Kaslo had its annual garden tour yesterday and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The sun shone, but not too hotly, the wind did NOT blow wildly , and everyone's garden was in a perfect place of growth and beauty. It's a tough job picking a
"day" a few months prior to the tours. Last year, we had it a week later and it was terribly hot. That is one reason we moved to early July. The time was also rearranged to avoid the heat - starting at 9 am until 2 pm - and that was a good move, but not necessary on this particular day. We even supplied "misters" at various gardens but we didn't have to use them. And in our area, the rains came, providing a lovely 10 mm the night before the tour.
The food hub is trying to partner with the arts council with some success at this event. This year, we had music and poetry at the community garden, painters "en plein air" in a couple of gardens and one spot where art materials were left out for people to "do their thing". Some gardeners had paintings out in their gardens or attached to buildings. One garden host had her paintings for sale and she sold two pieces of work. Doctors Without Borders will be happy as she donates to this organization when she sells her work. Another artist sold her first pieces of work. We had various artists from Kaslo create our "garden tags" to indicate who had purchased a ticket and this was a unique and wonderful keepsake from this year's tour. Next year we need to have the artists identified on the back of the tag.
All in all, the tour was a complete success and my photo of one gardener's creative work even has me in the picture! It was a very good way to raise money for our local food hub.
