INSIDE

Come join us in the garden!

By Maureen Buckley

Come and join your fellow Point Roberts citizens in our newly formed garden club. Curiosity has brought us together with a common link, we all want to grow our understanding of this microclimate and translate that knowledge to our gardens. Everyone is welcome! The Point Roberts Garden Club formed in February this year, bringing together newcomers to the Point as well as old-timers and everyone in between.

The eighth annual Point Roberts Garden Tour, a community fundraising event, will be held on July 16 and is organized by the Point Roberts Garden Club. The entire event is a volunteer effort. We thank the generous residents who share their gardens and volunteers welcoming you to each garden site. This year the self-guided tour runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Afternoon tea will be served on the grounds of Maple Meadows Inn on Goodman Road, Maple Beach, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tea is included in your $12.50 (U.S. or Canadian) admission. Purchase your tickets at Nielson’s Building Center or Bloomer’s Nursery in Point Roberts, or Sunnyside Nurseries and Harris Nurseries in Tsawwassen and Ladner.

Life on the peninsula presents gardening challenges in surprising ways. The annual garden tour offers opportunities to see amazing compositions of plantings. Each garden features a unique approach to the special circumstances of the locale. Coastal gardens have considerations based on wind and the salty mists, but only one block from the beach a secluded English garden flourishes. Further into the protected climates of the forests, shade gardens offer their gentle respite. Explore further and see tropical gardens with bananas, palms, and other such plants. The diverse gardens of Point Roberts are interesting, inspiring, and beautiful.

The first Saturday of each month a garden club meeting is held at 9:30 a.m. at the community center. This is our time to exchange ideas, feature a speaker, establish our priorities for short and long term, enjoy a few laughs, and in general cover whatever business is on the agenda. We invite everyone to join us, including any children or teenagers who have an interest in sharing their experiences and learning from others. Many exciting ideas are being discussed by our members – your input is welcome, too!

Point Roberts is a growing community; we have diversity in our plants and in our people. Join our garden club, buy a ticket for the garden tour on July 16, and discover again our incredible kaleidoscope of natural beauty.