Arts & Entertainment Community
Gig Harbor Garden Tour is this weekend; here’s what you’ll see
Seven unique gardens are the stars of this weekend’s 26th annual Gig Harbor Garden Tour.
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The gardens range in size from a small space with a few carefully chosen plants to a three-acre showplace. Each is a manifestation of a love of things that bloom, provide food, shade, beauty or simply create a sense of wonder.
They’re open to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 28, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 29.
One gardener propagates all of her plants in the three greenhouses on her property. Another plants her space with a rainbow of annuals and perennials. Yet another favors dramatic architectural features.
Two relatively new gardens that are close to each other display very different interpretations of how to create a garden in a small space: One has a large pond and the other uses unusual, oversize plantings. A series of “rooms,” each featuring unique plant species, emphasize the sense of space in another garden. And yet another garden evokes feelings of a formal estate with paths that invite visitors to wander and discover hidden treasures.
And, this being Gig Harbor, many have awe-inspiring water and mountain views.
The tour is also a showcase for local artists who will be showing and selling their garden-related art at most locations.
Visit the Garden Tour website to buy tickets and for directions to the seen gardens.
Garden One: Alayna and Gary Davis
Owned by Alayna and Gary Davis, Garden One is a celebration of the earth’s bounty and a testament to Alayna’s years of teaching.
A chair and daisies in the garden of Alayna and Gary Davis. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Look for little surprises, like the pop of a red umbrella against the tall native evergreens that border the garden, or the rustic twig chair, or books used as art pieces. Several water features add ambience and a restful soundtrack. Although the garden has grown over the years as the Davises have cleared the land, there is still an obvious respect for leaving things in a natural state.
Artist Peggy Judd, whose colorful poppy painting was used for this year’s promotional materials, will have more of her paintings for sale at this garden.
Garden One, Alayna and Gary Davis. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden Two: Lu and Berry Kelly
Lu and Berry Kelly’s garden is a delight for hummingbirds and butterflies, with a rainbow of colorful annuals and perennials blooming in every nook and cranny.
Lu and Berry Kelly’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
The garden includes areas of sun and shade, each area planted with appropriate sun- or shade-loving flora. Pathways edged with terracotta pots wind throughout the half-acre space. Seating areas have forget-me-not-blue chairs placed near sunflower sculptures, and lavender benches set among azure hydrangeas.
Artist Judy Bush’s beaded garden stakes, and pottery and wood bowls from Altrusa International are for sale in this garden.
Lu and Berry Kelly’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden Three: Patti Brown
Patti Brown and her brother have spent many years creating her inspiring garden that includes patios and pavilions, an English style greenhouse and whimsical artworks.
Patti Brown’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
It includes a variety of perennials and ornamental grasses and a lovely, gnarly corylus avellana contorted filbert (“Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick”). Breathtaking views of Colvos Passage, Mount Rainier and Point Defiance make this large garden a place to linger and relax.
Cathy McElroy has her mosaic tables for sale at this garden, and Dorota Rynkiewicz is selling her colorful glass feathers.
Patti Brown’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
(Gardens Four and Five are located in Canterwood. Visitors must enter through the main gate at 12606 54th Ave. NW.)
Garden Four: Jodi Maenhout
Jodi Maenhout moved from a home with a large, abundant garden to a much smaller place. That smaller home has become a gem of a showplace for a few well-chosen plants such as huge, herbaceous gunnera (“dinosaur plants”) with their five-foot spread.
Jodi Maenhout’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
With an eye for balance, texture and color, Maenhout has planted a variety of Japanese maples that add vibrant shades of green, red and gold throughout the year. She also tucks in surprises like whimsical garden art pieces. (There are no artist vendors at this garden.)
Jodi Maenhout’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden Five: Pat Riley
Even though she has had to continually amend the hard-pan soil with compost in order for her plants to thrive so beautifully, Pat Riley has transformed a relatively new site into an oasis of beauty and serenity.
Pat Riley’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
The centerpiece of the garden is a large koi pond with two waterfalls. Fuchsias, roses, ferns and other perennials embellish the nooks and crannies of this garden, with a little spirit house tucked into a corner to watch over everything.
Artist Pat Askren will sell her miniature ink paintings, and Jeanne Forderer has quilts and bags for sale at this garden.
Pat Riley’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden Six: Dawn and Lars Holmberg
Dawn and Lars Holmberg have transformed their Fox Island garden into separate “rooms” linked by paths meandering from one room to another — from the “Fire Pit Room” to the “Pond Garden” to the “Forest Garden” to the “Zen Garden” and beyond. There’s always another “room” just around the bend, with sitting areas to relax and listen to birdsong.
The Holmbergs are indefatigable gardeners with a passion for collecting a variety of growing things, as evidenced by the assortment of ferns, maples, roses and garden art. Andy Becker will have garden books for sale at this garden.
Dawn and Lars Holmberg’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden Seven: Dannie and Craig McLaughlin
Look for gnomes hiding among tree roots, on benches, on the trees and in other surprising spots in the Fox Island garden of Dannie and Craig McLaughlin.
Dannie and Craig McLaughlin’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Their three-acre “Hyak Park” garden has been years in development and is filled with hidden gems like a rose garden and a vintage Airstream trailer set in a cottage garden of hydrangeas, dozens of evergreens and myriad other plant species.
Artist Jani Friemann will have wildlife paintings available in the McLaughlin garden, and harpist Cynthia Harp will be performing.
Dannie and Craig McLaughlin’s garden. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Garden selection
The gardens are selected based on how they “reveal the heart of the gardener,” according to tour organizer Jan Reeder. “Each presents a unique approach that gives visitors a variety of gardening ideas and inspiration,” Reeder wrote in an email.
The tour raises funds for literacy programs in the Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula area. Last year’s tour raised more than $25,000 that was shared with community groups, elementary schools and a preschool.
Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased at Gig Harbor Ace Hardware, Rosedale Nursery, Tickled Pink, Wilco Farm Store, Wild Birds Unlimited, The Garden Room and Sunnycrest Nursery in Lakebay. They can also be purchased during the tour at any of the gardens.