Tickets go on sale for annual event April 1 at various locations, online
Nature enthusiasts and garden lovers alike will have the opportunity to explore some of the most picturesque landscapes in the region during the 23rd Annual “Gardens of Folsom” Garden Tour, set for Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, 2025.
Hosted by the Folsom Garden Club, this beloved event will feature eight beautifully curated gardens, along with an exclusive bonus garden. Each location offers a unique blend of horticultural artistry, design inspiration, and natural beauty, making it a must-see for anyone passionate about gardening and outdoor aesthetics.
The self-guided tour will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, rain or shine. In addition to exploring the diverse gardens, attendees can enjoy a variety of activities, including an onsite raffle, expert gardening advice, live artist demonstrations, and a selection of plants available for purchase. A bake sale and food trucks will also be on-site, ensuring visitors can enjoy refreshments while taking in the scenery.
Tickets for the tour are $25 per person, with those 16 and over required to have a ticket. Tickets will be available for purchase starting April 1 both online at www.folsomgarden.org and at select local retailers, including American River Ace Hardware, The Blossom Shop, Bushnell Nursery, Green Acres, and Not Too Shabby. For those purchasing tickets on the day of the event, sales will be available at Garden No. 1, located at 106 Feather Falls Circle in Folsom.
All proceeds from the event will support scholarships, grants, community projects, and educational programs, continuing the Folsom Garden Club’s mission of fostering a love for gardening while giving back to the community.
For more information and the link to purchase tickets, visit www.folsomgarden.org or call 916-205-3720. The Folsom Garden Club has shared a sneak peek at some of the featured gardens on the tour for this year. Here’s a look:
106 Feather Falls Circle
As recent transplants from the Pacific Northwest, Patty and Dan were happy to leave the harsh winters behind. Now that they are here in Northern California, they can enjoy a palette of color almost year-round. While most of the garden was inherited with the house, they’ve enjoyed experimenting with a few of their own planting choices. Large red carpet roses, bottlebrush, and barberry contrast nicely with daylilies, lavender, and spirea. As you walk up the front path, note the beautiful custom ironwork that is seen throughout the garden, especially on the courtyard gate. Enter the back, past a huge planting of grevillea, and experience an almost “secret garden” feeling. The gently sloping grade supports a spa and infinity pool surrounded by a dense forest of stately oaks, Coulter pine, huge fig trees, and ferns. Flowing through the lush greenery is a tributary of Linda Creek, bringing an endless variety of birds and wildlife. At the bottom of the hill, asparagus fern, agapanthus, fortnight lily, and blue fescue share space with two Japanese maples and a strawberry guava. Assorted azaleas and bird of paradise, planted in the shade under the oak trees, are Patty’s recent additions. Several comfortable seating areas, placed throughout the garden, allow for privacy and conversation. With a longer, warmer growing season, this garden continues to be a year-round pleasure.
9841 Mosswood Circle
Although the homeowners have lived in this property for 32 years, it wasn’t until Sandy started working for a local retail nursery that the garden really took shape. Originally, nearly the entire front and back garden was knee-deep in overgrown ivy, juniper bushes, and drought-ravaged lawn. After the ivy was removed, Sandy went to work creating the curved flower beds and walkways that artfully lead your eye to the front door. The round flower beds are filled with a gardener’s delight of black-eyed Susan, lavender, sages, buddleia, cigar plant, blue spruce, and Mugo pine. Tall crepe myrtles, a flowering cherry tree, and a beautiful mature Japanese maple stand above loropetalum, pink breath of heaven, and cuphea. Beautiful rocks, discovered under the ivy, artfully dot the garden. In the back, under a large Raywood ash tree, are camellias and huge azalea hedges, both bordered by “pig squeak” Bergenia. When sitting on the shady deck, you can see star jasmine, sage, and a carefully pruned Mugo pine growing along the fence near the sparkling pool. Remnants of the original ivy, now carefully pruned and clipped, can be seen along the garage fence. A back deck, above a small natural stream, sits next to veggie boxes and two apple trees. With artistic vision and hard work, a beautiful garden has emerged and is thriving for all to see.
108 Pomine Court
When you first view this garden, it feels a little like you’re in the mountains. In the front, follow the unique pebble-lined walkway under tall, mature coastal redwoods and see plantings of gardenias, azaleas, agapanthus, and a tiny Mugo pine. Even the shredded bark ground cover looks a little like pine needles. As you enter the back, note the red, coral, and white carpet roses, grasses, and agapanthus grouped together under more tall trees. A gorgeous cascading waterfall of gray, granite-colored rock is reminiscent of our local rivers. Though the pool was completed in 2004, much of the existing stonework has been redesigned or added to by Dave over the years. Careful attention was paid to match existing concrete and rockwork with new additions. Where the hot tub now sits was once a small waterfall and fishpond. The natural rock was mostly repurposed artistically throughout the garden. From the onset, Dave’s intent was to avoid straight lines throughout the landscape. The two-tiered, curved retaining walls, holding lantana, bird of paradise, rosemary, photinia, and morning glory vine, are just one example of this design concept. More careful terracing by Dave allowed room for a vegetable garden complete with grapevines and a yard with citrus, peach, plum, and avocado trees. Though local, this carefully worked garden feels miles away!
828 Hildebrand Circle
When Sue and her husband relandscaped this property in 2022, she had an important request: “To look out her windows and see beauty!” Along with places to grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs, Sue desired a garden that allowed special places for her grandchildren to interact with nature and the outside world. The front lawn was removed to allow plantings of loropetalum, orange-flowered bulbine, crape myrtle, and daisies. A bridge placed over a rocky “stream” is a scene for impromptu picnics with the grandchildren. Follow the pavers to the back, and under a mature mock orange bush is a sweet fairy garden complete with a mailbox that gets letters from Tinker Bell. Though the back garden isn’t large, it is cleverly utilized. Unique growing containers in various heights, shapes, and colors are used year-round for flower and veggie planting. A tall, grown-up-sized container of herbs sits near round, low-to-the-ground strawberry-filled vessels, perfectly sized for a child. Steps going up the hill are planted on either side with lemon, loropetalum, olive, and a large hops bush. The gate at the top is a portal to more adventures, whether it’s viewing spring wildflowers growing on the hill or trying to spot the eagle’s nest in a nearby tree. Whether seen through a child’s eyes or Sue’s, there is beauty and functionality everywhere in this garden!
172 Rebecca Way
This lovely property is a true “gardener’s garden.” In the front, nestled under two stately pin oaks, are yellow, orange, and red lantana, guava, barberry, and assorted grasses, each planted for year-round color and texture. In the back, as you walk under the clematis-covered archway, note the cork oaks surrounded by lochroma “Princess.” To the right is a shade garden planted with daphne, oak leaf and variegated hydrangea, pink and white dogwood, and lamb’s ears. A huge old oak tree sits among a bed of old-fashioned flowers. Zinnias, abutilon, nasturtiums, sweet peas, and dahlias share space with rare antique roses. Wander down the shady stone path and see hostas, barberry, oxalis, and abutilon thriving under Japanese maples. At the end of the path, happy in a sunny spot, is a rose garden accompanied by scented geraniums, watsonia, and a pomegranate bush. A “stream” with “fish” flows through the lawn, complete with two charming red bridges. More red can be seen on the lobelia bush that sits under a large guava tree tucked at the back of the property. The large surrounding neighborhood trees give this garden a timeless feel. Lovingly tended by a true green thumb, this garden is a delight!
1003 Persifer Street
Although built in 2015, this house has old cottage charm. Instead of a lawn in the front yard, Jerry and Estela opted for a variety of plants chosen for flowers and seasonal color. Enter through the clever wooden boxes that not only provide space for flower plantings but a perfect spot to display Estela’s mosaic artwork. A pretty Eastern redbud provides dappled shade for loropetalum, vinca ground cover, and a beautiful birdbath, another of Estela’s creations. Two kinds of purple sage provide year-round blooms that attract hummingbirds. Follow the garden path to the back and see how every bit of space is used to grow vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Peach, citrus, and an espaliered apple tree share space with fun-shaped veggie boxes and barrels full of herbs. There’s even a navel orange growing in the neighbor’s yard that shares its bounty through an opening in the fence. Purple and white lantana, “hot lips” sage, and glossy abelia are planted to attract all-important pollinators. There’s even a spot for Estela’s greenhouse where she starts seeds, some brought from her native Brazil, in winter. Several gorgeous large purple bougainvillea, planted in pots surrounding the patio, thrive in their own micro-climates. Whether snipping herbs for tonight’s dinner or just enjoying the calming sounds of the nearby fountain, this compact garden is a big winner!
1006 Persifer Street
Set on a quiet street in the Historic District, this home, built in approximately 1942, is an old-fashioned charmer. Its cozy front yard, reflecting the small scale of the house, is surrounded by an equally delicate wrought iron fence. As you enter up the front walkway, bordered by a delightful mix of succulent “aeonium” and pink flowering geraniums, note the “stone” walls, original to the house. More aeoniums, thriving in the shade of the tall trees, are tucked into containers and planters, unifying the whole space. At the side of the house is a shady seating area decorated with Tama’s collection of heart art and Dave’s artfully stacked firewood. Along the sunny side of the fence are actual feed troughs, purchased at a feed store, that function as perfectly scaled veggie boxes. But in the back is where old meets new! Completely re-done in 2024, what was once bare red dirt is now a spot for a serene patio and hot tub. Metal cut-out screens, surrounding the patio, add privacy and an artistic feel. Square concrete paving, balanced perfectly to the size of the house, is surrounded by low-maintenance grasses and succulents. Growing near the new garage, an old navel orange tree, likely original to the house, is still producing fruit today. With its clean lines and Zen-like feel, this garden has a perfect balance of old and new.
1324 Fong Street
This property has a unique feature not common to the area. The garages are in the back of the house, accessed by an old-fashioned alley. This leaves room for a large charming front porch, perfect for socializing with the neighbors. When Don and Sandra moved here three years ago, they decided to remove the lawn in the front space and put in a low-maintenance garden. Pea gravel, pebbles, and even “free” rocks from the area are surrounded by heat-tolerant plumbago, loropetalum, red and yellow lantana, and rosemary. A pretty black iron gate leads to a shady patio with jasmine and passion flower vines hanging over the fence and bougainvillea and hydrangea in pots. In the back, hung along the fence, are fun signs and religious art collected on the homeowner’s travels. Both the signs and the colorful flower murals on the back fence are inspirations from previous garden tours. Seating for more than twelve people is possible in this tidy space. There’s even room for a tiny orchard filled with loquat, Asian pear, blood orange, lime, white peach, and Satsuma mandarin. Another black iron gate in the back takes you to the alley, where there’s room for a veggie bed and barrels filled with flowers and seasonal decorations. With its unique set-up, this cozy garden has a place for everyone.
1324 Fong Street
This property has a unique feature not common to the area. The garages are in the back of the house, accessed by an old-fashioned alley. This leaves room for a large charming front porch, perfect for socializing with the neighbors. When Don and Sandra moved here three years ago, they decided to remove the lawn in the front space and put in a low-maintenance garden. Pea gravel, pebbles, and even “free” rocks from the area are surrounded by heat-tolerant plumbago, loropetalum, red and yellow lantana, and rosemary. A pretty black iron gate leads to a shady patio with jasmine and passion flower vines hanging over the fence and bougainvillea and hydrangea in pots. In the back, hung along the fence, are fun signs and religious art collected on the homeowner’s travels. Both the signs and the colorful flower murals on the back fence are inspirations from previous garden tours. Seating for more than twelve people is possible in this tidy space. There’s even room for a tiny orchard filled with loquat, Asian pear, blood orange, lime, white peach, and Satsuma mandarin. Another black iron gate in the back takes you to the alley, where there’s room for a veggie bed and barrels filled with flowers and seasonal decorations. With its unique set-up, this cozy garden has a place for everyone.
