Sierra Madre Highlighted in Upcoming Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour

If you have any doubt about spring’s arrival, the self-guided 10th annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour is happening April 6 and 7 and gardens in Sierra Madre and nearby communities will be open for viewing on that Saturday.

The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, Inc., is “a nonprofit organization established in 1960 to promote knowledge and appreciation of California’s native flora and our natural heritage,” according to the organization.

Garden 13 in Sierra Madre, one of several that will be open April 6 for the tour, is described on the event’s website:

This demonstration garden, installed through a grant from the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, is largely south-facing, with a variety of natives that thrive under the canopy of mature sycamore trees. Issues of maintaining visibility along the front of the school, and using the garden for classroom lessons, drove many of the plant choices. Other garden features include a dry streambed and the use of local boulders from the San Gabriel River flood plain. Orange trees were added to reflect the historic nature of the campus. Design: Environs Landscape Architects with assistance from The Theodore Payne Foundation.

Garden 14 in Sierra Madre, which will also be open on April 6 for the tour, is described on the event’s website:

This foothill landscape showcases unusual plants from the San Gabriel Mts. and local wilderness. The steep, narrow 4,000 sq. ft. garden, begun early 2011, includes terraces of local stone, rock water features, permeable paving, drains and swales, and formal and woodland plantings. Design: Orchid Black, Native Sanctuary.

See more information and photos of the Sierra Madre gardens here.

See a list of all the tour’s gardens open April 6 and 7 here.

Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Ticket Information

Tour tickets are $10 per person for members, and $15 per person for non-members. Tickets are available in the online store, by phone at (818) 768-1802, or at the Sun Valley headquarters.

Each ticket includes admission for a single visitor to all gardens across both days, and a printed color guide with addresses and driving directions. The tour is self-guided so you can make your own itinerary and go at your own pace. Guides will be sent to ticketholders via postal mail beginning late March 2013.

Do you plan to tour any gardens on the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.