Iowa City’s Gazebo on the Green, 3002 Newport Road N.E., will host an ice-cream social from 1-5 p.m. July 8.

Mary Ellen Hill, the owner of the Gazebo on the Green, said she thought the social was a nice way to have people enjoy the gardens.

"I was trying to think of something that would be a fun thing to do to entice people to the gardens on a beautiful Sunday summer afternoon," said Hill, who will celebrate her birthday at the event.

The Gazebo on the Green is home to 14 gardens and 22 acres of restored prairie. She said her gardens are a popular place for weddings, receptions, formal lunches and teas, and walkabouts. The sprawling garden and prairie property is unique to the Iowa City area, she said, and is the realization of her dream of 22 years.

"I’m an outdoors person, and I’d always wanted a sunshine garden," she said. "The property was once an old, abandoned, motley place, but the soil was beautiful. I started with one garden, and it just kept growing, and now I have 33 acres of prairie and gardens."

There will be an admission cost to enter the gardens, but ice cream and refreshments on Sunday during the social are free. Guest are asked to RSVP for the event by phone before Saturday.

— by Emma McClatchey