Edmond in Bloom Chairwoman Carol Murray greets participants during an invitation-only Garden Host Tour on Saturday.
In recognition of their generosity in opening their gardens to the public for this event, all garden hosts receive a special gift from Edmonds in Bloom, where artist Missy Hancock presents College Place parent Liz Cook with a work of art that will be permanently displayed in the school's garden.
Flowers and vegetables planted by College Place students.
Some of the floral beauty that will be on display at the 2024 Edmonds in Bloom Garden Tour.
Gail Lonergan and Bob Newton received mosaic stepping stone plaques from artist Sandy Staples.
Guests admire the plantings.
Many of the gardens contained a variety of garden art, sculpture and water features.
Garden host Kathy Shanks received the stepping stone. As a rabbit lover, Shanks' stepping stone features a rabbit motif.
Visitors can get up close and personal with the flowers.
Garden host Donna Ernst accepts the stepping stones.
The 2024 Garden Host will be celebrated by Edmonds in Bloom.
Seven local gardens will open to the public on Sunday for the 28th annual Edmonds in Bloom Garden Tour.
This year's tour will take visitors from wet woodland environments to dry arid regions and saltwater coasts. Stunning flowers, intricate vegetation, whimsical garden art and more await curious visitors. Garden organizers have been hard at work for months tending, pruning, edging and preparing the gardens for the event, so everyone is looking their best.
Traditionally, these gardens are located in private homes and are maintained, cared for, designed and shaped by individual homeowners and gardeners, but this year, one garden stands out as an example of Edmonds in Bloom's work to nurture and develop local youth through gardening: the school garden at College Place Elementary, funded by a grant from Edmonds in Bloom.
“This is a school garden where teachers teach kids to plant seeds that will grow into food and flowers and learn about how nature works,” explains Garden Tour Chair Patty Fleming. “The garden sparks kids' curiosity about growing their own food and encourages them to take home the produce they harvest. Many of these kids live in apartments, some of whom have never been exposed to gardening, and some of them have little to no idea where their food comes from.”
“While College Place's garden may not be as visually stunning as a private garden, it is a living example of how Edmonds in Bloom is working to make the enjoyment of gardening more inclusive,” she added.
This year's event is nearly sold out: As of Saturday afternoon, a few tickets still remained at the Edmonds Ace Hardware store, priced at $25 apiece, but they were available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about Edmonds in Bloom, visit the organization's website here
— Article and photos by Larry Vogel
