Gig Harbor Garden Tour, Part 2

 

Garden #3 surrounds an historic home on the harbor with classic elegance. Jill and Chris Denis made us feel at home from the entry gate to the potager to the formality of the front garden to the spacious beauty of the slope to the harbor. 

The Matilija poppy down by the water's edge was huge, well clipped to a tight bush, and I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of the whole thing. I got distracted by the comfortable seating area next to it, which, since I was sitting, didn't get a photo of it either. You'll have to take my word for it that the harbor was also right there. 

A very impressive old Black Walnut tree punctuated the lower lawn. 

Garden #4 is a property now in its second generation of family ownership and is now gardened by Beverly ash Gilbert and Jerry Gilbert. 

Tour guests enter through a wooded area, part of the 20 acres surrounding the house and garden. Then we  cross the orchard to be greeted by a magnificent 500 year old Douglas Fir Tree. 

Themed gardens lead around the corner of the house to the koi pond.

A sloping path takes us under trees and down the bank to views of the sound. Watch out! Duck!

After some moments of serenity, sitting on that deck, we climb back up.

We find a sunny sitting spot, and then the shade of that big old fir. 

Part 3 to come. 

2026 Gig Harbor Garden Tour, Part 1

 On Saturday we met up with some of our Joyful Gardeners Garden Group to attend the Gig Harbor Garden Tour. Tom's sister Jan is one of the organizers of this annual tour. Tom arranged to get group rate tickets for our members. 

The day was cool, cloudy, with some periodic light showers, but nothing to discourage true gardeners. The mostly cloudy cover provided just the right conditions for photography. 

The garden of Cindy Bartel, located on a cul-de-sac in Gig Harbor, was a gem of color and plant interest on a small city lot. Cindy made to most of all of her limited space.

A rose and a poppy of the same color. 

Each garden features at least one artist or craftsman. Here Jeanne Anderson displayed her watercolors. She was selected this year for the program/ticket cover design. I bought a card featuring Mt Rainier. 

Garden # 2, which we did out of order and was actually the last garden we visited, is the garden of Leslie and Tom Watkins. Located on the hillside above Wollochet Bay, this is another small garden with a surprise, a "hidden" access down the hillside, around a neighboring house, to a garden overlook of the bay.

The view from our resting spot in rocking chairs on this garden terrace, 

My choice for the winner of the post interesting plant on the tour, this variegated Heliopsis, Heliopsis helianthoides "SunStruct". Bright sunny flowers, very interesting foliage, on a very compact plant, it was new to me and I loved it. Too bad I don't have enough sun to keep it happy in my garden. 

And back on the landward side, redwoods!

Keep watch for more parts to this tour.