Rossland’s variety of gardens will take centre stage these upcoming weekends, with two garden tours set to take place.
On Saturday, the third Rossland Garden Tour will kick things off, followed by the second Edible Garden Tour on July 30.
According to Garden Tour co-ordinator Jackie Drysdale, 10 secret local flower gardens will be revealed on Saturday for participants to wander through, ask questions and see what other locals have been able to do to beautify their spaces.
“It’s a snapshot of what blooms and flowers at this point of the season in Rossland,” she said, adding it’s a shared interest for a lot of people.
“People go on garden tours for appreciation, ideas or information and a variety of reasons … We’ve got the full gambit here.”
The featured gardens were picked by Drysdale and her “right-hand,” Maureen Holmes, whose own garden is one of the 10.
When deciding which gardens they’d like to include, Drysdale said she wanted variety, among other things.
They looked at gardens that offered different plants, new and well-established gardens, located in different areas and are on varying sized land plots. They also tried to avoid featuring gardens from previous years to keep things fresh.
Garden owners have been asked to be at home during the tour, so that if guests have any questions they can be answered by the gardener themselves.
The event has a cost of $6, proceeds go to the Rossland Museum. The self-guided tour begins at 9:30 a.m. at the town square, where participants can pick up the tour map.
It will conclude at 2 p.m., at Drysdale’s home. A vehicle is required for the tour.
The Edible Garden Tour will see three vegetable gardens featured this year.
“Seeing is believing … To actually go to people’s backyard gardens and see exactly how they do this makes all the difference to having success in your own garden,” said Rachael Roussin, an organizer with Rossland Real Food.
The point of the edible garden tour is to visit each garden more than once throughout the year so people can see the progression over the season, she continued. The next tour will go in September.
The three gardens this year vary, showcasing the cross-section of diverse growing environments in the area. This is especially helpful when looking at what might work best at your own home, Roussin said.
For example, one garden is located in downtown Rossland on a small plot of land but provides the gardener with enough food to last her until January.
Those interested should meet at the community garden at 9 a.m. on July 30, there is a $5 cost for the tour.
For more information, contact Drysdale about the Rossland Garden Tour at 250-362-3323 or Hanne Smith for the Edible Garden Tour at 250-362-7767.