By ALISON ROWE | Special to the Palisadian-Post
On Sunday, April 22, The Pacific Palisades Garden Club hosts this year’s Annual Spring Tour.
The club, which was founded in 1944, has seen many changes over the past 74 years, but one thing remains constant: Palisadians love their gardens. The tour gives interested visitors the chance to see just how creative and green-thumbed our town can be.
Six open gardens were selected to show the possibilities for growing in plots of different shapes, sizes and microclimates. The six show a diversity of styles from the ever-popular cottage garden to rustic and xeriscape.
Each garden is as individual as its owner, one has raised vegetable beds and heritage chickens, another is designed for entertaining, maximizing the pleasure of the view with the luxury of an outdoor room. There’s even a fairy garden, featuring romantic roses and camellias interspersed with fairy sculptures and a koi pond.
“Part of gardening, is you want to see the person who is the gardener in the design,” Garden Club President Mary Schultz said. “The garden reflects the personality of the owners.”
Those owners and landscapers will be on hand to discuss their choices and what led to the creation of these wonderful spaces.
The tour acts as a spark for the imagination and a living primer of how to grow in the Palisades.
“We want you to be able to envision yourself in there,” Schultz explained.
Accordingly there is a plant list, available at each garden and online, to help enthusiasts recreate some of the plantings.
The seventh garden on the tour is well known to aficionados. The Native/Environmental/Xeriscape/Temescal (N/E/X/T) Garden was restored by a consortium of local organizations, including the Pacific Palisades Garden Club, Palisades Beautiful and the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club after falling into disrepair.
Existing native plants were salvaged and joined by 600 new plantings to create a “sustainability demonstration garden.” Since its replanting in 2011, the garden has thrived, attracting many native birds, butterflies and bees to become a fully functioning ecosystem.
The location of the gardens on the tour is a closely guarded secret but purchasing a $30 ticket will give you a map to the green treasures. The Garden Club recommends that visitors allow 20 to 30 minutes per garden in order to fully appreciate the landscapes. The gardens are open from 12-4 p.m.
Tickets are available online at pacpalgardenclub.org/gardentour.html and three other outlets. In Pacific Palisades at Gift Garden Antiques, 15266 Antioch Street. In Santa Monica at Merrihew’s Nursery, 1526 Ocean Park Blvd. and in West LA at Yamaguchi Nursery, 1905 Sawtelle Blvd.
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