It is garden tour season and there are two tours coming up that I never miss.
The first one is the Sustainable Backyard Tour on Sunday June 10 from 11-4. Register here https://sustainablebackyard.org/attend-tour/ This tour has way more yards on it then you can possibly visit in one day so I read the descriptions and pick the ones that sound most interesting and are close enough together to get to easily. The yards range from beginner with big dreams to veteran gardener. I love the variety and the enthusiasm of the homeowners. The second one is the Native Plant Garden Tour on Saturday, June 16 from 9-4.
Buy your ticket at Garden Heights Nursery, Greenscape Gardens, Rolling Ridge Nursery, or Sugar Creek Gardens.
It is possible to visit all the gardens on this tour but I usually don't make it because I stop and talk too much. The gardens are always high quality with a wide variety of natives. There are several tour guides at each garden to answer questions and most plants are labeled.
Garden tours are a wonderful way to find new inspirations for my garden. I always see beautiful plant combinations, creative garden art, and new techniques for solving common problems. When I was planning to put in my rain barrel system it was wonderful to visit several yards with systems and pick the best features of each for my garden. I also love to look at garden paths, how they are bordered, where they go, and what are they made of. I have trouble with mine washing out or with plants flopping into them so I'm always on the hunt for new solutions.
The people I meet on the garden tours are always good connections. Everyone is passionate about native plants and gardening for a sustainable future. It is an easy way to make new friends. We commiserate about honeysuckle and gush over a bumble bee. This is where you find another person who has grown a milkweed from seed to a mature plant only to be thrilled when it is eaten to the ground by a hungry caterpillar and they then happily raise the caterpillar on harvested milkweed leaves until it becomes a butterfly and flies off to Mexico.
Sign up for both tours now. Look over the booklets and pick your route to see the most gardens. Be sure to make time to stop and get cold drinks and lunch along the way. Bring your camera and your journal. Be ready to have your head spin with all your garden new ideas.
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