Participants at the 2012 Garden Tour. Courtesy/LAMG

Xeric landscaping. Courtesy/LAMG

LAMG News:

Garden Art? Water features? Xeric landscapes? Small gardens? Falling-down-a-cliff garden? The 11th Biennial Los Alamos Garden Tour will have it all! 

Sponsored by the New Mexico State Extension Office and Los Alamos Master Gardeners (LAMG), the Garden Tour will feature four private gardens in Los Alamos and four gardens in White Rock. These eight gardens were selected for the variety of their approaches to water conservation and landscaping. Some employ drip irrigation, others collect rainwater. Vivid blooming annuals and perennials punctuate the gardens. Most properties also include vegetable and herb gardens.

Hardscaping – the backbone of the garden – is approached in a variety of ways at these gardens. The steep slopes of several Los Alamos gardens, in particular, showcase different materials used for terraces, raised beds, pathways and stairs. 

Many of these gardens were started when the owners determined to abandon the lawn that had previously graced their yard – never a quick or easy transition. But now, years later, most incorporate some elements of xeriscape as well as water features, whimsical art, benches or café seating, and native plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. 

The Tour is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 13 and is free and open to the public. Docents will be available at each garden to answer questions, provide assistance. Tour brochures with directions to the gardens are available at Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos, the White Rock Branch Library, the Cooperative Extension Office at 2150 Juniper, and online at http://lamgonline.org/docs/2015_MG_TOUR.pdf.