On Saturday, June 24 from 9 am – 2 pm, 11 unique gardens will be open to the public for a Garden Tour.  This event is organized by Laurie VanZandt with the The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design, and all proceeds benefit the Ogden Nature Center.  
 
The theme of this tour is “low grass gardens.”  All 11 gardens vary greatly in scale and approach.  Tour goers will see creative outdoor architecture, romantic flower gardens, modern and traditional approaches, and some fun and quirky gardens. This is a great way to gather ideas for your own garden.

 
There will be some art, treats and music in the gardens – some free and some available for purchase. Special thanks to the following for providing additional fun for each garden:
• Zucca Trattoria
• Homemade baked goods by Cindy Browne
• Rocky Mountain Chocolates
• Menchie's Yogurt
• Lucky Slice Pizza
• Music in the Mountains
• All A Flutter
 
Tickets and Details:
• Tickets may be purchased online at www.ogdennaturecenter.org, at the Ogden Nature Center, or at the gardens the day of the tour. Tickets are $20 if purchased before June 24, and $25 if purchased the day of the tour.
• A central hub for tickets and maps will also be located at the corner of Fillmore Ave. and Binford Ave.
• The garden tour will be held rain or shine – no refunds.  
• Tour maps and tickets will be available at all of the gardens, so tour goers may begin at any garden. 
 
More information, garden descriptions and photos can also be found at www.ogdennaturecenter.org<http://www.ogdennaturecenter.org> .  
 
THE GARDENS

1. Janifer and Russ Larson 1724 Binford A huge windstorm solidified lingering fears that the Larson's had on the potential loss of a massive 40 feet tall spruce tree that had dominated their home and landscape for years.  After making the difficult decision to have the tree and what little lawn there was removed, they set about redefining what it was that they wanted in their front garden - they opted for colorful and drought tolerant plants with some sense of privacy.  An interesting rock retaining wall was created near the street to help level the property, which then allowed for the creation of a new sitting area. Drifts of Daylily, Salvia, Black Eyed Susan, Little Bunny Pennisetum and Coneflower wind between Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry trees and smaller scale Baby Blue spruce. The overall effect is to make the front garden feel much more welcoming and alive, reduce watering, and make a space that people want to be in. Landscape Design: The Ardent Gardener. Installation: Western Landscaping 

2. Kristi and Shane Eversole 1501 27th: This was a modern house when it was built in 1937, and is still modern today! With architecture that was ahead of it's time, this home needed gardens that are as well. In the 10 years that the Eversole's have owned this unique home, they have completed numerous upgrades to both the inside and outside. A sloping front lawn has been replaced with a riot of homeowner designed, year round color - with masses of iris, daylily, red hot poker, several artichoke plants, as well as other drought tolerant perennials, ornamental grasses and small shrubs. A 'can't miss it' pink front door completes this eclectic look. Inspired by the coming Garden Tour, the Eversole's and brother-in-law, Goose, stepped up their finish date for the completion of their back garden remodel. New contemporary touches -including a corrugated metal fence, square concrete paver patio, and more mass plantings are turning this small garden into a very fun, very functional and unique space that breathes new modern life into an old modern classic. Zucca Trattoria will be dishing out samples of their delicious food here. Music provided by Kyle Hicks.

3. Becky Gesteland 3025 Tyler: When an aging sprinkler system and a lumpy front lawn became big enough problems, Becky Gesteland decided to fix those issues by being open to making some big changes. What was once a front yard that looked like most others on the street - somewhat green grass and a Dwarf Alberta Spruce or two - has become a fantasy garden. Beautiful, colorful xeriscape perennials and grasses, including Mexican Hat, Cupids Dart, Baby's Breath, Penstemon and Hyssop fill the space. Crushed gravel spiral walkways, metal sculpture, birdbaths, and a purple 'lawn' consisting of Thymus Minus and Elfin Thyme have become home to all kinds of creatures that love to explore, admire and inhabit the new garden. Landscape Design by The Ardent Gardener. Installation by Western Landscaping. 

4. Our Lady of Guadalupe Garden 2913 Grant: One determined "Nun on a Mission" is the force behind the creation of Our Lady of Guadalupe Garden at Give Me A Chance, Inc.  On a bare one acre, Sister Maria saw an opportunity to provide sanctuary to those seeking it, to give the local community a sense of pride and to create gathering places for friends and families. After pulling together a dedicated Garden Committee, Sister set out raising funds and getting donations to realize the full reality of an ambitious dream. A children's play area, gazebo, significant water feature, fruit trees, rose garden, intertwining paths through blooming perennial, vegetable garden, shady pergola, and meditation garden with exquisite stone work by Brion Taylor combine into a joyous celebration of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the people who made this garden happen. Full of religious symbolism - look for roses and groups of twelve - and a sense of purpose, the new gardens are a gift to the women and children who utilize the services of Give Me A Chance, as well as to the local community.  The garden is open to the public Monday – Thursday, 10 am – 2 pm; closed during summer school hours. Design donated by The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design. All Aflutter gifts sold here.

5. Amelia Jones 2580 Eccles: The overall garden design at this beautiful home was refined and developed by Shalae Larsen, LA from the homeowner's sketches and ideas.  The design will be implemented in two phases, and visitors on the Garden Tour will be enjoying the south half.  The north half has not yet been fully executed and is still being developed. This area currently includes a pool and pool deck which are visible through the fence, but will not open to guests at this point.  

This home is located on a corner, and the lawn in the terraced front gardens has been completely removed, and has been replaced with mass plantings of drought tolerant perennials and grasses on two sides of the home - giving the overall feeling of a mountain prairie. There is wonderful year round texture and color, and a feeling of movement, enhanced by buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies. The work was completed approximately a year ago, though has a sense of being very established. The landscaping work was done by Pristine Landscaping of Roy, UT.

6. The Villas 2564 Van Buren:  A fantastical and colorful courtyard, framed by three duplexes in the shape of a U, perfectly sets off the architecture of this Spanish Colonial Revival apartment complex built in 1927. This is your chance to see this exuberant garden up close. The lovely, focal point fountain is surrounded by drifts of color all summer long, including masses of rare and antique roses and Magnolia trees. This complex is part of the Eccles Avenue Historical District. 

7. The Farm House 2550 Van Buren: This Historical district home was built in 1887, and is an example of a Medieval English style of Architecture know as Cross Wing.  The cloistered back garden includes a chicken coop, historical barn, and masses of old fashioned plants, including lilies, iris and peonies. Cindy Browne will be selling homemade baked goods, and music will be provided by Anne Thoombs.

8. Travis and Shalae Larson 614 24th Street: 
The Larsen Home was originally built by John W. McNutt (local drugstore owner and rumored liquor dealer) in 1890.  The overall the design for the yard is meant to be historically contextual to the Victorian style of the home, with a rose lined Classic Victorian porch, historic recycled pavers, a travel strip driveway, and old fashioned plants - including Salvia daylily and iris. Black Lace Elderberry and a Forest Pansy Redbud frame the view from the front porch. The simplified metal fence is a more cost-effective nod to the elaborate ornamental iron fencing popular during the Victorian period.  A moderately sized area of lawn consist of a dwarf-tall fescue blend, seeded with clover.  

Shade is provided in the back garden by a Heritage Elm and a Catalpa, another popular Victorian era tree. The back garden also includes a brick patio and a formal rectangular pond stocked with water lilies and goldfish. The space is lined with tall-hedge buckthorn and includes two fruit trees and a grape vine.  Garden Design by Shalae Larson, LA.  Find Rocky Mountain Chocolates in this garden, and music by Raven Spirit. 
 
9. Elaine Cobos and Ben Velasquez 1506 Grant Eclectic and interesting people deserve eclectic and interesting gardens. So, armed with a slew of outdoor 'objets d' art', Elaine and Ben set out to create spaces to showcase and integrate them into their brand new gardens. Geometric forms make up the foundation of the garden - with a series of intersecting circles and octagon steel planters combining with square decks, walls and patios. Unexpected surprises happen when you place a cherished, hand painted family tile on a mustard yellow wall, decide to leave an old metal clothesline because it's just too cool to get rid of, and when an urban meadow becomes the perfect place to stage a modern metal and wood scuplture made from the branches a dead apricot tree. Multiple seating areas - including an old ski lift chair, #099, from Deer Valley via Nordic Valley, a grid of succulents, the beautiful steel fence, colorful plastic inserts on the front porch railing, canvas sailcloths and more make this a very, very special place. Landscape design by The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design, installation by Western Landscaping. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt will be setting up shop here, and will be donating 50% of the proceeds of their sales to The Ogden Nature Center.  Music provided by Nick Whitesides. 

10. 17th above Washington: In an effort to beautify their neighborhood of eclectic historic homes, Clay and Pamela Coleman opened a discussion with their neighbors about the possibility of landscaping all of the extra wide parking strips on their street, unifying the homes with an unbroken sweep of xeric flowers and shrubs. The neighbors enthusiastically embraced the project, particularly the certainty of reducing their own water usage in an area without secondary irrigation. The ambitious project broke ground in the summer of 2016, and is already a rousing success. The plantings are similar from home to home, but not the same, so that a swath of changing color parades down the street. Plantings include Little Devil Ninebark, Gold Sword Yucca, ornamental grasses, coneflower, iris, lavender, Hyssop, rock rose, and evening primrose. Landscape design by The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design

11. Nick Kotack 462 17th Street - This classic 1890's home and garden was abandoned for nearly six years, when the Kotack's purchased it in 1974. The garden was overgrown, neglected, and pretty barren. With little money, but a lot of determination, the Kotack's set out to prove they could still have beautiful gardens. They removed the concrete walk and reshaped the dirt into mounds, creating a sunken front lawn that holds the water - Xeriscaping ahead of their time! Friends and family donated starts and transplants, which in forty years have filled in and spread to create a garden that has a bit of a mind of its own - it's a bit wild, a bit manicured, as colorful as the Painted Lady Victorian. By removing the fence between their neighbor, the gardens have merged as one, extending the feel of each. 100's of Allium have spread in from another neighbor. The home and carriage house have been fully restored, and maintain all of their original charm. 
 
Many thanks to The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design, The Standard Examiner, and Grizzly Graphics for sponsoring this event.