A healthy dumping of rain last Saturday made for bright and brilliant flowers on Sunday as locals and visitors alike strolled through a selection of personal and commercial gardens in the Homer area. The bees also had plenty to be happy about.
It’s part of a two-day event called the Gardeners’ Weekend hosted by the Homer Garden Club. Now in its 13th year, the event features not only leisurely tours of some of Homer’s largest and most impressive gardens (both floral and produce-oriented), but also a keynote speaker.
This year’s speaker was Fergus Garrett, who is the head gardener of England’s Great Dixter. After listening to him on Saturday at the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center, garden buffs were able to take to the streets, or, rather, the flower beds, to tour five gardens in Homer and the surrounding area.
From East End Road to the hills above the west end of town, the gardens did not disappoint, aided greatly by the sunny, cooperative weather.
Visitors toured the gardens, examining different flower varieties and growing techniques. They also had the chance to talk with the owners of each garden to ask questions.
This year’s tour featured gardens in a variety of settings, from botanical gardens to those set into hillsides and others tucked away in a “woodland retreat,” according to the tour program.
Spiky purple flowers catch the eyes of passersby at one of five gardens featured in this year’s Garden Tour, held Sunday, July 28, 2019 in and around Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Produce grows at Alaska Stems, owned by Rachel Lord, which was one of five gardens on display during this year’s Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28, 2019 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Colorful blooms emerge from a spread of succulents in a garden at Leah Evans Cloud’s home, one of five stops on the annual Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28, 2019 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Visitors walk up to an expansive garden off of East End Road, one of five featured in this year’s Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28, 2019 in and around Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Visitors inspect various growing produce at one of five expansive gardens featured in this year’s Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28, 2019 in and around Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Visitors ask questions of Rachel Lord, who owns Alaska Stems, during this year’s Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28, 2019 at her garden in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
A stone walkway winds through one of the five expansive gardens available for visiting through the annual Garden Tour, held this year on Sunday, July 28, 2019 in and around Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
