Catch A Glimpse of Garden Greatness At Wash Park And Park Hill Tours In June

by Dawn E. Spelke

Whimsical, peaceful, vibrant – gardens are a reflection of their owner’s personality. The renowned Washington Park Garden Tour, scheduled for Sat., June 14, 9a.m.-2p.m., will once again provide the opportunity for gardeners and garden lovers to experience 10 colorful and wonderfully diverse gardens with personalities all their own.

Put together by community volunteers, the Washington Park Garden Tour will benefit the Diana Price-Fish Cancer Foundation. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 on tour day, and are available by calling 303-639-9110, visiting www.dpfcf.org or, at 903 S. Corona St. on June 14.

The 10 gardens featured on this year’s garden gala were chosen because of their unique personality and sense of design, and exemplify the use of gardens as living space, and include examples of landscape, xeriscape, floral masterpieces, and hardscapes for areas that vary from shade to sunny. The tour will also include several gardens with prominent water features. As an added bonus, a drawing will be held for many unique prizes just perfect for garden lovers!

The 2008 Washington Park Garden Tour is sponsored by The Ron Buss Team with Coldwell Banker, and Coldwell Banker, as well as Cody Dental and Washington Park Electric.

The beneficiary of the tour, the Diana Price-Fish Cancer Foundation, is a non-profit organization devoted to helping adult cancer patients enjoy life by providing access to social, cultural, and recreational activities.

The following week, Sat., June 21, another 10 fabulous gardens will be on display as the 8th annual Park Hill Garden Tour welcomes you to view some of that community’s most view-worthy green-spaces.

Many of the gardeners participating in the tour have added decks of varying shapes and sizes for entertaining friends or enjoying their outdoor living space. Some gardens are completely concealed, their delights requiring a bit of searching to uncover. Venerable aging trees lend shade to woodland areas in close proximity to xeric, sunny exposures – all in the same garden.

Bouquet cutting gardens for all seasons have been planted with complementary color schemes. Personally designed elements in outdoor living spaces might fill your notebook with great ideas. Find out how homeowners use the harvest of their grapevines and whether maintaining a koi pond is something you might enjoy. The tour gardeners will be on hand to share the inspirations that helped them create their gardens, along with their visions for the future.

If you enjoy small grass areas interspersed with raised beds; the inviting sounds of water falling from fountains; carefully placed pathways; gardens of annual and perennial favorites; more unusual plants, shrubs and trees; watching visual artists in the gardens; all these can be experienced on the tour. Specific garden addresses are on ticket maps now on sale at a variety of Park Hill locations. Prices are $8 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and over.

Sponsors for the 2008 Park Hill Garden Tour include: Swingle Tree; Wildflowers; Garden Guy; Russ Wehner Realty; AARP Chapter #995; Davey Tree; Anastasia Williamson of Kentwood’s City Properties; Nick’s Garden Center & Farm Market; Cirbo Lawn Service and PFLAG (Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

For information, visit www.gphc.org or call 303-388-0918.

If you have picked up this paper hot off the press, put it down, and get yourself to the fifth annual Junior League of Denver’s Kitchens That Cook! tour on Sun., June 8, 10a.m.-4p.m. Get a glimpse of the latest in cutting-edge design and technology, while sampling food from Denver’s top chefs, in this self-guided tour of seven of Denver’s most sophisticated kitchens.

This year’s kitchens are located in some of the city’s high-end neighborhoods, including Cherry Hills Village, Hilltop, and Greenwood Village. They represent a wide range of styles, from sleek urban sophistication and traditional to upscale rustic and Old World French Country living.

In celebration of the JLD’s 90th anniversary, this year’s tour is featuring several special events, a Pre-Tour Brunch ($45) at Denver Country Club on Sun., June 8, is sponsored by the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Tour tickets are available in advance for $20, or on day of tour for $5 more. Funds raised will benefit the programs of JLD that improve the lives of women and children. Visit www.jld.org for details.