A total of 11 stops — nine gardens, one park and a plant exchange — are booked for the Grover Beach Spring Garden Tour set for 1 to 4 p.m. today.
Those who take the annual free, self-guided tour can see beautiful, drought-resistant, old-fashioned and whimsical gardens created by local residents.
Along the way, they can exchange one of their old plants for a new plant, get answers to gardening questions and pick up ideas from the city’s own demonstration garden.
Members of the Grover Beach Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission, which sponsors the tour, will be on hand at each site to point out that garden’s highlights.
Participants can visit any of the gardens in any order, or they can follow the recommended 3.5-mile loop around the city to see all of them.
The route starts on West Grand Avenue near Sixth Street and ends up on North 10th Street near Ramona Garden Park, where the first free Sizzlin’ Summer Concert and Farmers Market from 3 to 6 p.m. will feature music by JD Project.
Here’s a look at this year’s featured gardens:
1) 551 W. Grand Ave. — An ornate iron gate opens onto Mr. Glenn’s garden, Cynthia Glenn’s work in progress to create a calm oasis for friends and passers-by.
2) 175 S. Fifth St. — The Old California lifestyle is re-created with waterfalls, fire pits, wine-barrel chairs, a wine-barrel cooler and cowboy paraphernalia, with many pieces handcrafted by the homeowner and his son.
3) 1624 Trouville Ave. — A water feature is the centerpiece of a garden filled with ornamental grasses and a blooming potato tree surrounded by a variety of succulents.
4) 1480 Atlantic City Ave. — A quaint front patio with a red door, red lawn chairs and red ti trees transitions to a striking drought-resistant landscape.
5) 1273 Saratoga Ave. — A tribute to drought-resistant, water-efficient landscaping, this front-yard garden features ornamental grasses, red hot-lips, succulents, a palm tree and bird-of-paradise plants.
6) 620 Parkview Ave. — Remodeled using the Grover Beach Cash for Grass program, this garden features more than 16 varieties of plants and trees, an arbor, a water feature, a meandering decomposed granite pathway and a stamped-concrete patio.
7) 850 Atlantic City Ave. — Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission Vice Chairwoman Dee Santos is the hostess for the plant exchange, where master gardeners will be available to answer visitors questions.
8) 900 Brighton Ave. — After admiring the proteas and succulents that surround this Mediterranean-style villa, wander next-door to visit the Community Garden plots filled with a variety of vegetables and fruits.
9) 250 N. 10th St. — A trellis gives entrance to a colorful old-fashioned garden of streaming lavender blossoms, roses, purple princess flowers, orange flowering maples and orchids maintained by 97-year-old Aunt Molly.
10) 993 Ramona Ave. — Decomposed granite walkways take visitors through the city’s demonstration garden at Ramona Garden Park, which showcases how drought-resistant plants can create a landscape that uses little water.
11) 158 N. 10th St. — Rest in the shade, sip iced tea and enjoy a whimsical display of artwork while listening to doves and parakeets in the aviary of this shabby chic garden.
A list of the gardens with a map to guide you to each one is available at Miner’s Ace Hardware, 1056 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach, as well as online at www.grover.org.
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