Ramona gardens, artists and more on annual tour, plant sale Saturday

By Regina Elling

Artists at their craft, a garage filled with Jaguars, and an increased selection of garden art are among attractions added to this year’s annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale, hosted by the Ramona Garden Club. This year’s “Blooms, Boulders and Birds” event is set for April 26.

Bailey’14.WEBFour gardens will be showcased on the tour. The biggest garden covers 24 acres and is the personal growing grounds for a major nursery in Rancho Santa Fe. The mountain views as well as the number and variety of low water use plants, especially cactus and agaves, seem endless.

Two gardens on the tour feature natives. One strives to be Earth Friendly. Although only a half-acre, the yard is packed with a variety of plants and whimsical garden art.

The other property sits on 4.5 acres and features meandering paths and rock-lined creek beds. When the owners are not relaxing in the garden, they can be found in a 1,500-square-foot museum disguised as a garage, where vintage Jaguars are memorialized and rebuilt.

The final 10-acre garden — formerly a working horse ranch — is now home to 60 established trees, 70 roses, a garden, fruit trees and more.

Guests also are encouraged to stop by the Labyrinth: A Community Garden for Ramona at St. Mary’s In-The-Valley Episcopal Church. Tickets are not needed for this stop, which seeks to fill a community need for viable garden space for those who have none. Gardeners will give tours and answer questions.

Three Ramona artists — Carol Ravy, Wilma Owen and Lori Sutherland — will be busy at their crafts at two homes this year. Their artwork will be available for purchase.

This year, the Plant Sale offers many varieties of tomatoes and other vegetables. Plant lovers will be able to select from a variety of irises,

succulents, perennials, and more, all in various sizes. Garden club members will be available to answer questions throughout the day.

The Plant Sale will be held outside Ramona Community Library, 1275 Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours for the tour are the same.

The Garden Shed will again open its doors, offering savvy shoppers a choice of handmade goods such as cork birdhouses, leaf-casting birdbaths, teacup bird feeders, crafts and gently used garden items. Also, a number of vendors will showcase their unique, garden-related wares.

A chance to win one of two large containers of garden goodies is also available, via the club’s opportunity drawing.

The Garden Tour is self-guided, with all information provided upon ticket purchase. Tickets are not necessary to shop the plant sale.

Proceeds from the tour and sale benefit the Ramona Garden Club Scholarship Fund and other community projects.

Tickets are $20 and are available at the Plant Sale the day of the tour. Advance tickets are at Packards Coffee Shop, 680 Main St., Ransom Brothers True Value, 1441 Main St., and Sun Valley Florist, 677 Main St.

For more information, contact Jane Vidal at 760-789-1910 or visit RamonaGardenClub.com.