Submitted by the Orcas Garden Club.

Each year, as spring brings sunshine and warmer temperatures, gardeners begin their search for new plants. We gardeners are varied in our planning. Some design an artistic palette of flowers, some raise an abundance of healthy food, and others create a refuge for birds, bees, and butterflies. Regardless of what we grow, gardens offer a place of healing, peace, and refuge from stressful challenges, especially during this global pandemic.

After a year of struggling to live with the threat of COVID-19, we’ve all postponed holiday celebrations, birthdays, and group activities so we could be safe. But now, with safety procedures and vaccines, we’re finally able to see some hopeful possibilities that beckon to better times ahead.

In that spirit, we offer the 2021 Safe Garden Tour: New Beginnings … New Blossoms.

This year’s Safe Garden Tour celebrates our love for plants while energizing our spirits. Over the weekend of June 26 and June 27, we invite you to visit a variety of delightful gardens around our island. As you stroll through each unique garden, you’ll discover how each garden owner created a unique vision for their garden that reflects their personality and enhances their location.

This year the tour has been redesigned for everyone’s safety. These measures will allow garden owners, volunteers, and guests to fully enjoy the beauty of our island gardens while remaining safe.

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. All gardens will have one-way paths and each garden will have a limited number of visitors at a time following recommended social distancing protocols.

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 the safety guidelines.

To help us all enjoy our Safe Garden Tour experience, we’re exploring the possibility of offering different experiences, such as free plant starts, live music, raffles, garden art, take-away prepackaged snacks, gardening demonstrations, and a guided walk to a mediation garden.