May, 12, 2008
HOLIDAYS
Mother’s Day garden tour benefits the kids
2 county gardens welcome public to help Blue Skies
Advertisement
CAT SIEH
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
*Beta
|
*Beta
|
You can’t see the tiny gnomes, enormous wooden rooster and live rabbits from Teresa Dalton’s front yard.
They’re all incorporated into her garden, which dots and borders the entire back yard of her five-acre property.
Dozens of families explored Dalton’s and a neighbor’s West Hemmi Road gardens during the third annual Mother’s Day garden party on Sunday.
The event benefited Blue Skies for Children, which supports low-income, homeless and foster children in Whatcom County.
“This garden is just beautiful,” said Bellingham resident Joyce Eschliman, who was touring the gardens with her husband, Kevin, and two-year-old son, Jack. “It’s a nice way to spend the day and it sure is a good cause.”
Blue Skies board member Sheri Lambert showcased her classic, meticulous front- and back-yard gardens, an ongoing project bolstered by her husband Russ’ previous experience as a perennial nursery owner.
“I wanted to encourage people to bring their moms to relax and explore a garden and to help kids,” said Lambert, who has lived on the property for 23 years.
Next door, colorful glasswork, murals and signs dotted Dalton’s whimsical garden.
“I’m more into the garden art part of it,” Dalton said.
Orchestra members from Sehome High School played classical music as families pointed out their favorite plants, swapped gardening secrets and asked the owners for advice.
“If it’s pretty I plant it,” Dalton said of her gardening strategy. “I haven’t taken a gardening class in my life.”
Blue Skies for Children also will host a donor breakfast next month, featuring University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker at 7 a.m. June 20 at Northwood Hall, 3240 Northwest Ave.
