It’s an exciting weekend up ahead for avid gardeners. The long-anticipated 20th anniversary Bainbridge in Bloom garden tour will be July 11 through 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. To celebrate the event’s longevity, they’ve rolled back ticket and event prices. More information can be found at the Bloom Web site, www.gardentour.info, or by calling the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council (BIAHC) at (206) 842-7901. Tickets are available at many of our local nurseries. The site also lists the locations for various food and refreshments interspersed at several locations this year.
Mesogeo Nursery (the garden of Terri Stanley and Terry Moyemont) and the garden of John and Kathleen Bullivant are the two sites for the plant vendors for this year’s Bloom. Bainbridge Gardens is sponsoring Ciscoe Morris on Sunday and he’ll also be at both Mesogeo and Bullivant’s to share his favorite plant choices and answer questions.
This is also the last year to visit the gardens of Little and Lewis. The original garden and home has been sold. In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Bloom, as an added treat, Little and Lewis will generously open their garden on a limited basis for Bloom attendees during the weekend. The garden will close promptly at 3 p.m.
Parking for the Bloom is in the Commodore Bainbridge parking lot accessed from Madison Avenue. At this site, you’ll find the will call booth, a place to purchase tickets if you haven’t done so already, and possibly a few retail items. You’ll also be able to purchase this year’s exquisite Bloom poster by artist Sophie Frieda. Posters are available for $10. Popular “Bike the Bloom” tickets are also here. Park your car in the parking lot at Commodore Bainbridge and board the courtesy Kitsap Transit supplied shuttle buses for stress-free transportation from garden to garden.
Friday July 11 is the special features day with a host of individually priced options. This is the day you can tour the gardens at your leisure and also have special guided tours, along with an evening barbecue option. The patrons package includes all three days of the Bloom.
Visit www.gardentour.org/gardendescription, to view exquisite preview photos of the gardens. The garden of John and Kathleen Bullivant is owner-designed and renovated with more than 200 rhodies, garden rooms, a charming greenhouse, meandering trails through shady woods and a labyrinth.
The garden of Rex and Elizabeth Olsen is National Wildlife Certified and features an original design by Barbara Schmidt, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance landscapes all done by the owners, hardscaping and structures by Rex, herb and tea garden raised beds.
The garden of Tish Treherne and Adam Michel was designed by Bliss Garden Design (aka Tish Treherne) and was completely created from scratch. Visitors will find 20 decorative large, colorful containers full of plants woven throughout, stonework including flagstone paths, 20 yards of gravel, seven yards of river rock and separate area to attract deer away from the garden and plants selected for year-round interest.
The garden of Denny and Diane Driggs has views of the water from many angles. Bloom goers will find separate garden rooms, a Margarita garden designed by Steve Muench of Bainbridge Gardens, drought-tolerant plants, plants placed in zones for water conservation and irrigation from water captured innovatively on site.
At Mesogeo Nursery, the garden of Terri Stanley and Terry Moyemont houses a 135-year-old clapboard farmhouse; a 500-square-foot greenhouse; a 50-year-old rose (double violet Gallica), a strolling meadow and the Mediterranean plant trial gardens.
