Imagine opening a secret gate and entering a garden of delights, filled with blooming, colorful flowers, chirping birds, lush trees, magnificent vistas of mountains and the Santa Monica Bay, trickling water fountains, wind chimes and rustling leaves.
Participants can expect all this and more during a rare opportunity to view some of Malibu’s most spectacular gardens open to the public on Saturday, May 14, for the Malibu Garden Club’s Garden Tour.
This is only the 15th time in the club’s 54-year history that local homeowners are opening their gates to let people into their private garden sanctuaries, and according to the club’s co-president and program chair, Birute Vileisis, the tour will be full of beauty and inspiration.
With the California drought causing concern for homeowners and gardeners, Vileisis said the gardens on the tour “are great examples of what you can do with water-conserving plants in a time when the drought is such a crisis.”
The gardens, selected to show a broad range of styles, will include a California native, ranch style with roses, Mediterranean and an orchard — a little something for everyone, according to the club. All of the gardens on display, recommended by community and club members, honor the environment by creating beauty within the parameters of local water restrictions.
Of the five gardens included, two feature succulents, which are known for low water usage. The Mediterranean garden, which features succulents, was found so visually delightful that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power featured it on a poster for an outstanding example of a water-conserving garden. When the owners began designing their landscape eight years ago, they had three goals in mind: low water usage, low maintenance and designing it themselves. They met their goals and reduced their water bill by 45 percent. This garden is one of three that were owner-created, without the use of a professional landscape architect.
“It gives people a glimpse into what is possible,” Vileisis explained.
That can include information about what to plant. Even rose gardens aren’t necessarily water guzzlers, according to Vileisis, who said that is a common misconception.
“Even drought-tolerant plants need water to get started, and that’s why it’s good to plant in the fall, when there’s a greater chance of some rain coming,” Vileisis said.
Speaking about the tour, Vileisis said, “If you live in Malibu, you’ve chosen to live close to nature and close to the environment. Gardeners in Malibu can see the possibilities in times of water conservation that you can still have a beautiful garden and a beautiful environment that creates a peace and serenity for the family who lives there. That’s what we’re here for.”
The Malibu Garden Club meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Point Dume Club where its members share gardening advice, cuttings and often listen to experts in the field who come to speak. The tour will raise funds to ensure the club endures and is able to fund renowned speakers to events.
For more information about the upcoming tour, visit the Malibu Garden Club website, call 310.457.3860 or email info@malibugardenclub.org.
