The Hailey Garden Tour, presented by The Friends to benefit the Hailey Public Library, will take place Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Foxmoor and Woodside neighborhoods. Tickets are $20. In addition, the tour will have a raffle for a cruiser bike donated by Sun Summit South. Tickets are $5, available at garden centers, the library or on the tour. The Hailey Garden Tour is a bikeable adventure to 11 gardens. For details, e-mail haileylibraryfriends@gmail.com.
The tour, "From the Wonders of Woodside to the Fecundity of Foxmoor," will feature "The Sweet Life" at the Sweetwater community, 870 Maple Leaf Drive. Sweetwater is one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's Neighborhood Developments—one of only 40 in the country. It received a 2009 Smart Growth Award and was a 2011 Gold Nugget Merit winner. The landscaping includes more than 1,000 trees—many of which are flowering, native grasses, an apple orchard and perennials that bloom all summer long.
"The Fruits of Much Labor" is a tour of Maeme Rasberry's garden at 2320 Winterhaven Drive. Rasberry is better known as one half of Rasberry's Restaurant and catering business. She said that her garden relaxes her, but it looks like a full-time job. Down the street is "Goodbye Grass" at the home of Judy Foster on 2270 Winterhaven Drive. Only three years ago, Foster began eradicating clay soil and reinvigorating a neglected lawn.
"Stairway to Heaven" at Vee Riley's home, 2151 Laurelwood Drive, shows off Riley's space for Reiki and Chakra meditation workshops. "The Suburban Steppe" by Stephanie Giacobbi and Eric Coury at 1960 Winterhaven Drive features an impressive series of rock terraces and steps, which contains raised beds, perennials, herbs and a hammock. Giacobbi, owner of DiVine Wine Bar, uses her yard as a place to unwind and relax.
Also on the tour is Benito Martinez's garden, "Elegant Edging," at 1141 Creekside Drive. Martinez established Idaho Proscapes six years ago and incorporates ideas from his clients' yards into his own. The Herrera Family at 1051 Sunrise Drive will feature their garden, "Divide and Conquer," for the tour. The peaceful fountain, lush grass, topiary shrubs and beautiful flowers are enjoyed by the entire family, which includes seven children.
The city of Hailey's newest park, at 991 Fox Acres Road, "Recycled Green" for the garden tour, is the result of grants and the efforts of many volunteers at the city. It demonstrates native, drought-tolerant plants, a wall made of repurposed chunks of sidewalk, recycled asphalt-and-rubber paths and a solar clock. Julie Fox Jones and John Valenzuela will present their garden, "Down on the Farm," at 891 Foxmoor Drive. Julie Fox Jones, the granddaughter of E.W. Fox, has lived on this section of her family's farmstead for 20 years. Stroll around to see the rows of vegetables, a fruit orchard, a flowering meadow, chickens, herbs, a straw gathering space and a friendly goat.
Finally, enjoy visiting the garden of Mike and Kris Olenick at 991 Foxmoor Drive, "Rock Stars." Breathe in deeply as you pass by the field of lavender, and wiggle toes in some of the best low-water turf around.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
Kathy and Tony Nice’s garden, “Bountiful Blossoms,” will be a featured garden on the Hailey Garden Tour, presented by The Friends to benefit the Hailey Public Library. Courtesy photo
