For several years Valley Beautiful sponsored an annual competition to find the prettiest gardens that utilized drought-resistant plants and landscaping. On Saturday, five gardens will be offered on an equal playing field and everybody is a winner, especially those who view them.
"We found many interesting gardens whose owners were not comfortable with being judged in a contest but were happy to be part of a tour, so we decided to simplify things and let everyone relax and enjoy the gardens without the bother of the competition," said Diane Mitchell, a member of Valley Beautiful for several years.
Another change is having the tour headquarters at Pilgrim Congregational Church from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church has a recently completed garden and will have tour guides to help visitors learn about the Mediterranean vegetation. To defray costs, parishioners "adopted" plants and rocks and were asked to baptize them with a cup of water during Sunday's dedication ceremony. A contest to name the biblical garden connected the members inside the church with the work done outside.
Thomas Herder, 10, entered the winning name of "Pilgrim Peace Garden" and also baptized his family's variegated myrtle. Joan and Russ Jacobs adopted a tree to honor their 60th wedding anniversary.
"I like it because it attracts lots of bees and butterflies," said Russ Jacobs, of San Jacinto.
The garden project brought together several parishioners and master gardener Katherine Botts, who donated hundreds of hours to research the plants of the Holy Land and find about 50 that would be suited to Hemet's climate and soil. She also designed the layout.
"As our plants mature, bloom and go through their seasonal changes, the good Lord will use our garden in many ways to inspire, teach, comfort and please the senses of more people for more years than we ever imagined," said Jerry Uecker, who created the project.
Valley Beautiful is dedicated to the beautification of the San Jacinto Valley and uses its annual tours to spur others to be water wise at their homes and businesses.
"This is our planting time and we want to draw attention to that," said Botts, who joined the group after serving as a docent.
Maps to the four residential gardens will be distributed at the church at 41861 Acacia Ave. in Hemet. Each garden site will have docents and information on water-wise gardening. Botts said tour participants will also receive a bonus list of several gardens that are visible from the street. They can drive by to see those, either on Saturday or another time.
"People can get some really good ideas from them," said Botts, of Hemet.
Tickets cost $12 in advance or $15 on tour day. Any profits will be used to purchase trees to donate to various sites in the valley as a way for the group to express its mission.
Also Saturday;
Southern California Fair in Perris, visit www.socalfair.com
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, visit www.autoclubspeedway.com
Rod Run in Temecula, visit www.rodruntemecula.com
Art-Wine walk in Idyllwild, vist www.artinidyllwild.com
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