A garden tour in September? Yes! The gardens were still colorful and gorgeous. You'll see some of that fall color in the photos, but these pictures are primarily about the artists who displayed and demonstrated their art in the gardens.
Following the Garden Passport itinerary, the tour begins at the Smith's home on the Chetco River. Here we found the work of four artists. Janeen Vick, who has made a name for stunning portraits of classic vehicles, was showing some equally beautiful floral paintings and working on a painting of the waterlilies growing on the Smith's pond.
Brenda Stafford was busy creating rock art and had some beautiful examples of her work displayed.
Two of Kolleen Stafford's watercolors were displayed against a unique wheeled Teeter-totter that sported bucket seats salvaged from vintage farm equipment. This is a working cattle ranch and the gardens include many varieties of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees, ponds, and lawns, all artfully interspersed with many fruit frees, various berries, and vegetables tucked creatively into the landscape. A quince tree was hanging low, loaded with the largest quince I've ever seen.
Vi Burton was at work in the garden creating a wreath from pieces of driftwood. She also had a great selection of photos available.
Next stop on the tour was at Daniel Moore's garden on the Chetco.
Christina Olsen's watercolors and Marlo Brownings paintings on silk were a delight as always. Moore's multi-level property leads you through various gardens into a peaceful wooded sanctuary.
Mary Jane Carlson was creating bonsai planters from clay and also displayed a variety of beautiful clay stepping stones that installed so perfectly that they looked like they had been in Moore's lawn since he planted it.
Third on the tour was the garden of Jerry Holcomb. Jerry is the author of several coastal gardening books and writes a weekly gardening column for the Curry Coastal Pilot.
Jerry's garden includes numerous rare plants and an array of colorful foliage that keeps the garden interesting year around.
At the entrance to the Holcomb garden Carol Salin displayed her floral photos.
A Brugmansia from Chile stands about 12 feet tall in the Holcomb's backyard and is covered in huge blooms.
The Gallagher and Horton gardens are side by side on the bluff above the ocean.
Audi Stanton set up her French easel to paint flowers in the Gallagher garden.
Audi also shared a taste of her husband Chuck's fabulous blackberry jelly with tour goers and had fresh blackberries from her garden, blackberry jelly, and cards with photos of the gardens for sale.
Kandi Legg's irresistible "faces" charmed us at the Gallagher/Horton gardens.
This unique wall in the Sine's garden was created by filling potato sacks with fresh concrete and piling them up while still wet. The sacks were removed with acid, leaving a solid retaining wall of concrete "stones".
Barbara Kennedy worked on a floral watercolor in the Sine garden.
Dale Wells was also at work in the Sine garden and discussed his work with many on the tour.
Artist Pete Chasar came by to see what Dale and Barbara were painting (and view the lovely Sine garden).
And finally, the Bangs' beautiful gardens on the Winchuck. We saw many varieties of flowering plants and shrubs, vegetable gardens, and a superb greenhouse.
Anna Ostraski displayed her watercolors on the deck at the Bangs, along with the potted and hanging plants.
Eva Klass offered ceramic bird houses and bowls near the well-protected vegetable gardens.
The gardens are all works of art themselves... this was the first garden tour presented by the Curry County Master Gardeners in conjunction with PBAA at Manley Art Center, and due to its huge success, it won't be the last.