Alaine and Frank Nadeau’s Morro Bay garden offers bountiful purple blooming Nemesia and a gorgeous mixed spring bouquet of colorful annuals. Photo by Monique Bender
The American Association of University Women’s annual Garden Tour takes place Sunday, April 28. The tour is self-guided and features three gardens in Los Osos and one in Morro Bay.
Bruce & Sue Morgenthaler started with a clean slate and a steep hillside. Inspiration took hold while reading Michael Pollan’s “Beyond Wilderness and Lawn” book., which states “Gardening, as a cultural activity, matters deeply, not only to the look of our landscape, but also to the wisdom of our thinking about the environment.”
As a result, you’ll find drought-tolerant plants, a magical rock-terraced garden as well as magnificent views of the Estero Bay.
Tara Noland & Frank Perea want you to see their garden as a “peaceful sanctuary” not only for us, but for the many birds and pollinators that visit the garden. Twenty years ago, their lot was mainly sand but through soil amendments they have been able to grow fruit trees, garden beds, native shrubs and trees. This place is a true labor of love. A must-see piece includes a large black sage brush that doubles as a quail sanctuary.
Ann Hodges’ garden is a work-of-art featuring succulents, ferns and other unusual plant species commingled with her own mosaic and glass work. Additionally, Ann will sell selected pieces of her creative mosaics and stepping-stones at the garden tour.
Described as harmonious splendor, Alaine Nadeau and her husband Frank have cultivated a diverse and colorful garden with annuals from poppies, nemesia, love in the mist mixed with salvia and peekaboo pink lilies. There is nowhere that Alaine would rather be than her garden. She has been gardening since she was a young girl. Her earliest gardening memory is planting nasturtium seeds at 9-years-old and buying lilacs and gardenias from a local nursery.
Tickets are $15 with all Sunday afternoon to explore the four gardens. They can be purchased at Volumes of Pleasure in Los Osos, Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay, Farm Supply (locations include SLO, AG and Paso Robles), My805Tix.com and with any AAUW member. www.morrobay-ca.aauw.net (805) 550-5216.
This is the major fundraiser for the Morro Bay Branch of the American Association of University Women. The proceeds are used for high school scholarships in Morro Bay and to send several 7th grade girls to a TECH summer camp at CSU Monterey Bay in July to study STEM subjects.
