Spring in Folsom will once again bloom with inspiration as the Folsom Garden Club prepares to host its 24th Annual “Gardens of Folsom” Garden Tour, a beloved community tradition that invites residents and visitors to explore some of the city’s most creative private landscapes while supporting scholarships and local community programs.
The two-day self-guided tour will take place this Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $25 for guests age 16 and older and will go on sale April 1. This year’s tour will showcase six distinctive private gardens along with a bonus garden stop at the historic Murer House.
Organized by the Folsom Garden Club — one of the city’s oldest civic organizations dating back to 1934 — the annual tour has become one of the group’s most important fundraising efforts, helping support scholarships, grants, community beautification efforts and educational programs throughout the region.
Visitors can expect far more than a simple garden walk. The event also features artists displaying work in several gardens, Master Gardeners offering horticultural advice, food trucks, and the club’s popular plant and bake sales. A raffle will also be held during the event, along with the return of the whimsical “Poppy’s birdhouse,” a favorite among longtime attendees.
Each garden featured on the tour reflects a different personality and design philosophy, offering inspiration for everything from hillside orchards and French-inspired courtyards to whimsical themed landscapes and artistic small-space gardens.
Garden #1
One of the featured gardens brings visitors into a setting reminiscent of a French country manor. What began as a planned Mediterranean-style home evolved into a charming French-inspired retreat when homeowner Gail applied her creative vision to the property. Roses, lavender, hydrangeas, sage and azaleas line the front walkway in a vibrant blend of color and fragrance, while neatly clipped boxwood hedges guide visitors toward a courtyard tucked behind a bronze gate. Soft blue shutters and wrought iron details reinforce the Old-World aesthetic.
The transformation continued in the backyard, where a steeply sloping yard was reshaped with imported soil to create terraced entertaining spaces. Italian cypress trees cleverly conceal black poles that hold strings of lights for evening gatherings. Daylilies, lavender and potted lemon trees complement the manicured boxwood beds, while mature crape myrtles provide shade over another terraced area anchored by a moss-covered fountain surrounded by lamium, liriope and gardenias.
Garden #2
For Rex and Sherri, gardening is an evolving process that has unfolded over nearly four decades. After 37 years on the property, the couple recently completed a full redesign of the front yard in March 2025, keeping the natural woodland feel by preserving mature coastal redwoods and a crape myrtle while introducing Japanese maples, azaleas, ligularia and lamium beneath the shady canopy.
The backyard tells a different story entirely. What was once an expanse of lawn has been transformed into a series of winding pathways and garden “rooms.” Visitors can stroll past photinia, weeping cedar, olive and smoke trees, alongside manzanita and rock rose hedges. A dry stream bed now hosts sun-loving plants such as guara, sage, lantana and society garlic after the removal of several struggling redwoods allowed more sunlight to reach the garden.
A gazebo sits near “lavender hill,” offering a quiet space for contemplation, while nostalgic signs from family members decorate the back fence. From the long deck that spans the home’s rear, visitors can enjoy views of a bright blue swimming pool and a nearby waterfall.
Garden #3
Sue and Chuck chose their property for one defining feature — the sweeping hillside view. Sue designed the custom home to take advantage of the terrain, positioning the house along the slope to maximize both scenery and garden potential.
The front yard greets visitors with sun-loving plantings including lantana, redbud, roses, lamb’s ear and butterfly bush, providing nearly year-round color. Wrought-iron fencing and a rock retaining wall line the side yard, offering privacy while creating additional space for perennials.
Behind the home, the once-bare hillside has been transformed into a terraced orchard filled with more than fifteen varieties of fruit trees. Lantana planted between the rows helps attract pollinators, while raised vegetable boxes sit near a stylish outdoor kitchen. Columnar apple trees line the house wall, making efficient use of space.
From the patio deck, the view stretches across a pool and waterfall toward golden hills dotted with valley oaks and neighboring homes. The garden’s orientation offers a perfect morning coffee setting as the sun rises over the hillside before leaving the patio shaded in the afternoon.
Garden #4
When Jim and Patti first moved into their home, the front yard consisted mainly of gravel and outdated architectural elements. After installing a backyard pool, they decided the entire landscape needed a cohesive design and turned to renowned landscape designer Michael Glassman.
The result is an elegant garden defined by clean angles and a carefully coordinated color palette. The front courtyard features gray pebbles, crisp geometric lines and a dramatic black gate, with light green asparagus ferns, weeping redbuds and roses providing contrast against the black fencing and gray-white hardscape.
Black wire trellises along the side yard support climbing star jasmine, accompanied by liriope and azaleas that continue the garden’s repeating color scheme. Japanese maples soften the bold lines of a large triangular shade structure while bubbling fountains create a tranquil atmosphere.
Around the angular pool, plantings of myoporum, lomandra, white iceberg roses and olive trees add structure and rhythm to the landscape. On the hillside above, an orchard of peach, lime, Asian pear, fig and lemon trees completes the composition, creating a garden that blends modern design with lush planting.
Garden #5
One of the most imaginative gardens on this year’s tour embraces a distinctly Western theme. The project began with the installation of a custom saloon-style gate on the side of the house, inspiring homeowner Matt to expand the concept into a full-scale backyard experience.
After removing traditional lawn areas, the property was redesigned to include a swimming pool and a series of themed elements. An authentic Western wagon anchors the landscape and is joined by a miniature jail, cemetery, coffin and other playful installations that add storytelling elements throughout the garden.
Rusty metal sculptures of towering “water-wise” cacti and succulents — some reaching fourteen feet tall — rise among palo verde trees and purple prickly pear. Railroad-tie lighting highlights plantings of octopus agave and ceanothus, while statues of wildlife including buffalo, coyotes, ravens, vultures and a large bear are tucked throughout the garden.
The centerpiece is a fully built saloon designed to match the home’s architecture, complete with a clay tile roof and swinging doors. Inside, visitors will find a bar with an ore-cart boot rail, spittoons and a pot-bellied stove, illuminated by vintage lanterns wired for electricity.
Garden #6
The final garden on the tour demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform even a smaller space into a vibrant outdoor retreat. When longtime Folsom Garden Club members David and Adrienne downsized, they chose a home that offered a manageable garden footprint while still allowing room for creativity.
The front yard, once a sloping lawn, has been redesigned with steps, flower beds and a courtyard filled with drought-tolerant plants including lantana, ornamental grasses, loropetalum, geraniums and buddleia. A charming black gate opens to a courtyard seating area where neighbors often stop to visit.
A redbud tree anchors the front landscape, surrounded by azaleas, dusty miller and sunshine privet, while a climbing “Eden” rose flourishes near the front door.
In the backyard, Adrienne transformed what was once decomposed granite and concrete patio into layered flower beds filled with climbing roses, breath of heaven, barberry, sage, lavender and society garlic. Artistic touches appear throughout the garden, including a whimsical sculpture called “Peggy Pots,” hydrangeas, and a secret garden gate.
Because the home backs up to a park, David has used the tall fence as a gallery for his window-glass artwork creations, adding a unique personal element to the space.
Tickets for the tour can be purchased online at www.folsomgarden.org or beginning April 1 at several local retailers including American River Ace Hardware on Greenback Lane, The Blossom Shop on Natoma Street, Bushnell Nursery in Granite Bay, Green Acres Nursery in Folsom and Not Too Shabby on Sutter Street.
Tickets will also be available during the tour weekend at Garden No. 1, located at 255 Cascade Falls Drive in Folsom, beginning at 10:45 a.m. Saturday and 10:45 a.m. Sunday while supplies last.
With its blend of creative landscaping, artistic inspiration and community spirit, the Gardens of Folsom tour continues to celebrate the beauty of outdoor living while supporting programs that help cultivate the next generation of gardeners and environmental stewards.
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