Association announces 2016 garden tour
After a one-year hiatus, the Bonner County Gardeners Association announces the return of the popular Bonner County Garden Tour. This self-guided tour of eight gardens spans the county from Kootenai to Garfield Bay on Sunday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This year we have a diverse group of offerings, including some with spectacular lake front views,” said Pat Congleton, tour committee co-chair. “There are garden ideas for full sun to full shade and everything in between.”
The list of tour stops in the Kootenai area, begin just north of Highway 200 on Providence Road. This homestead property dating to 1913 showcases gardens and animals on the same plot. The owner has repurposed a number of vintage items and incorporated them into the garden’s design.
From there the next stop is Ponder Point, with a residential corner lot that has been transformed with edible landscaping. Over 20 medicinal and culinary herbs, 12 types of fruiting shrubs, and vegetable gardens, share space with traditional landscape plants. A new greenhouse provides working space and extends the gardening season father into spring and fall.
Two gardens in Sandpoint contrast larger and smaller in-town properties. A new home on south 4th Avenue makes the most of a smaller in town lot. The other is a larger lot on the lake with a garden 40 years in the making. One of the big challenges for the owners was making the most of the shady area created by two large historical cedar trees that they wanted to preserve.
The southern portion of the tour begins just south of the Long Bridge, and extends out to Garfield Bay. Several of the gardens feature water as a prominent feature. The “Garden on Glengary Bay” is a large forested lot transformed in just a few years by the extensive use of natives and perennials into a summer long show of color and texture.
In Garfield Bay, a working garden of 32 years demonstrates successful methods for flower, vegetable, fruit and berry production, with some interesting artwork thrown in.
At the southern end of the tour, ticket holders may receive a free scoop of ice cream on a plain cone at Odie’s General Store in Garfield Bay.
“The tour is self-guided,” said Gaea Swinford, tour committee co-chair. “You can start from the north or the south and visit the gardens in any order you like.”
A complete list of gardens including addresses, maps, and detailed descriptions is available on the Bonner County Gardeners Association web site at http:// bcgardeners.org. Tickets are $10 per adult and available at any garden on the day of the tour, or on the web site. The tour is self-guided, and gardens may be visited in any order between the hours of 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
The garden tour is a fundraiser for the Bonner County Gardeners Association, which sponsors numerous educational events for home gardeners during the year. The group also provides support for school garden programs throughout the county.