After seeing Denise Essman’s amazing gardens, you might think she often kicks back on her deck to enjoy the view. But keeping up such an impressive yard means that she and husband, Al, spend much of their time outside working.

“A lot of times, we’ll be outside from sunup to sundown, and we’re so focused on what we’re doing that we don’t know where the time has gone,” Essman said.

This spring was particularly busy for the couple, who run Essman Associates, a Des Moines-based marketing and communications company, because their home was one of seven featured June 24 in the Polk County Master Gardeners’ annual garden tour. Denise Essman is one of 7,500 Iowans with an interest in horticulture who’s been trained by the Iowa State University Extension as a Master Gardener. To receive this certification, these gardening experts complete several months of classes, projects and volunteer work. In return for their training, Master Gardeners help with horticulture programs in the communities where they live.

When the Essmans moved into their home in the Southern Woods development on Des Moines’ South Side 17 years ago, their yard was bare pastureland except for a few oak trees. Now, the 3/4-acre lot is bursting with color and foliage. Gardening is a pastime the couple has always shared during their 38 years of marriage. Denise Essman enjoys gardening because she can see the fruits of her labors while learning more about horticulture.

“I like seeing it grow and become something beautiful,” she said. “I’m always looking to learn new things, and I like the challenge of solving problems when a plant has a disease or isn’t growing the way it’s supposed to grow.”

The Essmans’ property is divided into 11 distinct areas, and more than 150 plant varieties grow there. Points of interest include a boulder wall with a fire pit, a pottery bench area and a hosta garden surrounding a massive 150-year-old oak tree. Because of the size of the yard, Essman tends to plant large groupings of plants together.

“Some gardens you might see have one plant here and one plant there, but if we did that sprinkling, you’d never see it in a yard the size of ours,” she said.

Essman considers her yard an extension of her home. “Just like in your house, you’re always tweaking and trying to improve your yard,” she said.

Similar to her home’s interior, Essman’s gardens and yard incorporate bold colors and a contemporary feel.

“Our garden is not like an English garden; it’s more free-flowing. We like abstract art and bold colors, and you’ll see that outdoors.”

There’s also a bit of Essman’s personality reflected in how she maintains her yard. Because she’s someone who pays close attention to details, “you probably won’t see any weeds out there,” she said. “I’m particular about those.”

In addition to Essman, Johnston residents and Master Gardeners Laurie Barrick and Carolyn Magnani also participated in the recent garden tour.

Barrick, an accountant for RSM McGladrey Inc., says her interest in gardening has grown over the past five years. Like Essman, gardening is a hobby that she shares with her husband, Neil. Their yard in the Green Meadows West development has plant beds around its perimeter, along with others in the center of the yard and shrubs and landscaping around the house.

The Barricks’ flower gardens reflect their color preferences – red for him and pinks and purples for her. Neil has started a collection of dwarf conifers and Laurie is big on heuchera plants, whose foliage comes in many colors.

“Instead of collecting stuff for our house, we collect things for our garden,” Barrick said. After working all day, the couple usually takes times together to enjoy their gardens and unwind.

Magnani, a retired industrial engineer, grows vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs in her yard, and has water gardens. A recent addition to her yard is a 25-foot-long stream complete with a footbridge over top. She and husband, Raymond, built the stream to simulate a slow-moving creek on the farm where she was raised.

Magnani said she has used nearly all of the yard space in her 100-by-150-foot lot for her gardens. She likes to focus on unusual plants.

“You won’t very often find a geranium in anything I have,” Magnani said. “I’m always looking for new or unique plants.”

She spends about 20 hours a week working in her gardens to keep them perfectly groomed.

“I’m pretty much a detail person,” Magnani said. “I’m kind of a victim of my career. It’s like detail has always been a part of my life, and I still carry that through in my hobbies.”

With all the work Magnani has put into her yard, she said she can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“If it was not for my garden, we would have moved and built another home,” she said. “In fact, we had plans for a new home at one time, but now I’m going to stay here as long as I can keep my gardens up.”