Submitted by Madera County Master Gardeners
MADERA COUNTY – Madera County Master Gardeners announce their 8th annual Glorious Garden Tour, Saturday April 19, 2014, featuring four beautiful Madera, Madera Ranchos and Rolling Hills home gardens for the public to visit and enjoy.
In addition, during the tour the public will be able to shop for plants and garden accessories at the Garden Shoppe located at the Three Sisters Demonstration Garden.
The annual Spring Garden Tour is the Master Gardeners’ major fundraising event and supports the ongoing development and maintenance of the Three Sisters Demonstration Garden, located at the Madera Community College Center on Avenue 12.
Homeowners, Carol and Jim Espinola, are excited to open their garden for the tour. It has several beautiful and practical design features. These include an extensive home orchard and kitchen garden area, a rose garden in raised planter boxes incorporated into the home’s terraced retaining walls, numerous mature trees, and a selection of “water wise” plants appropriate for our Valley’s hot and dry climate.
Jim, a retired dairyman, enjoys his new vocation of gardener. “After years of admiring other people’s gardens,” Jim says, “I finally wanted to put together a nice yard Carol and I could enjoy and be happy in.”
Carol adds, “I am so happy Jim found in gardening something that brings him so much pleasure.”
The Madera County Master Gardener Program is made up of a group of gardening enthusiasts who volunteer their time to advise and educate homeowners on gardening and horticultural issues. They are affiliated with the University of California at Davis through the Madera County Cooperative Extension.
Master Gardeners receive extensive training from UC-certified instructors and provide gardening advice to the public through workshops, garden clinics, and telephone and e-mail help lines, as well as at the Three Sisters Demonstration Garden. Master Gardener programs can be found throughout the United States and in many countries around the world.
Master Gardeners remind visitors to bring a camera, notebook, sun protection, comfortable shoes and plenty of questions. However, they ask that you leave your strollers and pets at home and to please refrain from smoking in the gardens. All visitors must have a ticket and tickets may be purchased in advance for $15 or for $20 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased at the UCCE Madera County office, 328 S. Madera Avenue, Madera and other area locations.
Call (559) 675-7879, extension 7210, for further information.
