4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Rhythms of the land
Music in the Gardens 2018 held July 21 on the Long Beach Peninsula
By MARILYN GILBAUGH
FOR COAST WEEKEND
T
ake a tour of six beautiful private
landscapes at Music in the Gardens
2018 — aka the Long Beach Penin-
sula Garden Tour — taking place 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Saturday, July 21.
A fundraiser for the Water Music Soci-
ety, it’s a chance for garden and gardening
lovers to see what’s doable when there is
passion behind nature’s processes.
Experienced gardeners can talk shop
about soil temperatures and newly discov-
ered plantings, while the uninitiated can
simply ogle and enjoy the day.
Live music and small bites at each of the
gardens offer a good way to explore what’s
happening on the Long Beach Peninsula, no
matter one’s gardening expertise.
Co-chairs Nancy Allen and Darlene
Houser often spend a good year searching
for the next year’s gardens that will “make
the cut.”
“We are known to drive around streets,
neighborhoods and off track all year long in
search of that just-right property,” Allen said.
“Sometimes something catches our eye and
we leave a card. And gardeners, they often
become our great good-source friends.”
“Each year we think ‘it can’t get any
better than this,’” Houser said. “And then it
just does.”
Garden round-up
The garden locations are kept under
wraps until the day-of to respect the privacy
of participating owners. But tour-goers can
look forward to:
• Tidy garden beds and mature trees
surrounding a 1913 Craftsman home. A
comfortable and art-filled bed-and-breakfast
offers a look around the grounds and a rare
opportunity to explore the home’s interior.
Docents will be on hand to answer ques-
tions about the extensive original art and the
art of inn-keeping.
• East Coast meets West Coast at a
guest cottage. An unexpected jewel, its
garden begins at the end of a winding lane.
Look carefully: The meandering driveway
COURTESY WATER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Continued on Page 16
A drone photo of a garden on display.
IF YOU GO
MUSIC IN THE
GARDENS 2018
When: 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturday, July 21
Where: Private
gardens on the
Long Beach
Peninsula
Tickets are $20 and
can be purchased at
watermusicfestival.
com or at the follow-
ing three locations
the day of the tour:
• Basket Case Green-
house, 12106 San-
dridge Road, Long
Beach
• The English Nursery,
corner of U.S. High-
way 101 and Wash-
ington State Highway
103, Seaview
• Bay Avenue Gallery,
1406 Bay Ave., Ocean
Park
Tickets purchased
online must be
presented at one
of the above-noted
locations to receive
the Garden Tour map,
which is your ticket.
Proceeds from this
event assist in the
Water Music Society’s
mission to bring great
music to the Penin-
sula throughout the
year. A portion of the
profits are donated
to the Ocean Beach
Schools’ music pro-
grams.
Children under 18
get in free on the
tour. (No animals are
allowed.)