SDHS Garden Tour Highlights
On Saturday, April 6, the San Diego Horticultural Society kicks off the spring garden tour season with visits to seven beautiful, diverse Poway gardens. Among them are gardens featured in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, including the 2011 and 2012 Gardens of the Year.
SDHS President Jim Bishop and co-chairs Dannie McLaughlin and Linda Bresler have visited the tour gardens often in recent months. Below are some of their favorite highlights at each garden stop.
Native Plant Paradise
This expansive native garden — a 2011 SDH/GL Gardens of the Year winner — emphasizes native Poway plants. Enjoy the gold flannel bush (Fremontodendron) and blue wild lilac (Ceanothus), which will be in peak bloom. And note the permeable driveway paving that allows rainwater to reach underlying soil.
Succulent Sanctuary
This 2012 SDH/GL Gardens of the Year winner is a drought-tolerant alternative to a thirsty lawn. Enjoy a mountain “borrowed view” to the east. And note the repetition of select succulents that unifies the garden.
Global Adventure
This 15-acre botanic garden and nature preserve, featured in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, offers breathtaking foothills views. Enjoy the peak bloom of grevilleas, proteas and other Australian plants. And note the display wall of staghorn ferns.
Eclectic Variety
Tough, waterwise plants with colorful flowers and foliage combine to create a lush cottage-garden feel in this landscape. Enjoy blooms ranging from cream to deep red on unusual grevilleas. And note the deft blend of bright colors in beds around the pool.
Hilltop Retreat
This traditional garden accents cottage-garden classics and waterwise beauties. Enjoy the seating with views across a boulder-strewn open space. And note the whimsical birdhouses.
Palm Paradise
More than 400 palm trees create a resort-like atmosphere in this collector’s garden. Enjoy rare palms grown from seed and housed in a climate-controlled conservatory. And note the resident peregrine falcon and nesting barn owls.
Sunshine Care
This assisted-living community on 32 acres practices sustainable gardening. Enjoy demonstrations on organic gardening, including composting and vermiculture. And note growing fields that yield thousands of pounds of produce annually.
Jim Bishop, President
San Diego Horticultural Society
619-296-9215
sdhort.org
Purchase SDHS garden tour tickets in advance at sdhort.org and the tour map will be e-mailed to you on April 4, making it possible to skip the lines at check-in.
