The Sawtooth Botanical Garden’s 14th Annual Garden Tour July 11th, 2009

The Sawtooth Botanical Garden’s 14th Annual Garden Tour will be held on Saturday, July 11th from 10 am – 2 pm. This year’s self-guided tour features seven magnificent private gardens in West Ketchum and Warm Springs neighborhoods. The Tour is one of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden’s biggest fundraisers of the year and welcomes 400 patrons. Join us for inspiration and great ideas on which plants are the best for Wood River Valley gardens. Each stop on the Tour also features an artist and musician and gardeners are on hand to answer questions.

The first stop on the Tour is at the home of Kelle Weston and Parker Bryan. Kelle is a professional seamstress and has passed on her passion for fabric into her garden weaving various shapes and colors throughout the space. They are well known in the neighborhood for their unique Nishiki variegated willows and recently planted drought tolerant perennials at the end of the driveway taking advantage of the hot dry microclimate.

The next garden is at the home of Lynn and Barry Welker. A secret garden in West Ketchum, be prepared to enter a room defined by lush vines of clematis, climbing roses, and the sweet aroma of lavender. Lynn experiments with plants she has seen when traveling in northern Europe incorporating plants like sorrel and caraway from trips to Alsace-Lorraine or evening primrose from a garden spotted in Germany.

The next garden stop is in Northwood at the home of Geoff and Alison Rusack. Located on the Big Wood River with majestic views of Bald Mountain, this garden is an oasis. The aspen grove at the front of the driveway sets the tone for this landscape which pays homage to our natural mountain flora with well manicured accents. Groundcovers and an array of shade loving plants including hosta, columbine, ladies mantle and bleeding hearts are highlighted throughout the landscape.

Around the corner in Northwood is Janet and Roger DeBard’s garden. The various gardens found on this property are all unique however blend together in color and plant repetition to create a sense of harmony. Jan is an artist and her love for art can be found throughout the garden in their incredible collection of garden sculpture.

from http://www.sunvalleyonline.com/