Can your yard use a pick-me-up? Do you need ideas for how to transition your yard from the heat of summer to the delightful autumn days ahead?
Those of us in this area know there are many more days of outdoor living, but maybe your yard is looking a little tired. Come to the annual Ripon Garden Club’s September Stroll to find new inspiration for your landscape.
The Ripon Garden Club invites the public to tour eight gardens in and around the city of Ripon this Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy refreshments, a silent auction, and a chance to win one of dozens of prizes at a drawing located at one of the gardens.
Four properties are located in the Spring Creek neighborhood. Two 100-plus year-old olive trees anchor one property and serve as a reminder of the original olive groves that once grew in this area. A “secret garden” at another home beckons as a retreat for a morning espresso or glass of wine. Whimsy greets visitors in the form of adorable pink flamingos in a backyard brightly planted with a myriad of flowers, while a natural forest design is evoked by three large Deodar Cedars at another home just a short distance away.
Be prepared to relax as you enter an Asian inspired yard, complete with bubbling water features, graceful bamboo, a shady pergola and numerous Japanese maples. A quick trip to the other side of the world awaits as you travel to a Grecian Retreat which makes the most of every planting inch of its corner lot.
Time travel is possible in a visit to a Mid-Century 1960s Sunset magazine inspired yard which showcases a space ready for gatherings large and small. Check out the outdoor media room and the unique garden pieces displayed throughout the yard. And for a trip further back in time, enjoy a cottage style home, originally built in 1954. The outdoor shop/barn once used for the original owner’s business will host refreshments, the silent auction, and raffle.
Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for children under 12 (available at any home the day of the tour). No strollers please.
Buy adult tickets at: Schemper’s Ace Hardware, Ripon; Parks Greenhouse Nursery, Ripon; Silverado Building Materials and Nursery, Ripon, Morris Nursery, Riverbank; New Buds Nursery, Manteca; P&L Garden Center, Escalon; Westurf Nursery, Modesto; Creative Water Gardens, Escalon; The Greenery, Turlock.
Garden Tour proceeds are returned to the Ripon community through college scholarships, elementary school gardens, Ripon downtown planters, butterfly garden at Stouffer Park, and Bethany Home and Beth Haven Senior Living Facilities/Memory Care Gardens.
You are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes for strolling on uneven terrain.
For more information go to www.ripongardenclub.org or visit the Ripon Garden Club on Facebook.