The 24th West Seattle Garden Tour will take place on Sunday, June 24, 2018, from 9am to 5pm. This year’s tour will feature 12 stunning private gardens and shine a spotlight on West Seattle’s beautiful Bee Garden. From waterside gardens with sweeping views of Puget Sound to an edible garden and neighbor gathering spot located on a parking strip, the variety of gardens on this year’s tour will offer something special for every gardener looking for a little inspiration.

TICKET INFORMATION
The 2018 tour is on Sunday, June 24. Ticket books are $25 each. All guests aged 12 years or older need a ticket book of their own. 

Tickets are available now at westseattlegardentour.org/tickets for shipment or day-of-tour will-call. Tickets will go on sale at retail partners beginning Monday, May 7. Ticket outlets in 2018 are: West Seattle Nursery, Junction True Value, Swansons Nursery, and Wells Medina Nursery. Day-of-tour tickets will be available at those four retail outlets, and also at the Admiral District Metropolitan Market, 8am to 11am only. 

Complete ticketing information can be found at westseattlegardentour.org/tickets.

GARDENS
Full garden descriptions can be found at westseattlegardentour.org/gardens. Select preview images are available in high-resolution format for media use at https://tinyurl.com/WSGT-preview. Please credit photographer Nancy Wilcox (in file name).

Urban Stepped Garden
Levels of planters filled with hardy, natural northwest plants blur the hard edges of the building, while contrasting colors of burgundy, chartreuse and dark green repeat throughout the garden. 

A Sidewalk Orchard
Explore a real working garden creatively designed within a small space. Edibles and ornamentals combine to provide beauty and joy for neighbors and passersby. This garden sparks conversation and invites everyone to slow down and smell the flowers.
 
An Oasis for Birds, Pollinators and People
A naturalist specializing in bird behavior and a permaculture educator and landscape designer have joined forces to create a richly diverse habitat in an urban environment and a peaceful, bountiful and safe home for native birds.

A Tale of Two Gardens
Just steps below street level lie two secret gardens. Enter the gardens between the two houses and step down into the north garden along a series of small waterfalls. Pause to take in expansive views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. 

An Inspired Sanctuary
Five tall and thoughtfully-placed Japanese maples, underplanted with hostas, Japanese blood grass and Japanese forest grass anchor the entry into this serenely modern garden.

A Dedicated Rock Gardener
Step down from a small rock terrace into a large and casual garden. Let your eyes follow the curving line of lawn punctuated by vine and Japanese maples, rhododendrons, grasses, blueberries, and flowers.

Creekside Retreat
Walk up a few steps from the city sidewalk and hear the sounds of water gently burbling from a natural stone fountain. As you move along the hand-cut flagstone path between lush plantings of Japanese maple, hydrangea, ferns, hosta, wild ginger, fuchsia, and golden grasses, a small patio emerges along with soothing sounds of moving water. 

A Collector’s Garden
A pair of watchful gargoyles sit patiently at the corners of this formal and very eclectic garden. Follow the driveway toward the house and a formal garden courtyard is revealed with a pergola and water fountain on a stone patio. 

Picture Perfect
A riot of color pulls you up the walk under an old and stately copper beech. A path to your left brings you around and through a colorful palette of ninebark, foxglove, salvia, roses, and sedum that surrounds a tall Japanese maple—the focal point of this patio garden and seating area.

Waterwise Oasis
Enter through the south gate and pass between potted bamboo and a large myrtle. The backyard opens up in a surprise view. Under the shade of the Rainier cherry tree that continues to bear copious fruit, a patio of stone pavers connects with a wood deck and hot tub to create a little oasis. 

Pocket Paradise
A few steps down from the sidewalk lies a hidden gem of a garden. Massive stone steps lead to a hand-laid bluestone patio, softened by numerous maples and a large witch hazel all underplanted with lush hostas, ferns and oakleaf hydrangeas.
 
West Seattle Bee Garden
The West Seattle Bee Garden supports three hives in a special enclosure, easily viewed on three sides through large Plexiglas walls. Beautiful blooms of black-eyed Susan, bee balm, echinacea, and annual cosmos attract bees and human visitors, who come to sit and enjoy the blooms and the humming of the bees. 

BENEFICIARIES
West Seattle Garden Tour has selected seven local non-profits as beneficiaries of the 24th annual tour. Proceeds from the 2018 garden tour will support improvements to four public gardens, a summer theater program for youth, the Urban Forest Symposium, and a mural restoration project in West Seattle. The garden tour’s designated beneficiaries for 2018 are: ArtsWest, the Arboretum at South Seattle College, Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, Little Red Hen Project, PlantAmnesty, Seattle Chinese Garden, and West Seattle Junction Association.

West Seattle Garden Tour intends to raise $26,750 for the seven local projects from the sale of garden tour tickets, a raffle on tour day, an art auction, and sponsorship revenue. Information about the selected beneficiaries and the projects WSGT expects to fund can be found at westseattlegardentour.org/beneficiaries.

TOUR ARTWORK
In March West Seattle Garden Tour announced the artwork entitled Garden Fantasia by Edgewood, Washington artist Doreen Koch Allen had been selected as the winner of this year’s annual art competition. Garden Fantasia is featured on the 2018 Garden Tour’s official poster and ticket book. West Seattle Garden Tour will auction the artwork on the day of the tour; bids will be taken in one of the gardens from 9am to 5pmon Sunday, June 24. Proceeds will benefit the year’s designated beneficiaries.

The artwork and a publicity photo of Doreen Koch Allen can be found at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/WSGT-art-winner.

ABOUT WEST SEATTLE GARDEN TOUR
Since its inception in 1995, West Seattle Garden Tour has been one of the premier garden tours in the Northwest, as well as a fundraiser for local non-profits. The all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization annually donates approximately $25,000 to local beneficiaries in support of their horticultural, educational and artistic missions. The 2018 tour is on Sunday, June 24, from 9am to 5pm. |INFO: westseattlegardentour.org