“Think all things Gulf Coast – music & food finished with brew from our sponsor North Coast Brewing Company. The perfect way to celebrate your Labor Day Weekend. This year’s Live! concert weekend is hotter than ever! The Gardens is featuring two of the best Blues artists in the business – Maria Muldaur and Roy Rogers. This is a Labor Day Weekend of music you will not want to miss!”

You can still buy tickets at the Gardens store, Harvest Market in Fort Bragg, Out of this World in Mendocino, and Dig! Music in Ukiah.

Saturday September 3rd : Maria Muldaur & Her Red Hot Bluesiana Band
Tickets: Platinum Club – $75, General Admission $35, Lawn Seating $20. Gates open at 2pm.

Sunday, September 4th : Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings
Tickets: Platinum Club – $75, General Admission $35, Lawn Seating $20. Gates open at 2pm.

No dogs, by the way. The Gardens normally allows leashed dogs, but not for these events.

More details can be found on the Gardens Web site.

Photo by Dennis Freeze

This is one of my favorite times of the year at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens — when the dahlias and fuchsias are in bloom. Plus, Friends of the Garden’s display artists created birdhouses for their annual auction, and I can guarantee you’ll be delighted with the creativity of these artists. You can leave a bid on your favorite birdhouse or “Buy It Now”. But don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Artist Reception and final bid night on August 19th…a guaranteed fun evening with friends, food and wine…and all for the Gardens we love. Open daily 9am – 5 pm, 18220 N. Highway One, Fort Bragg. 707-964-4352

Gardens on this year’s self-guided tour include:

• An ideal coastal garden with over 200 ericaceous, cultivars, rhododendrons, pieris, azaleas, heathers and conifers, as well as other perennials viewable on the many pathways.

• A lushly landscaped garden sitting on eight acres at the end of a country lane. Three acres of tended gardens are surrounded by fields, forest, and towering redwoods.

• A weaver’s garden who loves incorporating color into her weaving and into her landscape design.

• A garden with themed rooms, including Japanese, water, vegetable, and succulent.

• The Noyo Hill Farm, located on the bluff overlooking Noyo Harbor. The owners, with their expertise and love for plants, have created a beautiful farm with organically grown fresh produce.

• The Weller House Inn (on the National Register of Historical Places, circa 1886) gardens were replanted in the late 1990s, with the idea of creating an English garden. The main lawn is ringed with soft-hued plants such as lavender, nepeta, artichoke and iris. Flashy edibles flank the front porch, near a collection of fragrant heritage roses. Succulents, including the native cliffhanger Dudleya, thrive atop the Water Tower, which is the high point in town.

• The Surf Motel and Gardens received the 2008 “Mayor’s Well Done Award” and the 2010 Fort Bragg Garden Club’s first place award. A highlight of these beautiful gardens is a gazebo, a peaceful spot where guests can relax and enjoy the colorful flowers and a spectacular view of the ocean.

Benefit Lunch at Ravens’ Restaurant
Stanford Inn’s Ravens’ Restaurant, will host a special gourmet meal for Garden Tour guests, featuring Indian cuisine, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Mendocino Art Center.

“Imagine… a Garden” Exhibit
To coincide with the Garden Tour, the Mendocino Art Center’s Main and Nichols galleries will feature “Imagine… a Garden,” a juried garden-themed exhibit with a wide spectrum of art, including ceramics, sculpture, paintings, photography and more, June 3-25.

Garden Shop & Plant Sale
On June 25, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., browse the Mendocino Art Center’s Garden Shop, featuring a special sale on Mendocino Maples’ gorgeous Japanese maples, creative handcrafted garden art and many other surprises.

Ticket Information
Garden Tour tickets ($40) and lunch tickets ($20) may be purchased by calling the Mendocino Art Center at 707 937-5818, ext. 10, or ordering online at the Art Center Web site.

Docent-led historic walking tours will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and include buildings not open to the general public, such as the Masonic Temple, Presbyterian Church, and the Temple of Kwan Tai. Historic characters come alive on the cemetery tour and through old-time radio broadcasts.  Visitors can tour heritage roses at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens or talk with historic characters on the Skunk Train.

April 11 & 12 @ 10am: Easter Egg Express
Join us on the Skunk Train for an Easter Egg Hunt, fun and games and a surprise stop to visit the Easter Bunny. Goody bag provided. Departs Fort Bragg. Adults $47 Child $22 866-457-5865

April 11 from 11am-2:30pm: Bunny Camp
Children ages 3 – 7 are invited to join us for Bunny Camp. The Easter Bunny will welcome campers for crafts and an Easter egg hunt! Campers will decorate eggs, bags and cookies and have their faces painted. Then join the dash as the Easter egg hunt begins! Two sessions: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm The camp fee is $10 per camper with a limit of 35 campers per session. This event supports the Friends of Mendocino Coast Animal Shelter.  707-937-5942 for reservations. This event will sell out, so please call early.

Last month, I went to visit an old gardening friend of mine, Chris Woods, who has recently become the head of Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. As you may recall, Chris was the visionary behind the transformation of Chanticleer from a private estate to one of the great American public gardens as we know it today. From chatting with Chris prior to my visit, I knew that this new endeavor of his was not going to be a repeat of his work at Chanticleer for several reasons ….the article is very complimentary.