Those looking for inspiration in creating or enhancing their garden will find many ideas in full bloom at the Bernardo Gardeners Club’s annual spring tour on Saturday, May 2.
The 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. self-guided tour will showcase six gardens, four in Poway and two in Rancho Bernardo. Tickets are $30 per person.
This is the first time the Garnier garden on Trailwind Road in Poway will be on any tour. Homeowners Ramona and Winslow Garnier said they agreed after their neighbor suggested it.
The elaborate garden was professionally designed to welcome guests because the couple said they love to entertain family and friends. Winslow Garnier said their Fourth of July party last year had over 120 guests, who had a wonderful view of the fireworks show at Poway High.
“We wanted to make it hospitable,” he said. “Poway is supposed to be ‘the city in the country,’ so how do we keep that same feeling in a garden, but not turn it into desert? We lived in Arizona and did not like cactus plants. We wanted to keep it natural. When we bought the house we wanted (the landscape) to be green.”
Roses and other flowering varieties are among the more than 2,500 plants in the Garnier garden. The couple said this arbor area is a popular spot for guests to take photos. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
By terracing their back slope, the couple were able to create multiple garden areas that incorporate extensive seating among a wide variety of trees, flowering plants and entertainment features.
“It is very peaceful, especially on hot summer days,” Ramona Garnier said, noting the chimes and water features throughout to create an auditory ambiance. “We have good breezes.”
Hardscape and plants are blended seamlessly together to not only terrace the steep slope, but also provide useful features, especially the many fruits and vegetables that Ramona Garnier said she enjoys using while cooking.
Winslow and Ramona Garnier in their vegetable garden that includes raised beds and a wide variety of vegetables and herbs that Ramona uses in her cooking. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
In the fruits and vegetables garden level, waist-high stone planting beds were constructed for tomatoes, onions, golden beets, chili peppers and blueberries. The more delicate heirloom varieties of tomatoes and onions are in one of the beds, protected by a mesh enclosure so birds cannot harvest them before Ramona has an opportunity to do so.
She said being able to grow her own fruits and vegetables was important because it reminded her of her parents.
“(They) were avid gardeners and we ate off the land,” Ramona Garnier said. “They loved their garden, the outdoors and to entertain.”
What is growing varies by season. They have purple potatoes, corn, carrots, strawberries, yellow onions, pumpkins, cilantro, kale, lettuce, zucchini, sweet potatoes, squash, melons and cantaloupe. Trees throughout the property provide oranges, avocados, bananas, papayas, pomelos, apples, plums, limes, figs, tangerines, guavas, lemons, peaches, pears, apricots, mangoes, passion fruit and olives.
On this level there is also a sink so Ramona Garnier can wash what she harvests before taking the fruits and vegetables up to the house. The water flows into the plants below so it is not wasted.
Water conservation is achieved through drip irrigation controlled by timers. There are eight sections among three irrigation zones, they said.
“We have more than 2,500 plants all on drip, no sprinklers,” Winslow Garnier said, noting plants were chosen for each location to build synergy.
“A garden needs to flow … so it is not overwhelming,” he said.
The couple has lived in their Bridlewood Lakeside neighborhood home not far from Lake Poway and Poway High for more than 20 years. The Garniers hired a landscaper to design a complete renovation of their property that is a little over 1 acre following the 2007 Witch Creek fire.
The couple said they had intended to extensively renovate their landscaping after moving into their home a few years earlier, but with flames burning up to their house that was saved by firefighters, they suddenly had a blank slate for new vegetation.
The Garnier home’s landscaping was designed with hospitality in mind, which is why there are many seating areas throughout, with shading created by trees or umbrellas. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
Ramona and Winslow Garnier are among those welcoming visitors to their home garden during the Bernardo Gardeners Club’s spring tour on May 2. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
One of the many areas filled with a variety of colorful plants in the Garnier garden. To make the artificial turf look more realistic, the turf was cut so uniquely-shaped stepping stones could be placed throughout. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
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The Garnier home’s landscaping was designed with hospitality in mind, which is why there are many seating areas throughout, with shading created by trees or umbrellas. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
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They said inspiration came from the gardens in two of their favorite places — the Rancho Bernardo Inn and what is now the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. They also often went to garden shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
By sectioning the slope into several levels, the property feels two or three times larger than its actual size.
“It’s deceptive,” Winslow Garnier said of the illusion created through terracing, hardscape walls and stairs.
Because of the fire, he said they renovated with deterring future wildfires in mind. In place of their wood fences that burned, they installed wrought iron fences tall enough to deter coyotes from jumping over. At the base of each is a couple feet of mesh that extends 18-inches below ground so rabbits and snakes are kept out. The terraced levels and hardscape provide fire breaks and Winslow Garnier added that the plants are sufficiently watered.
“The key to most plants preventing fire is to keep them green,” he said. “If you have dead sticks they will burn. You have to stay on top of maintenance. Our water bill has definitely quadrupled since we’ve been here. You have got to take care of your plants, especially in the hot summer. … You have to give yourself the best chance (at fire deterrence).”
Most of the work was completed over the course of 12 years in sections, which Winslow Garnier said let them carefully think through what they were doing and what the next area would feature.
Ramona Garnier outside one of three cottage-style buildings constructed to blend into the garden while providing storage for essential garden items and decorations. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
They had three cottages built for storage and as a small retreat for Ramona. Solar panels cover the playground equipment their grandchildren enjoy. Their swimming pool features a rock setting. Stairs and sloped walkways are throughout, the latter making it possible for their gardeners and construction crew to roll wheelbarrows full of soil and other materials because there was no way to get vehicles below. Arbors and whimsical statues are spaced throughout, providing a bit of fun and photo op spots.
While no more major renovations are anticipated, the couple said a garden is never truly finished. Struggling plants are occasionally swapped out for others that their gardener thinks will do better.
Sometimes it is just a matter of relocation. That was the case with their grape vines. After three years of failing to thrive on one slope, they were replaced with rows of tree roses. The vines were moved to a spot several levels down and now produce many bunches of delicious green grapes, the couple said.
Grape vines that are thriving after being relocated to another location within the Garnier garden. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
“I saw a property in Montecito where they had a slope and tree roses that had done very well,” Ramona Garnier said.
The four terraced levels are each dedicated to a specific color — pink, red, purple and peach roses. Ramona Garnier said she enjoys cutting the long-stem roses and displaying them in her home.
“They do well in the sun,” Winslow Garnier added. He said they embrace “trial and error” when selecting plants. “You are going to make mistakes.”
To stop rats from biting off stems and taking them back to their nests, Ramona Garnier said each rose tree’s trunk is surrounded by about one foot of netting that keeps rats from climbing up to reach the stems.
Two years ago they had a large conservatory constructed on the back of their home. With its walls of windows, it created an indoor/outdoor entertaining area that is climate controlled via air conditioning, Ramona Garnier said.
Crape myrtle trees, pentas (a tropical plant with small red flowers), tulip tree, yellow bells and magnolia are just some of the plants that can be seen throughout.
Pentas, a tropical plant with small red flowers, is among the numerous plants that add color to the Garnier garden in Poway. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)
“We have something blooming all the time,” Ramona Garnier said.
One of their favorite places to relax is the “secret garden,” an area created at the lowest level of their property. It includes one of two putting greens since Winslow Garnier enjoys playing golf. There is also a dart board and other game equipment. But what Ramona Garnier said she likes best is the custom built Chinese-style bridge that crosses over a rock-filled dry creek bed that fills with water from Lake Poway when it rains.
According to Ramona Garnier, the shade-filled “secret garden” is easily 5 degrees cooler than the rest of their property.
Ramona Garnier said she wants those on the tour to “enjoy the garden, take your time and really embrace the time you are here. Please enjoy and relax.”
There will be complimentary refreshments served on their patio.
The other gardens on this year’s tour are:
• The Olson/Binder garden in Poway, which features a collection of award-winning Staghorn ferns, an orchid greenhouse, a variety of fruit trees and a gazebo from which visitors can enjoy the view.
• The Stavros garden in Poway has a garden of mature trees, azaleas, camellias, manzanitas and ferns. There is also an “elfin forest” of 9-foot-tall rhaphiolepis, natural stone outcrops, stone works, native oaks, towering Torrey Pines and liquid amber. There is also a climbing Cecil Brewer Rose and 800 varieties of plants from Australia, South Africa and other countries.
Master Gardeners will be at the Stavros garden to answer visitors’ horticultural questions.
• A Poway garden that adjoins the Stavros garden will also be open so visitors can see its rose garden, citrus trees, homemade eucalyptus railings and one-of-a-kind stonework. There is also a creative presentation of native plants around a large pool in a natural setting.
• The Newman garden in Rancho Bernardo features a curbside desert landscape of cacti, succulents, palo verde and citrus trees. The backyard has a “stunning panoramic view” with abundant iceberg roses and flowering plants.
• The Smith garden in Rancho Bernardo’s Seven Oaks neighborhood was recently redesigned with colorful flowering plants. It also has unique displays of garden art, seating and curving garden paths to showcase native plants and succulents that create a whimsical feel.
The tour will be held rain or shine, with no refunds given. Flat shoes are required. The gardens are not wheelchair or walker accessible, no children under age 12, no pets and there is no restroom use at the homes.
There will also be crafts, jewelry, garden and fine art vendors selling their items.
The Bernardo Gardeners Club was founded in 1974 with 13 members. It now has just over 100 members, who use the tour’s proceeds to complete various projects. These include providing garden therapy programs for seniors at local residential facilities; maintaining the Rancho Bernardo Library lobby garden, indoor plants and the children’s garden on a weekly basis; and donating to local elementary schools so they can establish or maintain educational gardens, according to the club.
After the tour, attendees can redeem their ticket for 15% off a plant of their choice at El Plantio Nursery in Escondido.
Tickets are $30 per person, available in advance at Walter Andersen Nursery, 12755 Danielson Court in Poway, and El Plantio Nursery, 1322 San Pasqual Valley Road.
They can also be purchased on tour day, with cash or check only, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Edelweiss Bakery’s patio, 11639 Duenda Road in Rancho Bernardo.
For questions, call 858-405-2051 or email bernardogardenersclub@gmail.com.
See more photos of the Garnier garden at PomeradoNews.com.
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