Karen Chapman will speak on “Foliage First, the California Edition” at the Laguna Beach Garden Club on Friday, May 12.
In addition, the club’s annual Gate & Garden Tour sets out from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Friday, May 5, a public viewing of several of the loveliest gardens that Laguna Beach residents have to offer. The self-guided walking tour is the club’s major fundraiser, its proceeds benefiting scholarships, school gardens and community projects like the Sister Cities’ garden in Heisler Park, maintenance of a pocket park on Forest Avenue and upkeep of the Hortense Miller Garden in Boat Canyon.
In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, tacos and margaritas will be offered at Arabella Laguna Historic Cottages, 506 N. Coast Highway, where the tour begins and visitors can board shuttles to the first garden. Agave plants and raffle tickets will be available for purchase and free homemade cookies will be served. Other gardens on the tour include a formal garden in Bluebird Canyon and several cottage and butterfly gardens on Brooks and Oak Street.
Tickets are $45 in advance. Visit LagunaBeachGardenClub.org for more information.
Next week, Chapman will offer three easy steps to turn gardens from frumpy to fabulous. A native of England, Chapman now resides in the Pacific Northwest. She is an award-winning author and founder of Le Jardinet, in Duvall, Wash., which focuses on landscape design. She specializes in creating artistic plant combinations with a four season foliage framework, functional outdoor living spaces and deer resistant, summer-dry designs.
The club meets on the second Friday of every month, September through May at the Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave. A 9:30 a.m. social precedes the 10 a.m. general meeting. The public is welcome and there is no charge for guests on their first visit. Before or after the meeting, guests and members can browse the outdoor “garden boutique” where donated garden-related items and plants can be purchased at “dirt-cheap” prices. Pick up garden gloves for $7 a pair, for example. There is free parking in the Laguna Canyon Road lot next to City Hall (spaces 300-422) or $3 for all day in spaces 185-228.
