RIPON – It’s a colorful spot in the middle of almond orchards in Ripon’s countryside. It’s an even brighter spot this time of year when the air is thick with faux fog courtesy of the swirling dusts kicked in by the almond harvesters.

That colorful spot is the garden of Ron and Jamie McManis on South Mohler Road in Ripon. While there’s a wide variety of blooming plants – crape myrtles, the mounds of perky society garlic and verbenas, to name a few – that give color to the entire landscape, the lion’s share of these floral attractions is contributed by one plant variety, the Rose of Sharon, all blooming profusely even in the summer heat.

Some are growing as bushes hugging the ground on the curb side in front of the house and along the semi-circular driveway. Closer to the front door are growing like mid-sized trees, all covered with the delicate-pink long bloomers that attract feathered friends like hummingbirds.

The expansive back-yard garden lends itself easily to outdoor entertaining. A well-appointed outdoor kitchen with all the amenities including several seating areas dominates the back yard dotted with majestic oak trees. Easily connecting the house to this covered entertainment patio is a long walkway that bisects the back yard’s well-manicured grassy areas, with a free-form swimming pool on one side.

The McManis garden is one of six gardens featured in the annual garden tour sponsored by the Ripon Garden Club.  Held Saturday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the “September Garden Stroll” is the club’s only major fund-raiser during the year. Two of those featured this year belong to landscaping businesses in Ripon – Nagel Landscaping owned by Don and Gina Owens, and Mike Sweeney Landscaping.

The club’s garden tour is unique in that, unlike most garden tours which are held in spring including the annual event sponsored by the Manteca Garden Club, the one held in the Almond Capital of the World takes place in the summer when the valley is baking in triple-digit temperatures. The hot weather presents a special challenge to gardeners, but in the 13 years that the club has been conducting the tour, the featured gardens have never been a disappointment.

The club took that risk 13 years ago and never looked back. They decided to forgo their spring tours  because they wanted to get out of the garden-tour rat race during that time of the year. Their gamble paid off big time. One year they hosted the tour, the demand for tickets was so great they had to order for more.

Organized in 1954, the Ripon Garden Club was incorporated in 1960. It is also a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. (Pacific Region), the California Garden Clubs, Inc., the Valley Lode District, and the Ripon Chamber of Commerce.

Donations to the club, and the funds generated from the garden tour, will help support the organization’s community projects that include the raised planters at Bethany Home for residents to enjoy, as well as scholarship awards to deserving students.