The annual Edmonds in Bloom garden tour takes place Sunday and a new feature this year is a tour of Edmonds Wildlife Native Plant Demonstration Garden.
The demonstration garden, which opened in May 2010, was cleared and planted with the help of hundreds of volunteers and grants from a number of places, including the Pilchuck Audubon Society, People for Puget Sound, the Hubbard Foundation and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
On tour day, experts and volunteers will be on hand with information on native plants, birds, butterflies, frogs and other amphibians, and even bats.
Visitors can pick up tips on garden design, bees, hummingbirds, invasive plant removal and frog conservation.
Throughout the year, the demonstration garden offers free educational workshops to help people establish wildlife-friendly landscapes with native plants in their own back yards. The park may be toured any time with signs identifying the various plantings.
The Edmonds in Bloom tour of six gardens in Edmonds and Woodway plus the demonstration garden is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Six artists will be doing plein air painting in the private gardens: Susan Waite, Autumn Kegley, Sarah Lee Cox, Steve Whitney, Janci Mannington and Kim Caldwell.
Tickets are $15 and are available in Edmonds at Bountiful Home, 122 Fourth Ave. S.; Garden Gear, 102 Fifth Ave. N.; and Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St.
They may also be purchased at Sky Nursery, 18528 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline; Wight’s Home &Garden, 5026 196th St. SW, Lynnwood; and Plant Shack, 2829 164th St. SW, Lynnwood.
You can also buy tickets the day of the tour at garden No. 1. Check the Edmonds in Bloom website, edmondsinbloom.com, on tour day for that address. Call 425-409-9195 for more information.
The Edmonds Wildlife Native Plant Demonstration Garden is at Willow Creek Hatchery, 95 Pine St., Edmonds, south of the ferry dock.
For more information about the demonstration garden go to the Pilchuck Audubon Society website and select programs, www.pilchuckaudubon.org.
You can call Susie Schaefer at 425-771-8165 or email her at susie.schaefer@comcast.net for more information about the demonstration garden.
Herald staff
