Redlands Horticultural & Improvement Society Upcoming Events

REDLANDS >> Redlands Horticultural & Improvement Society will hold its 2016 Garden Tour and Uncommon Plant Sale Saturday, April 16 – Sunday, April 17. “From the Garden Bench...” is the theme for 2016 featuring tours of six private, owner-maintained gardens. Tickets are good for both days, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children 13 and under are free with paid adult admission $15 donation. The annual RHIS Garden Tour offers the public a chance to spend the weekend strolling through six beautifully-unique owner-designed gardens. Cameras and notebooks are welcome! In addition to adding great ideas for personal gardens visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy musical entertainment at each garden, see several demonstrations including: Cutler Group Building demonstrations and displays, Redlands Art Association floral art display, the Cactus and Succulent Society presentation of “Growing Drought Tolerant Cactus and Succulents”, “Organic Vegetable Gardening” by the Beaumont Nursery, “Growing Beautiful Roses” by George Nash, “All about Bees” by Brian Romberg, and “Redlands Camera Club’s floral photo displays. Before, during, or after you tour this year’s beautiful home gardens, make it a point to check out the great prices and fantastic selection of unique plants, pots and trees for sale in the RHIS Plant Propagation Yard, Carriage House area 1352 Prospect Drive, Redlands. Pre-tour tickets are available at the following locations: Back in Time Antiques, 1740 W. Redlands Blvd; Redlands Gerrard’s Market, 705 W. Cypress Ave., Redlands; Redlands Art Association, 215 E. State St., Redlands; Beaumont Garden Center, 1440 E. 6TH St., Beaumont; Cherry Valley Nursery, 37955 Cherry Valley Blvd., Cherry Valley; and Sunshine Nursery, 34017 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa. Tickets will also be available at each of the home gardens on the tour, during tour hours. Gardens on the Tour include: • Ashbaker Garden, 837 W. Palm, Redlands - Jeff and Betty Ashbaker purchased their 1930s adobe home in 1983. They started working in the yard about ten years ago, and have changed it considerably since then. Last year they removed their front lawn and replaced it with many drought-tolerant plants. Gardening is a rediscovered passion from Betty’s childhood. She loved to make little vignettes using found objects and other fun stuff. These days, she finds that it is a great way to relieve stress and get exercise. Their garden is made up of a variety of plants and trees; there are twenty-seven trees in the front yard alone! Over the years they have collected a lot of concrete statuary, fountains, outdoor furniture and of course rusty gold. Betty incorporates all these things, along with the most unusual plants she can find, into interesting and sometimes even thought-provoking arrangements. The garden is always changing and evolving with each new item and season. The Ashbaker’s hope when folks come to their garden they will get new ideas to use in their own home landscapes. • Jha/Fleming Garden, 504 W. Palm, Redlands - Priya Jha and David Fleming brought a variety of elements of the outdoors to the front of their mid-century ranch creating a welcoming and open landscape while providing desired privacy. To do this, mounds of soil were created and planted with drought-tolerant trees and succulents. These were accentuated by boulders and a dry riverbed, which leads to a small fruit orchard. A semi-private porch is complemented by a decorative retaining wall which doubles as a long continuous bench. Large shades allow filtered sunlight at the front of the house, and provide a carport on the side. • Morehouse Garden, 813 Clifton Ave., Redlands - Carolyn and Scott Morehouse bought the "Hall House" in 1986. Harvey and Blanche Hall built the turn-of-the-century home, in 1900, on the hill known as Lugonia Heights. Harvey managed several of the “garden groves” belonging to the large homes in this neighborhood. A miniature citrus-packing shed, complete with polishing and sorting machines (still in working order) can be found behind the garage. The grove now features 25 different varieties of citrus trees. You’ll see an extensive collection of succulents, and a bewildering number of gnomes, gnome homes, and other statuary. Scott keeps threatening to hang up fly-paper to control the fairy population. • Pertovska Garden, 24630 University Ave., Loma Linda - Janika Petrovska, designed the Humpty Dumpty House, a series of wacky and wonderful gardens. ‘Humpty Dumpty House Garden’ is a non-profit, across the street from Loma Linda University Medical Center, that brings respite to stress-ridden doctors, medical students, and families visiting loved ones in the hospital. The gardens are graced with art and sculpture by local artists, intermingled with lush food plantings, breathtaking water features, and treasures collected from trash cans and dumpsters. A life-sized weeping angel centers the "Garden of Tears", while monumental crosses anchor the background. A woven basket house provides shelter, while a wild boar protects the "Food Court", a whimsical raised bed edible garden. • Sparkling ornaments, a rose-smothered custom arbor, and a fragrant floral ribbon winding through giant topiary define the maze-like "Garden of Forgotten Dreams". The "Poison Apple Garden" features an enormous Christine Coates mural, a forest terrace, and a series of ponds, waterfalls, and streams, one spilling into another. Water features include unique fountains, a koi pond, a veggie filter pond. A giant gunnera leaf spillways along a winding stream crossed by wooden bridges and nestled in luxuriant plantings. You’ll see many gardens; most are drought-tolerant and easy care. And yes, Humpty Dumpty lives here. • Rehngren-McCoy Garden, 720 W. Crescent Ave., Redlands - Christina Rehngren-McCoy’s ‘Sunshine Serenity Garden’ was developed to create a beautiful ambiance for the marriage of the family's eldest daughter. The garden is the result of many weekends of labor and combined inspiration by all family members. The intent in designing the garden was to plant low-water plants. In addition, the planting areas around the perimeter was to be minimal in upkeep by putting in drip systems and covering the entire ground with golden rock, flagstones and wood chips. In the center of the yard is a planting area designed to break up the space into a small herb garden plus an open sunny space which can be modified according to the need of an event. There are two unique fountains to provide the background of soothing water flow. These have become favorites of local birds which now frequent the garden for water or a birdbath. The garden has become a favorite serene retreat to relax and enjoy at the beginning or the end of the day. • Richards/Gillett Garden, 315 Westwood Ln., Redlands - Linda Richards and Tom Gillett removed most of their front lawn seven years ago, replacing it with two dragon trees, and their favorite native plants including ceanothus, mazzanitas, buckwheat and California sages. You’ll also see other drought tolerant plants and a small lawn of Blue Grama and Buffalograss which requires half the irrigation of a normal lawn. Head next to the backyard ‘jungle’ that includes an orchard, and meandering paths with seating areas among the mature sycamores. Native plants were plugged in to replace a slope of dead oleanders. Also included is an art floral oil painting demo and musical entertainment by friends. For more information visit www.RedlandsGardenClub.com.