PORT ANGELES — Tickets are on sale for the Master Gardener annual Petals and Pathways garden tour, set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 28.
Tickets for the self-guided tour of seven gardens in the Port Angeles area are $15 prior to the day of the tour and $20 the day of the tour.
Locations of the gardens will be revealed only with the purchase of a ticket.
A wide range of gardens are on the tour.
“Tour-goers will be treated to spectacular views and gorgeous plantings but will also have the opportunity to see how these gardeners have coped with a variety of terrain problems and how they have taken steps to garden in ways that protect natural resources and wildlife,” said Master Gardener Muriel Nesbitt.
The gardens on this year’s tour are spread over a fairly large area, ranging from sites near Olympic National Park southeast of central Port Angeles to locations off O’Brien Road and Shore Road to the east.
Here are descriptions of the gardens on the tour:
■ Bill and Nancy Helwick’s garden combines views of Vancouver Island and Mount Baker from paths winding among conifers, boulders and rockeries alongside streams and ponds.
Plantings are mature and varied.
■ Chuck and Darlene Whitney’s garden is at a 750-foot elevation with some areas of steep slope.
It features a large and flourishing vineyard, a fruit orchard and a formal garden featuring 32 hybrid roses.
The Whitneys also have a large compost and mulch complex.
On tour day, the Clallam County Master Composters will be on hand to answer questions and share their knowledge of the art and science of composting.
■ Mike and Beth McBride’s garden, also at 750 feet, has a mountain view, extensive deer fencing and a mix of native plants and seasonally colorful shrubs and perennials.
Their plantings benefit from years of applications of compost and mulch to improve the initially poor soil.
They have built raised planting beds out of black basalt rock, which helps to warm the soil.
■ Bob and Karen Larsen have brought about a massive transformation of their more than 2 acres.
Seven years ago, it was harvested forestland and a logging road.
Now, it features introduced native trees and shrubs, a flagstone seating area and pathways.
■ Glen and Bev Dawson turned a flat, featureless area of grass into a garden with a wide variety of plantings in just six years.
Their property boasts perennials and specimen plants, an orchard and dahlias, all peppered with whimsical yard art nestled among the plantings.
■ Russell and Teena Woodward have created a bee- and bird-friendly sanctuary on 5 acres.
They have developed a collection of unusual shade-loving plants under a forest of mature conifers.
Pathways are lined with garden art and birdhouses.
The garden features a giant sequoia and a small forest of cedars and hemlock.
■ Joe and Deb Yuch bought a 2½-acre empty lot eight years ago and began working on their garden even before they began work on their home.
Throughout their garden are private nooks and alcoves connected by meandering paths.
During their travels, they have collected many pieces of garden art and have created their own, including colorful inlaid stepping stones.
The couple have developed a small forest of transplanted trees. They grow fruit trees and berries.
Tickets can be purchased in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend.
■ Port Angeles — Gross’s, Airport Nursery, Greenhouse Nursery, Port Book and News, Country Aire and the WSU Extension office at the courthouse
■ Sequim — Over the Fence, Red Rooster, Sunny Farms, Nash’s Organic Produce, Peninsula Nursery and Vision Nursery.
■ Port Townsend — Henery’s.
Tickets also can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/671677.
