and some surprises.

Four-season statues standing guard over symbolically hued garden plots are one such surprise, teasing visitors into thinking they are standing in Versailles, not northwestern Illinois.  Rounding another corner, a 20-foot high waterfall cascades from a natural bluff onto stones chosen for their individual melodious qualities.  Further along the flagstone pathway, unique metal sculptures vie for attention amid myriads of trees, shrubs, and flowers.  All fashioned from recycled material, the whimsical pieces are the handiwork of local artisan John Martinson, a friend of Hal's.

The crown jewel of Linmar is a sunken garden, the foundation of the Union Baptist Church, the first African American church in the region.  Staying in context with the building's origin, a baptismal font theme leads visitors to quiet reflection.

The wooded wonderland is punctuated with delightful distractions such as a faux lead mine entrance, a belfry from an early Galena firehouse, and yard art fashioned from architectural salvage and flea market finds.  A meadow is anchored by a pretty gazebo, a spectacular backdrop for intimate weddings and receptions.  Art and nature are beautifully intertwined.

The private garden is open for two tours daily, weather permitting, mid-May through October.  Hal's partner, Bob Burton, serves as a tour guide, dispensing knowledgeable insights about the botanical and historical aspects of the site.

"I think we make art so that words aren't the only means to connect with one another," states Hal, the quiet partner. 

Connect, indeed, at lovely Linmar Gardens.