Consecutive weekend tours organized by garden clubs in Southlake and Colleyville will throw open the gates to some of the most impressive backyards in Tarrant County.
“People enjoy looking at nice gardens in both communities,” said Becky Underwood, spokeswoman for the April 28 Southlake Garden Tour.The May 5 Promenade Garden Tour takes patrons through three Colleyville gardens and one in Grapevine that use wide varieties of plantings, outdoor living areas, water features and “garden whimsy,” said spokeswoman Natilie Genco.“It’s a tremendous education seeing what people in the area can grow and getting ideas about how they grow it,” she said. “In particular, we have a lot of dry shade and it’s difficult to find plants that will grow in those conditions.”With its Southlake Garden Tour, the Perennial Garden Society helps educate guests at six gardens created and tended by people whose styles vary as dramatically as their landscapes, Underwood said.The City of Southlake is setting up tables at three of the gardens, focusing on mosquito control, water conservation and the permitting process for projects including outdoor kitchens, water features and sprinkler systems, Underwood said.Both shows bring in expert green thumbs.Tarrant County Master Gardeners will be on hand to teach people not only what is possible — like vegetable gardening in raised beds — but also how to garden responsibly, Genco said.A contest for art students at Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage high schools produced dozens of hand-painted rocks that will be displayed in one of the Colleyville gardens. The tour also offers plants for sale, teaching exhibits and a raffle.In its fifth year, tickets to Southlake’s biennial tour are $8 in advance from Calloway’s Nurseries in Southlake, Hurst, Arlington and Flower Mound, Marshall Grain in Grapevine and the North Richland Hills Farmers Market, Underwood said. Tickets for the Promenade Garden Tour are $12 in advance, $15 on the day of the tour, at Market Street and Foreman’s in Colleyville, Blooming Colors and Marshall Grain in Grapevine, Calloway’s Nursery in Hurst and Southlake, and Weston Gardens in Bloom in Fort Worth.Promenade proceeds benefit scholarships for graduating seniors who will pursue careers in horticulture, as well as community, civic and beautification projects. The Southlake Garden Tour uses proceeds from the tour to offset the costs of production.Terry Evans, 817-390-7620 Twitter: @fwstevans
