Submitted by the Orcas Island Garden Tour.
Each year, as sunshine and warmer temperatures beckon, we find ourselves outside as much as possible caring for our gardens and looking forward to exploring other lovely gardens on our island.
Whether we’re focused on designing an artistic palette of colorful flowers, raising abundant healthy vegetables, or creating a refuge for birds, bees, and butterflies, our gardens offer a place of healing and peace, and provide a refuge from the challenges and stresses of this past year. Because of COVID-19 virus, we’ve had to postpone many holiday celebrations, birthdays, and group activities in order to keep ourselves and others safe. But now, with safety procedures and vaccines, we’re finally able to see some hopeful possibilities as the weather warms.
In that spirit, the Orcas Island Garden Club has created a Safe Garden Tour to celebrate our love for plants and to energize our spirits. On the weekend of June 26th and June 27th, we invite everyone to join us and visit a variety of delightful gardens around our beautiful island. As you stroll through each of the special tour gardens, you will discover how each garden owner created a unique vision for their garden that reflects the personality of their location.
This year, things will be a little different to ensure safety for garden owners, volunteers, and guests as we enjoy the beauty of our island gardens.
• Three gardens will be open on Saturday, June 26 and three different gardens will be open on Sunday, June 27. Tickets will indicate the names and locations of the gardens open for the tour on each day.
• Masks and social distancing will be required and all gardens will have one-way paths. A limited number of visitors will be allowed inside each garden at a time.
• Each garden will have signs and posters explaining the guidelines, a safety equipment kit, and training for volunteers so they can help visitors understand and follow these necessary safety guidelines.
To help us all enjoy our Safe Garden Tour experience, we’re exploring the possibility of offering different fun activities at each garden, such as free plant starts, live music, raffles, garden art, gardening demonstrations, and a guided walk to a mediation garden.
Check out our informative monthly newsletter for lots of gardening information and the latest news about the upcoming garden tour on our website at https://www.orcasislandgardenclub.org/. We look forward to seeing you at the tour. Get ready for some safe garden fun and inspiration.
