PORT TOWNSEND — The 2018 Jefferson County Master Gardener Secret Garden Tour has been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Those who attend the 22nd self-guided tour will have seven gardens to visit, with master gardener docents stationed at each to answer questions and identify plants.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 at Far Reaches Farm and Port Townsend Garden Center (formerly Henery’s) & Secret Garden Nursery in Port Townsend; Sunny Farms Nursery in Sequim; Valley Nursery in Poulsbo and at Brown Paper Tickets online, tinyurl.com/PDNgarden.
Tickets can be purchased Saturday for $20 at a will-call tent at 12th Street and Haines Place in Port Townsend, behind the Safeway parking lot.
The garden locations will be provided with tickets.
Here is a list of the gardens and their features:
Mary Robson
Visitors will find many varieties of deer-resistant berberis shrubs, grasses and ground cover plants including sedums and herbs.
There are well-known plants such as rudebekia, (black-eyed Susan) leucanthemum (daisies), lavendula (lavender), calluna (heather) asters and nepeta (cat mint).
Also featured are armeria, lamium, stachys, kniphofia, verbascum, phlomis and anomotheca laxa with its bright red flowers. The colors attract pollinators and birds. Hidden in tall grasses is a rock serving as a water bowl for birds.
This plot of land owned by the city which provides compost and water. The garden is maintained by the Jefferson County Master Gardeners with their labor and their funds.
Kelly Conrad Garden
Owner Kelly Conrad said that in 2001, the backyard was nothing but a steeply sloped, field grass-covered lot. Hundreds of yards of manure, top soil, and compost were brought in to augment the soil, shape, and assist in the visual transformation of the space.
Hedges and substructures were added that include two walls that terrace the garden to provide more accessible space, and divide the strictly ornamental plants that surround the house from the vegetable/food gardens.
The hardscape of the garden includes walls, walkways, steps, and trellises. Yard art and sculptures from local artists add interest and spatial depth. The fences and shed were added in 2011.
Ornamental plantings have been chosen to inspire the aromatic and visual senses throughout the year. These include: sarococca, daphne, lilac, lavender, scented geraniums and peonies.
Pat Grainger
During the past 10 years, Pat and Dave Grainger have turned their yard into a sanctuary for birds, butterflies and pollinators.
As an avid birdwatcher, Pat has designed the bird-friendly garden to include a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, native plants and trees, including cedars, firs, maples, spruce and a redwood.
The east side of the yard is highlighted by a large glacial erratic (a rock), partly covered with honeysuckle, a favorite hideout for wrens and juncos.
The garden also features a bird feeding station, a berm, a small but productive vegetable garden with a driftwood gate and a rock garden in front with flowering forsythia, asters, bleeding heart and soapwort.
Peter Gariss Garden
One of the largest privately owned production gardens in Port Townsend, the Gariss Garden has over an acre of land dedicated to vegetables, fruits and flowers.
With roots steeped deeply in Port Townsend history, the property once operated as a commercial poultry farm and was purchased by the Gariss family in 1971. Some of the old poultry buildings have been repurposed into a workshop, a greenhouse and storage sheds.
Visitors to the garden will notice carefully delineated areas for perennial and annual fruits, vegetables, orchard trees and flowers.
Using a systematic planting schedule, careful crop rotation, judicious fertilization, soil observation, irrigation, composting and a keen eye for esthetics, Peter Gariss has created a gorgeous, sustainable, year-round production garden.
Jeanne Touger Garden
In the heart of Port Townsend’s Happy Valley neighborhood, Jeanne and Steve Touger have created a small urban garden filled with perennial flowers and vines.
The development of the back garden began in 2014 to provide the house with an outdoor space for relaxation and reflection.
It is filled with sun-loving perennial flowers, shade-loving ornamentals and birch trees added for privacy. The front porch is large, with potted plants that enjoy a sunny southern exposure.
Fiona Pyle Garden
Fiona Pyle’s entry garden features dahlias planted alongside the front fence on the outside.
A paved path divides the garden into two viewing areas.
Both sides have many mixed areas of different types of vegetation. A very large rosemary plant is on the street side and the garden also contains large hydrangeas.
Nancy and Doug Van Allen
The first thing to notice in Nancy and Doug Van Allen’s gardens is the color, shape and texture of the plants in only two city lots, a microcosm of beauty and edible plants.
The lush gardens are 10 years in the making, designed by Nancy, an artist, and Doug, the detail guy — food production is his passion. Nancy and Doug propagate a large percentage of what they grow on the property.
First came the fenced, hog-wire vegetable and fruit garden next to the driveway. This fence has inspired many other fences in Port Townsend. Inside, it has thriving blueberry bushes, vegetables and espaliered fruit trees.
A beach stone and brick path leads to a stunning view of Admiralty Inlet. The hillside garden, their latest and biggest project, transformed a steep hillside of weeds into terraced gardens for edible, native and drought tolerant plants. Next to the house are splashes of flowers and bright textures of yellow-green and burgundy foliage.
Fiona Pyle’s garden.
