With its tucked back location, absence of major development and obvious care for the environment on which it was built, the quaint nook of the Kitsap Peninsula called Indianola is a sanctuary in itself.
Further inside, the community is peppered with private havens in the form of impeccably kept gardens.
So many gardens in fact that the Trillium School — a local K-12 independent learning center, and the organizing force behind the tour — plans to embolden a tradition of showing off a few new patches each year with the annual Indianola Garden Tour.
The response to the first year was encouraging in both attendance and participation, and hopes are for all that and more in this year’s sophomore edition.
The event is a fund raiser for Trillium’s general fund, aimed at helping the school continue and expand, is offering of a mixed-age learning community focused on student-directed learning.
Tickets for the self-guided tour are $15 for adults, children 12 and under are free.
That ticket will not only gain admittance into each of the gardens, but also the chance to hear renowned Indianola-based horticulturist, founder and co-owner of Heronswood Nursery (1985-2000) Dan Hinkley speak on the “Four Principles of Good Garden Design.” His lecture and slideshow will begin “promptly” at 10 a.m. Aug. 4 at the Indianola Clubhouse, kicking off the event.
Following his speech, tour-goers will be free to roam the featured gardens which are for the most part within walking distance of each other.
Each plot is unique to its owners interests and expressions — sunny gardens with views of the water, shady gardens making the most of small sites, a working community organic garden and other artistically flavored botany will all be on display.
An additional stop will feature plant inspired art work, J’aime Les Crepes cuisine and a plant sale by Robin Dunn Organic Garden Design — a company which specializes in bamboo, perennials, and native trees.
Then to cap it all off, the tour will once again be attached to a raffle, the drawing for which will signal the event’s end around 5 p.m. This year’s bounty is a “Back Yard BBQ” arty iron fire pit and a nature-inspired wooden garden bench, each fashioned by local artists.
The 2nd Annual Indianola Garden tour will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 4 throughout the North Kitsap community. Tickets can be picked up along with a tour map in advance or the day of the tour at the Indianola Country Store and local area nurseries.
For more info and directions on just how to get to Indianola log onto www.trilliumschool.org and select the Garden Tour button or call organizer Mara Lindbergh at (206) 947-2000.
