Euclid has a reputation as an area with plenty of brick, concrete and asphalt, but there are green secrets hidden in the area that will be revealed during the upcoming annual Pond and Garden Tour.
Tom Evert moves his “Adam & Eve” sculpture. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)
Different flowers and plants are used as the background for several sculptures in Tom Evert backyard in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)
The tour features private residents who open their doors to the public during the two-day event running July 17-18 and aims to show the softer side of the city by highlighting the many “secret gardens” of Euclid.
One of the stops will be at Tom Evert’s backyard, which features bamboo shoots, berries, voodoo plants and several other surprises alongside his detailed wooden sculptures.
Evert has been involved in the arts for over 37 years as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He also shares a passion for painting and sculpting and is the co-founder of the Dance Evert studio inside the Shore Cultural Centre.
A statue made out of a telephone pole by Tom Evert stands guard in his backyard in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)
He said it was exciting to be able to open up his yard and let people into his curated space and that it was his third year being a host.
“It’s a pleasure just to share it,” Evert said in his backyard. “It’s work. I call it my fitness program, but I’m an artist so I think it has a flair about it. My art for sure I like to share and the garden is like an art form as well. From the plant choices, different patterns and textures of green. It’s ‘artsy’.”
He said pursuing one art form often winds up directing him to another, which is part of the reason he got into gardening and sculpting.
“Maybe it’s to a fault, I don’t know,” Evert said. “But it just kind of happens… I actually got into the painting and drawing so seriously because I was trying to perfect the figure which I was sculpting, anatomy wise, but then the drawings were exciting so I went down that road. I figure, there’s no rules, who knows what’s right or wrong, I just keep showing up is how I see it.”
Blackberries are just one of several plants in Tom Evert’s backyard in Euclid which will be part of the upcoming Pond and Garden Tour. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)
Evert said he has several friends nearby who are part of the tour and it made him feel that they were part of something bigger than themselves.
“It feels like a little club or association,” Evert said. “The ‘Gardeners North of the Bouvard’ it feels good. It’s nice that people are taking that kind of pride in their property. It’s more than just landscaping, cutting the grass and trimming the hedge.
“You are creating these spaces and environments, people always say that it’s so peaceful here and I like when they say that.”
He said that mixing his artwork within the garden can be a challenge but he views his backyard as slightly unorthodox and tries to plan out what colors will be showing and how everything fits into the bigger picture, even when it comes to pest control.
“I don’t use weed killers or very much fertilizer,” Evert said. “There’s so much wildlife here. There’s deer in the backyard, groundhogs, rabbits. Rabbits are friends, I name them and they are here somewhere. And birds, it’s a nice ecosystem. The lake is right there… and the fertilizer drains into the lake and it’s so rich it causes high algae and then that’s a problem. And I love the lake, I even swim there.
“It’s sometimes more work. I have to hand weed… you’ve got to bend over, it’s work, but it’s my fitness program.”
I haven’t done many of the traditional annuals,” Evert continued. “I try to keep color all summer long. There’s a splash of color in June, it starts with daffodils and snowdrops, and there’s some Asiatic daisies and those will kind of have grand flowers and the zinnia start popping up in the triangular beds.”
One of Evert’s natural sculptures is pictured in his Euclid backyard. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald)
This year Evert is part of the twilight tour which gives people a chance to see the gardens in the dark. He said that each time that he’s participated in the tour that the sense of community has gotten stronger and that he plans to keep being part of it as long as he’s got the time.
“Opening your doors kinda creates a community feel, it embraces community and is a nice feeling when people come to share what you got and your hobby,” Evert said. “Everybody likes a beautiful home.
“And it’s hard to build ‘community’ (with) concerns about safety and concerns about other things. I’ve been here a long time and never had any problems, like break-ins or anything and don’t know anyone else that has.”
Tickets are $10 and good for both days of the self-guided tour which runs from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. They can be purchased at www.cityofeuclid.gov/pond-and-garden-tour-tickets.
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