The “Gardens for Generations” garden tour on the eve of Mother’s Day over the weekend lived up to its nostalgic grand theme.
Visitors who traipsed through six featured gardens – from Small Road off historic French Camp Road and gated Villa Terracina to Manteca’s famous age-exclusive Del Webb community, a garden in the shadow of Delicato Family Vineyards plus a master gardener’s home that has been adopted by colorful birds – ranged in age from nine-month-old Stella Rose Vaughan to grandmothers that included a couple of garden enthusiasts in their wheelchairs.
Many of the guests did not even have to purchase their tickets in advance. Departing from tradition, the garden club made tickets available for sale at the first home featured in the garden tour. More than 40 people took advantage of this convenience, according to the tour docents at the Magrath Place garden which was the first featured home.
Garden club president Sandi Larson said the inspiration for this year’s garden tour was her own gardening experiences as a child.
“I grew up in a home where we had over half an acre of land filled with grapes, Dinner Plate Dahlias, Stephanotis, Peonies, and about 100 roses…. Our yard was a kaleidoscope of color and fragrance. My Mother has given me the love of gardens and gardening,” Larson wrote in the garden tour booklet’s welcome message.
Larson served as the tour’s chairman, with former club presidents Joan Collins and Gayle Foster helping as co-coordinators. Both longtime club members, Collins and Foster have also been club presidents and garden tour chairpersons multiple times.
Others who made the tour a success this year are Frances Ramos (opportunity donations and door prizes), Phyllis Brooks and Gussie Cabral (docents), Hank Wiegel, Russ Jones and Tom Savage (set-up), Foster, Collins and Eric Teberg (home procurement), Jan Epperson (refreshments), Marion Golisano (ticket sales), Foster (opportunity ticket sales), Teberg (yard descriptions), Gloria Martinez (ticket design, printing and distribution), and Al Stitt (posters and program).
The garden club meets at 1 p.m. every third Monday of the month from September through June in the McFall Room of the Manteca Public Library on Center Street. For more information about the club, call (209) 825-6700.
Visitors who traipsed through six featured gardens – from Small Road off historic French Camp Road and gated Villa Terracina to Manteca’s famous age-exclusive Del Webb community, a garden in the shadow of Delicato Family Vineyards plus a master gardener’s home that has been adopted by colorful birds – ranged in age from nine-month-old Stella Rose Vaughan to grandmothers that included a couple of garden enthusiasts in their wheelchairs.
Many of the guests did not even have to purchase their tickets in advance. Departing from tradition, the garden club made tickets available for sale at the first home featured in the garden tour. More than 40 people took advantage of this convenience, according to the tour docents at the Magrath Place garden which was the first featured home.
Garden club president Sandi Larson said the inspiration for this year’s garden tour was her own gardening experiences as a child.
“I grew up in a home where we had over half an acre of land filled with grapes, Dinner Plate Dahlias, Stephanotis, Peonies, and about 100 roses…. Our yard was a kaleidoscope of color and fragrance. My Mother has given me the love of gardens and gardening,” Larson wrote in the garden tour booklet’s welcome message.
Larson served as the tour’s chairman, with former club presidents Joan Collins and Gayle Foster helping as co-coordinators. Both longtime club members, Collins and Foster have also been club presidents and garden tour chairpersons multiple times.
Others who made the tour a success this year are Frances Ramos (opportunity donations and door prizes), Phyllis Brooks and Gussie Cabral (docents), Hank Wiegel, Russ Jones and Tom Savage (set-up), Foster, Collins and Eric Teberg (home procurement), Jan Epperson (refreshments), Marion Golisano (ticket sales), Foster (opportunity ticket sales), Teberg (yard descriptions), Gloria Martinez (ticket design, printing and distribution), and Al Stitt (posters and program).
The garden club meets at 1 p.m. every third Monday of the month from September through June in the McFall Room of the Manteca Public Library on Center Street. For more information about the club, call (209) 825-6700.
