The West Seattle Garden Tour promises some unique garden delights this year as it shows off some of the best gardens in the community on July 17 from 9am to 5pm.

Ticket books are now on sale for $20 at these locations:
West Seattle Nursery ~ Junction True Value ~ Swansons Nursery ~ Wells Medina Nursery ~ BrownPaperTickets.com

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2561095

The specific addresses will be found in the official program but the tour organizers have written these descriptions of what you'll see.

Casual Cottage Garden
From the foliage and flower explosion on the parking strip to a dragon-clipped boxwood hedge guarding the front porch, this unique garden exudes a casual and nostalgic cottage garden feel.

Serene Surroundings
This diversified garden of hardy plants and environments is also by intention a haven and food pantry for northwest birds.

Alki Gardener's Retreat
Plant aficionados will not be disappointed with the small garden of a botanist who was head gardener at Seattle Center for 20 years and goes to plant nurseries for entertainment.

Heritage Golden Willow
A secluded walkway between house and garage welcomes the visitor to a small, lower garden surrounded by roses, a large fuchsia, and a variety of brightly-colored annuals.

Whitecap
The gardener who volunteered to create the white rocks formation spelling “ALKI” (at the divide on SW Admiral Way and 59th Avenue SW) is also the owner of the French colonial home they have named “Whitecap.”

Heron's Watch
Plants gifted from a cherished sister-in-law were the inspiration for the gradual transformation of a yard of grass and concrete to lush garden spaces and patios, where herons and eagles and sunsets are enjoyed with a close-up view of the Sound.

City Oasis
Only 6 years ago an abandoned house stood here, atop a steep slope of blackberry brambles—what a transformation!

Little City Farms Hideaway
With an eye for the Zen, this garden is in constant transformation. From the chicken coops and orchards of the Little City Farms neighborhood, the owners have created a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home surrounded by copious fruit and vegetable gardens—a tranquil space for authentic connection to the land.

Bold, Bright and Bountiful
Inspired by Dan Hinkley of Heronswood, this gardener expresses her passion for bright colors and bold foliage in an energy-charged front landscape.

Off the Grid, the Wave of the Future
The West Seattle Garden Tour is proud to present this unique and inspirational energy efficient home. With serious drought conditions throughout the West, and the recent contamination of water supply in Flint, Michigan, public awareness for the necessity of conservation of life-sustaining water is finally at the forefront.

Featured Lecture by Steve Hootman

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden: Where the Wild Things Grow
Rhododendron expedition

About the Lecture
Among Steve Hootman’s responsibilities as Curator of the RSBG is plant exploration and introduction. Steve has been fortunate to have led or participated in close to 20 expeditions into some of the wildest and least known regions of the planet. For example, Steve led the first team from the West to summit the fabled Mt. Saramati on the border of Nagaland and Burma. This peak is the highest in southern Asia south of the Himalayas and had never been explored by anybody from the West. He has also explored the deepest jungles of Papua New Guinea, one of the most remote and difficult places on the planet to reach. He has introduced dozens of exciting new plants into cultivation and has discovered several species that were completely unknown to science. Spend your lunch break on tour day hearing about Steve’s exotic adventures, and how his discoveries and the RSBG play an important role in Rhododendron conservation.