The Turlock Garden Club’s 5th annual garden tour aims to inspire with homes featuring both drought-tolerant landscapes and more traditional manicured lawns, ponds and flower beds.
This year’s tour, themed “Beyond the Garden Gate,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 29 and include seven homes in the Turlock area.
The tour will begin with an artist’s 1947 mid-century modern home that features a desert landscape — multiple large cacti, mesquite, and Palo Verde trees — with sculptures and fountains made by the homeowner. The design and creation of the front yard was over a three-year long endeavor.
A traditional brick home with manicured lawns, evergreen shrubbery, color spots and a river rock-lined pond is found at house two. Small pergolas grace several areas of the back yard, providing seating and views of the landscape. Bursts of colors dot the flower beds, and a newly planted Liquidamber S Festival and Japanese maples provide colorful fall foliage.
House three is a 1911 farmhouse surrounded in oak trees predating the building of the home. Multiple seating areas and children’s play area are surrounded by lush green plantings. Redwoods, crape myrtle, mock orange, and fruit trees meander around the yard.
House four is a 1967 cottage-style home and garden. The yard features long remembered flowers and plantings creating a sense of nostalgia. Framing the yard are red bud, dogwood, and tulip trees. Camellias and hydrangeas add color, and shamrocks and bleeding heart fill in the flower beds. Bird houses, glass ornaments, and gnomes add a whimsical touch. A vegetable garden edges one side of the fence.
The ranch style home featuring a yard designed for entertainment, built around 1965 is house five. The yard features multiple seating areas, an outdoor BBQ kitchen area and swimming pool. Multiple citrus trees and a large avocado tree line the yard. This custom home was built in 1993. Both the front and back yards feature abundant lush greenery. Bulbs and annuals add pops of color amongst the evergreen plantings in the front.
Fountains, statuary, Japanese Maples and Weeping White Pine highlight the backyard of house six. An elevated deck centering the area is a favorite of the homeowners, and floating umbrellas provide a restful retreat. Eighteen live turtles call this backyard home so watch your step!
Closing the tour at house seven is a Mediterranean-style home built in 2001. The re-styled yard is a place for family gatherings with several seating areas, an outdoor kitchen with arbor and fountains. A family orchard is also featured in the backyard. The redesigned front yard added boulders and mature plantings. The side yard features a family orchard with olive and fruit trees, including a Pomelo — a cross between a grapefruit and orange, native to Southeast Asia.
Tickets for the tour are $20 for adults and $10 for children and are available at The Greenery in Turlock, West Turf Nursery in Modesto, Morris Nursery in Riverbank and from Turlock Garden Club members. Refreshments and “raffatunity” items will also be available. Proceeds from the tour provide scholarships for high school seniors and college students in Turlock and neighboring communities. The proceeds also help fund various charitable organizations and beautification projects.
