Napa County’s eighth Bay-Friendly Garden Tour takes place in Napa and Yountville on Sunday, June 2 from 10 am to 4 pm, as eleven local gardens provide inspiration for creating beautiful resource-efficient landscaping. Showcasing natural techniques that reduce waste and pollution, the tour incorporates a broad selection of garden sizes and styles. Tourgoers will encounter eye-catching water-wise plants, pollinator habitat, vibrant lawn-free entertaining spaces, recycled art, edible gardens, and high-tech irrigation control. With our highly variable climate, doing more with less water is a key theme. Encompassing eight Napa locations and three in and around Yountville, the tour features an incredible number and variety of colorful plants that thrive in our Mediterranean climate. Nearly half of the participating sites even earned local “Cash For Grass” rebates after removing unneeded high-water-use lawn.
Tourgoers will also benefit from four mini-workshops to be held throughout the day, with topics including composting, smart irrigation, and planting for pollinators and wildlife. The approximately half-hour sessions begin at 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm at designated host gardens. While most of the tour stops are private residences, the event also shows off two wineries, a school, a public park, and the Veterans Home “Brain Garden.” Bay-Friendly is not just for home gardeners!
Participants must purchase a Tour Guide Brochure which acts as the entrance ticket for all eleven gardens. Featuring garden descriptions and addresses, map, workshop locations, and other special instructions, the brochure costs $5 for each adult. The event is free for children. Through noon on Tuesday, May 28, brochures may be ordered online at bayfriendlygardentour2019.brownpapertickets.com. Alternatively, in-person sales are available in Napa at the Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD) office, 1303 Jefferson Street, Suite 500B, from May 15 to May 31. On tour day itself, brochures may be purchased in Napa at St. Clair Brown Winery & Brewery, 816 Vallejo Street, or in Yountville at Veterans Park Plaza, 6465 Washington Street.
This year’s tour is sponsored by the City of Napa, Town of Yountville, Napa County RCD, and UC Master Gardeners. It is inspired by Bay-Friendly Landscaping & Gardening, a program of ReScape California (rescapeca.org), a non-profit organization that advocates for a sustainable approach to landscaping that works in harmony with the natural environment.
For more information, call (707) 252-4189 ext. 3117.