Garden Walks with Judy: An expansive garden at a 98-year-old home
Judy Terry
Special to the Press-Citizen
July 10, 2026, 6:00 a.m. CT
If you went on the Project GREEN garden tour a couple of weekends ago, I bet you were in awe of the many different themes. There were cottage and country gardens, ponds and pergolas, greenhouses, fountains, sun and shade flowers, and some vegetables near harvest, plus a garden railroad and three giraffes chewing on tree leaves
Lisa and Mike Haverkamp have most of that and more (okay, no giraffes or trains) surrounding their almost 100-year-old house. Built in 1928 in what was then the outskirts of Iowa City, now University Heights, this huge lot has been their pet project for the 20 years they have lived there
The front yard from the house to the street is covered with giant ferns, hostas, shrubs, and perennial flowers. The side yards continue this theme, adding roses, hydrangeas, peony plants, and many favorite annuals
The backyard has the patio and the pond. The pond was dug by the original owner, but Lisa and Mike redesigned and rebuilt it in 2005. Full of fish and lilies, it is a great focal point and much enjoyed by the Haverkamps.Â
They built a large pergola by the pond, using cement posts and floor joists from an old house. Roses, transplanted from their former residence, climb to the top. It’s a special place for them to sit when taking a gardening break
Many trees shade the back yard, yet there is room in the sun for a vegetable garden. Already there was a large purple pepper almost ready to pick. Soon small watermelons will start. Many kinds of herbs are growing, as is a huge stand of horseradish. Large flat stones make a nice walkway through the vegetable garden right to the back door
One of Mike’s favorite plants is the hops he grows to make beer. They are indeed an heirloom, as they are from his great-great-grandfather
I asked Lisa how long they work in the garden each day and she said only about an hour or so now that summer is here. She has other garden projects she enjoys. She is a Master Gardener, volunteers every Monday for Project GREEN at the Ashton house gardens, and is a member of the Four Seasons Garden Club in Iowa City
The Haverkamp garden has been on the Open Gardens weekend before. Word has obviously gotten around for its beauty and uniqueness. Lisa and Mike greeted over 200 people
NOTE: Johnson County Master Gardeners invite you to visit Plum Grove, the home of Robert Lucas, Iowa’s first territorial governor, from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, July 19. On the menu are house and garden tours, family activities, ice cream and desserts
This is part of the three-day Lucas Farms Neighborhood celebration of 250 years of independence
I will be there, signing my book of columns
Tour the house and hear how Friendly Lucas used the plums from the namesake trees
Judy Terry is a longtime garden columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen
