Skies are expected to be sunny for this weekend’s annual Soroptimist International of Sierra Foothills’ Garden Tour, the 31st of its kind for the organization.
In addition to showcasing some of the most impressive gardens in the area, the tour also serves as the main fundraiser for the organization that is dedicated to helping women and children in nearly every capacity.
Once again co-treasurer for our local Soroptimist chapter, Trish Gerving, is gearing up for the yearly event which she said is not only delightful, but a great way to be outside while supporting local efforts.
Gerving said this year’s tour will feature six local home gardens, and for the first time will feature a school’s garden.
“We’re featuring the Chicago Park School garden this year, which is kind of a fun thing to do,” Gerving said. “We’ve done other gardens like that, productive gardens, but we have never done a school garden. So this is going to be a fun one.”
Katie Kohler, principal of Chicago Park Elementary, is no stranger to the Garden Tour, Gerving said.
“(Kohler) previously was on our garden tour; her home was on our garden tour and she’s a Master Gardener—we have several master gardeners in our group—and it just kind of came up through that,” Gerving added.
The tour takes place over Saturday and Sunday, with guests invited to attend at their own pace. In theory, one could go to every stop on the tour multiple times over the weekend if so desired; tickets purchased remain valid for the entirety of the weekend.
“It’s rain or shine, (but) it’s going to be nice and sunny,” said Gerving.
The event runs each day from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks at certain locations, with the Soroptimists looking to have their best day yet. There will be a seven large baskets containing wares from local generous sponsors, all of which are up for grabs. Live music will be offered at a number of the gardens, not to mention the now-popular “garden shop” which Gerving said is independent of the tour but a popular destination nonetheless.
“(The garden shop) is very special,” confirmed Gerving. “You don’t actually have to have a garden ticket if you just want to go to the garden shop. It’s located there at garden number six, and people can find that by going to our web page to get a map if they just want to go to the garden shop.”
The shop carries handcrafted items that have been optimized over the years, said Gerving.
“(Artists) have put together all different types of things…painted flower pots, and there’ll be plants there, and just a variety of things to choose from,” said Gerving.
The garden she mentions is a “meticulously landscaped 4.5 acres of Jeff and Christine Diskin’s Nevada City property (that) has been both a labor of love for creating their ‘Banner Forest Retreat’ for the extended family of 55, as well as an homage to the family’s recently departed patriarch, Nevada County native, Ernie McQueen.”
In the same tour stop there’s a cut-flower garden, blooming with hyacinth, daisies, daffodils, crocuses, roses, wildflowers and tulips—a total of over 9,000 tulips are planted throughout the entire property.
The garden tour is the largest Soroptimist International of Sierra Foothills fundraiser.
“We are an international organization that supports women and children in our community, and we do that with all the money that we make from this,” said Gerving of the event. “We do nonprofit grants, which we just gave out this last month to, I believe, seven different nonprofits. We also give out student scholarships…We gave out five scholarships to graduating students who have community service in their applications, because that’s what we’re supporting.”
Soroptimists also have an award they deliver called Live Your Dream, which is traditionally bestowed upon a female head of household.
“We gave her this grant so that we can help support her to get back into school or her continued education,” said Gerving of this year’s recipient. “The woman we gave it this year is going for her RN (Registered Nurse degree), so it’s gonna be a great experience for her.”
There is still time to secure your tickets to the annual Soroptimist’s Garden Tour, which takes place May 16 & 17. For more information or to purchase tickets please visit www.sierrasoroptimist.org.
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