Special to The Weekly Vista

A few members of Benton County Master Gardeners are opening their home gardens from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 10.

This is a chance to learn what they do to grow special plants and how to create the perfect garden in a backyard. This is the first time the Benton County Master Gardeners have opened up their beautiful home gardens to the public and they hope to answer gardening questions and draw awareness to their Helping Hands Food Pantry Garden. All proceeds from this event will go to support the Helping Hands Food Pantry Garden, which is managed by the Benton County Master Gardeners.

The mission of the Benton County Master Gardeners is to stimulate an interest in plants and gardening, encourage the beautification of Benton County, support conservation of natural life and natural resources, encourage the training of additional Master Gardeners and assist the Benton County Cooperative Extension Service in disseminating horticultural information to individuals and groups throughout Benton County. Master Gardeners work at county fairs and plant clinics, answer phone requests for gardening information, work on educational projects with area schools and teach informative classes to the public on current garden topics.

Activities are supervised by an Arkansas Cooperative Extension Agent under the University of Arkansas. Last year the Benton County Master Gardeners planted, harvested and donated more than 2,200 pounds of fresh produce to the Helping Hands Food Pantry Garden, a Benton County nonprofit organization that has been providing assistance to those in need for 37 years.

Of the 127 Master Gardeners in the county, 50 live in Bella Vista; however, none of their homes are on the tour.

Four home gardens in Bentonville and Rogers will be available to view along with the Helping Hands Food Pantry Garden in Bentonville.

Barbara & JD Sullivan6502 S. 48th St., Rogers

A lush oasis in the middle of a small lot subdivision developed from the dirt up.

Can you imagine -- every year we pack a bunch of annuals, perennials, decorative vines, herbs, vegetables, fruit, multiple feeding stations for birds of all kinds, butterflies and bees, add the sound of trickling water, the music of a single wind chime, multiple seating choices, festive garden lighting and occasionally a mouse or a rabbit sneaks in.

Their gardens have always been learning gardens for neighborhood children. There have always been children exploring, digging, planting, watering, nurturing, harvesting, sharing with their friends and taking Tussie-Mussies home to someone special. At the end of the day, we light a fire in our outside fireplace, barbecue on our grill and feel like we are in paradise.

Holly & Warren Fields1605 S. 15th Place,Rogers

Four years ago we moved to Rogers and purchased a home with a modest yard, a lot of grass and very little landscaping. We had recently read "Bringing Nature Home" by Doug Tallamy and decided we wanted to create a natural habitat for wildlife. This was quite challenging for two rather traditional gardeners who knew very little about Arkansas native plants and how to grow them in a home garden.

This is a young garden and our philosophy is try it, learn from it, enjoy it, or maybe redo it. The other guiding principle is if a bug, bird, bee or butterfly won't eat it, dig it up and replace it. We enjoy our critters as much as our flowers.

Our garden has been featured in "Arkansas Gardener" twice. The first time in November/December issue in 2015 and again in the April 2016 issue. We believe that anyone, even with a small garden space, can make a positive difference to the environment, our pollinators and other wildlife. We hope you will visit and take away an idea or two to begin your own Arkansas native landscape.

Kathy & Tom Duba107 Somerset St.,Bentonville

Situated on an acre in the Hanover subdivision, our backyard has become our little bit of heaven on earth. It was basically a blank slate when we purchased the property in 2005. Inspired by a park-like setting in a home down the street, we decided to create our own little oasis focusing on the back yard.

A berm was created using the fill from the in-ground pool we had installed. The berm divides our yard into two separate areas. A wall of arborvitae behind the berm creates privacy and adds to the separation. There are two original pine trees on the property -- everything else we have added. We wanted to create a haven for birds and butterflies, so there is a mixture of native plants, berries, tropicals and annuals that attracts hummingbirds, robins, cardinals, finches, blue jays along with swallowtail butterflies, monarchs, brushfoots and others too numerous to mention.

Sprinkled throughout the garden is a little bit of whimsy through the use of repurposed and recycled yard art. Some of our favorite plants include hardy banana, goji berry, hardy kiwi, peony, ninebark, Harry Lauder Walking Stick and blueberry. Many of the plants in our garden we have started from seed and enjoy watching the miracle of their growth unfold before us. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy our garden as much as we do.

Countess & CharlesHodges1808 Lawrence St.,Bentonville

For more than 30 years our back yard has been a quiet retreat filled with hostas, ferns, hydrangeas and other shade-loving plants; however, two years ago we more than doubled the size of our yard by purchasing the empty lot behind our fence. Now, after two years of construction, landscaping, and maintaining new plants, the quite, shady back yard retreat opens into a sunny park with three water features, two lighted pergolas, a rose arbor and a garden cottage that serves as a potting shed as well as a quiet place for a cool drink. The fence has been replaced and is now lined with red knock-out roses, Natchez white crepe myrtles, blue Pacific junipers, burning bushes, dwarf yaupon hollies, goldmound spirea, encore azaleas and oakleaf hydrangeas.

Throughout the garden one can see birdhouses, old church windows, statuary, different varieties of clematis, jasmine and even a chocolate vine creeping up one of the pergola posts. Visitors are welcome to stroll along the garden path, swing in the swings or sit on a bench and listen to the sound of splashing water as they behold the beauty that surrounds them.

Helping Hands FoodPantry Garden2602 S.W. D St., Bentonville

The Food Pantry Garden is located on the east side of the parking lot of the nonprofit that offer one of the largest food pantries in Northwest Arkansas -- providing food to more than 900 families each month in addition to financial help to those in need and low-cost clothing and household items.

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Ticket Donations ($25 suggested donation) can be made at the Benton County Extension Office, 1204 S.W. 14th St., Bentonville, AR 72712, or purchased online at www.AskAMasterGardenTour.com. Tickets can also be purchased at any of the gardens on the day of the tour. All ticket donations support the Helping Hands Food Pantry Garden.