Tour five local gardens and an urban oak grove this Saturday at the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society’s Annual Garden Tour and Silent Auction on Saturday, May 4 from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
“This year’s tour, “All Good Gardens, Great and Small” features five delicious gardens of varying sizes, three in Windsor Square, one in Fremont Place, plus a bonus front garden featuring a grove of 10 California Live Oaks, and one just outside Hancock Park on Fuller Avenue,” WSHPHS President Richard Battaglia told the Buzz. “The one on Fuller Ave. is a charming garden attached to a lovely home designed by the one and only Paul Williams.”
The Horn Garden in MidCity features two mature trees likely placed by architect Paul Williams, according to homeowner Toby Horn.
The large ginkgo in the front makes a stunning display of gold during the fall. The large Sycamore tree in the backyard is surrounded by a woodland garden installed by the current owner.
“Mr. Williams really liked to add scale to a house,” explained Horn.
The Owens Garden in Windsor Square features a re-imagined front garden for this 1912 Renaissance Revival home with three oak trees planted to provide more privacy for the home instead of the typical hedge. The homeowner, a designer, used native plants she grew from seeds to create a relaxed take on a formal garden under a mature carob tree.
The Losey Garden in Windsor Square is on two levels. Homeowner Kathy Losey, also a designer and artist has added to her garden over the years. She created a shady sunken garden on the lower level of the property from previously unused space.
In addition, to opening her garden on Saturday, Losey is also holding an Open Art Studio Sale during the tour and again on Sunday, May 5 from 12 to 5 pm. Losey told the Buzz she is selling everything at “very reasonable prices!” On Sunday, guests are asked to pay a $5.00 entry fee that will be returned when leaving the premises.
The Landay Garden is a joint effort of the homeowners Peter and Suz Landay who have lived in the Windsor Square house for more than thirty years. Peter is the builder/maker and Suz is the visionary horticulturalist.
The Penfold Garden begins at the front of the house with Mediterranean plants that also do well in California, Olive trees surrounded by lavender and rosemary hedges. The Penfolds will be inviting visitors into their Fremont Place home to see how their garden has become an integral part of their home’s entertaining spaces.
In true California style, the Penfolds have created a garden room that is an extension of their living room and their kitchen.
While in Fremont Place, guests are invited to visit the urban oak grove of ten Quercus agrifolia – coast live oaks, also known as the California live oaks planted in 1995. Oaks are a keystone species providing a habitat for hundreds of insects, birds, and small animals. They also provide shade, oxygen, and countless hours of enjoyment to humans, including this writer!
“All these gardens are wonderful examples of the architectural variety of our neighborhood,” added Battaglia.
Tickets may be purchased online or at 355 S. Windsor Boulevard. Guest can also tour this garden where they will get wristbands and programs with the addresses on the tour. Walk-ins can pay by credit card, cash, or check for admittance to the tour as well as membership to the Historical Society. This location also has refreshments, a Prosecco happy hour, and a silent auction.
Members $55.
Non-Members $75.
Click here for more information.
