Amish Country Northern Indiana
May 24

Quilt Gardens Kickoff Giveaway!

The 2012 Quilt Gardens…along the Heritage Trail opening day is May 30th. To help us kick off the season, we are doing a fun giveaway!

Don’t miss out on this! One lucky person is going to win your choice of either (1) Savory or (1) Sweet Soup of Success Gift Box lovingly put together by Soup of Success, a program of Church Community Services, Elkhart, IN. Soup Of Success is a job and life skills training program for women who are dealing with difficult life situations, making positive changes and striving toward self-sufficiency.

All proceeds from the sale of Soup of Success products are returned back to the program to cover the training wages of participants. We are excited to introduce you to our community partnership called Hope along the Heritage Trail, which unites the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, Soup of Success and the Quilt Gardens…along the Heritage Trail sponsored by the Elkhart County, IN Convention & Visitors Bureau to grow hope, the seed of success. Enter the Rafflecopter form below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Apr 30

All You Wanted to Know about the Quilt Gardens

We are please to announce the release of the 2012 Master Gardener Guidebook. Written by a Master Gardener, it has all of the details of each of the 19 official 2012 Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail. You’ll find tidbits on the history of each pattern, plus flower choices and colors! View the Guidebook

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Mar 15

Gearing Up for Quilt Gardens Planting Season

Das Dutchman Essenhaus - Middlebury, IN 2011 Pinwheel

May, they plant over 100,000 blooms
To make quilt the gardens, as they choose.

Volunteers by the scores plant each flower to sew
Creating a masterpiece to burst into blooms.

People from all over the nation and globe
Come to look at the quilt gardens, enjoy and behold.
Beautiful blooms that form gardens all patterned with color
And each tells a story of the garden where they’re laid.

The weather affects them as no regular quilt would,
And critters enjoy munching on them at will (a hazard of the artform)
But no matter how wind-blown, or gnawed on, or drenched
These quilts weather it all in beautiful form.

So as you drive the Heritage trail this summer, and wonder what should you see
Take time for the Quilt Gardens. You’ll be glad – so will we.

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Jan 25

2012 Quilt Gardens Announced!

2012 Quilt Gardens Patterns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Quilt Gardens Patterns

 

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Oct 27

Halloween Campfire & Hayrides Ox Bow Park, Elkhart | October 27-28

A night of family-friendly Halloween fun!  Enjoy homemade caramel apples, a roaring fire and hayrides through the park! Hayrides leave the campfire area at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 & 8:00 p.m.  Hours are 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.; admission fee $1 for campfire | $2 for campfire and hayride; tickets available 11:00 a.m. day of event.
574.875.7422  |  ElkhartCountyParks.org

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Sep 22

Wow! ABA Top 100 – Fourth Year In a Row!

The Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail received the official seal of approval from the American Bus Association (ABA) for a fourth year in a row – it’s been selected as a 2012 Top 100 Event in North America!

And congratulations to QG partner Amish Acres. The Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival also received a 2012 Top 100 designation.

Competition is tough with more than 600 entries. Winning events are featured in the special Top 100 Events in North America magazine and receive wide-spread attention via ABA’s press releases distributed to media outlets throughout North America.

Plus ABA works with Group Leaders of America (GLAMER) on special promotions for the winners.

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Aug 25

Quilt Gardens Partner Spotlight

Heidi Floyd, Ambassador
Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer

As Ambassador for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and breast cancer survivor, Heidi is an advocate for the cause, bringing an inspirational message of hope to thousands of men and women across the country.

 She’s also enthusiastically involved in the Quilt Gardens’ Hope along the Heritage Trail partnership.

“The ‘Hope Blooms’ garden at Wellfield Botanic Gardens is a visual reminder of this important cause and how much people care. It moves them in a special way,” says Heidi.

“The garden helps get the message out that research funded by the Foundation is changing lives. I love coming to the Wellfield garden and bringing my children. It’s a lovely beacon of hope.”

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Aug 3

Gardener’s Purgatory

Ruthmere Museum 2011 Quilt Garden Prairie Rose GardenThe show goes on for the Quilt Gardens Tour now in its 4th season.  The gardens have been planted and groomed to perfection by the dedicated volunteers who make each year better than the year before. 

With 18 gardens on the beautiful Heritage Trail Elkhart County has much to share.  Not only can we boast of the beautification added to the county, we extend a hand of hospitality to visitors from around the world.

My usual summertime post as a Quilt Gardens tour guide was exchanged for one of support for the first part of the season.  I playfully say that I am in gardeners purgatory – a state of being caused by my enthusiasm for gardening earlier this spring.  My love of gardening is an exercise in patience as I grapple with another back injury.  So while I would love, love, love to be doing all things gardening, I am resolved to sit and watch the weeds grow. 

Always the optimist I have however been sowing seeds and propagating more perennials to add to my home gardens – my jewelry box of treasures.  Soon I hope to rejoin my fellow guides in welcoming visitors and sharing the history of Elkhart County, the beauty of the Quilt Gardens and tales from Amish Country. 

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Jul 15

Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail Giveaway

The Quilt Gardens are in full swing! Now is the perfect time to see these eye-popping beauties. The patterns look incredible and the blooms are near peak! Check out the photos on our Facebook page.

If you have been to the gardens, tell us what you think by posting a comment below. We will randomly* select a winner to receive a free 16 oz double insulated Quilt Gardens logo insulated drinking cup.
Deadline is Thursday, July 28, 2011. Good Luck! 

*Winner will be drawn using random.org

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Jun 20

Quilt Gardens Tell All!

Quilt Gardens signThis year, the 18 official Quilt Gardens can tell us just how they’re feeling, or rather, just how “Mother Nature” is making them feel. Local furniture designer, Larion Swartzendruber, has crafted rustic cedar signs for all the gardens that cleverly convey the message to viewers on how each garden is dealing with “Mother Nature”. And, every garden has its very own birth announcement so folks can see just how fast each garden is growing up!

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