It’s not exactly hush-hush — despite the name — that several gardens in Lake Forest Park will be on display during the Secret Gardens of Lake Forest Park Tour.
The garden tour, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, includes six private gardens. Each garden will feature artwork and music, as visitors stroll the grounds.
Lake Forest Park resident Teri Cote will be displaying her garden for the first time during the tour. Cote and her husband, Dale, bought their home, located in the 17000 block of 44th Avenue NE, 13 years ago. The house is an old log cabin, built in the 1930s.
It has taken Cote 13 years to prepare for the garden tour, she said. At the time the Cotes bought the property, it was overgrown. She has worked on her garden on weekends, evenings, and any free time she can spare.
“We’ve had to do a lot of bulldozing and rejuvenating of the yard to bring it back to life,” Cote said. “We brought a lot of plants in, have a natural pond fed from Lyons Creek and have two bridges.”
To access the house and garden, visitors must cross two bridges. The shaded garden boasts ferns, unique pond plants, irises, and a large weeping willow hanging over the pond.
“I brought in chartreuse colors, purples and just different plants that play off each other,” Cote said.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to check out the Garden Faire taking place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre, located at 17171 Bothell Way NE. The free event, a collaboration among the City of Lake Forest Park, the LFP Stewardship Foundation, Friends of Third Place Commons, the Shoreline-LFP Arts Council and the LFP Garden Club, features Master Gardeners answering questions, free compost (while it lasts), informational booths and plant and garden merchandise vendors.
Northwest garden expert Ciscoe Morris will broadcast his KIRO gardening program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the Fair. At 4 p.m., join Marty Wingate, author of “The Big Book of Northwest Perennials,” for a Garden Tea Party at the Third Place Commons stage with free tea and cookies to the first 100 guests.
Advance tickets for the Secret Gardens of Lake Forest Park Tour are $10 and are available at Wild Birds Unlimited, Molbak’s and Sky Nursery. Maps and at-the-door tickets are $12, available at 9 a.m. at the Garden Faire. For more information visit www.secretgardensoflakeforestpark.com or www.thirdplacecommons.org.
Farmer’s Market
The country will be brought to the city this summer as the inaugural season of the Lake Forest Park Commons Farmers Market gets underway Sunday, June 12 with a grand opening gala.
The market, hosted in the lower level parking lot of Lake Forest Park Towne Centre, 17171 Bothell Way NE, begins with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:55 a.m. The market officially opens to the public at 11 a.m. with more than 20 food and flower stalls. Food will be served throughout the day courtesy the Rotary Chuckwagon and Burney Brothers BBQ. The festivities will also feature live music from the Shoreline/LFP Arts Council ShowMobile.
Also part of the opening day celebration will be the Children’s Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities will include pony rides, inflatable slide, softball pitch, balloon clown, face painting, a fishing game and other arts and entertainment opportunities.
The Farmer’s Market is sponsored by the nonprofit group Friends of Third Place Commons, who have been working with the city of Lake Forest Park over the last several months to develop the market concept. Grants from King County and the Lake Forest Park City Council realized the group’s proposal.
“We are so excited about bringing a Farmers Market to Lake Forest Park,” said Karen True, director for Friends of Third Place Commons. “It’s a fantastic example of how [Friends] acts as a catalyst to make things happen in this extraordinary community.”
The market is scheduled for operation from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 2. Throughout the summer special themed events are planned, including the June 19 Strawberry Festival, a Wine Festival July 17 and Salsa Day Aug. 21. Food tastings and recipe demonstrations are also slated.
For more information visit www.thirdplacecommons.org or sign up for weekly “FreshMail” bulletins by emailing farmersmarket@thirdplacecommons.org.
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