INSIDE

Less is more for 2007 garden tour

This year’s Point Roberts Garden Tour is longer but shorter.
“We’ve added an extra hour and took in fewer gardens this year because there were some complaints it was too much,” said local garden club president Jessica McVey. “People want time for a nice pace, for lunch, for a leisurely tour.”

This year’s tour will feature nine instead of 12 gardens, and a mix of familiar more established gardens and new creations. It is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 8.

At the Abrahamsons, Dick’s innovative vegetable gardening solutions and Efie’s eye-popping hollyhocks are sure to be a garden tour favorite again, as well as Diane and Barry Powell’s well-visited, multi-room garden. “That’s like a few gardens rolled into one and you want to linger,” McVey said.

Brad Weldon’s organic garden, new to the tour this year, is certified as a backyard wildlife site by the National Wildlife Federation and is home to numerous birds, butterflies and insects, including mason bees. “It’s like a mini wildlife sanctuary,” McVey said.

Andy and Maria Anderson’s brand new garden on Shady Glen Avenue is an example of what you can create from scratch in a year, while Helga Bonstein’s garden is a lush mature garden. “It is just a gorgeous garden,” McVey said. “Every square inch has something blooming.”

The work of local landscapers Suzanne and Don Pinkston will be featured at the home of Richard Cleland, including rock gardens surrounding waterfalls and a fountain.

The Mayer home is also a must-see for fans of water gardens, featuring a pond and waterfall, while the Zenks have a mature market garden with an orchard and carefully tended vegetable beds. Also on the tour this year is the waterfront garden at South Beach House.

The garden tour is a perfect place to get ideas for your own garden, McVey said. “There’s always stuff you can look at and say, “Hey, I can do that. Lots of good ideas.” For some expert advice to go with the good ideas, master gardeners will be available at the Abrahamson garden.

The garden tour tea will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church this year, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.,with music by the Point Roberts wind ensemble and the MCT jazz trio.

Tickets for the tour are available at Bloomers Nursery on Benson Road and Nielson’s Building Center. They will also be for sale in the Sterling Savings Bank parking lot on the day of the tour, along with this and last year’s garden tour posters. The posters can also be purchased at the church during the afternoon tea.