The Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners will hold its annual spring garden tour, Le Tour des Jardins on June 4 and 5. This year's garden tour will take you through six beautiful private gardens throughout Shreveport and Bossier. Tour hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 4, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 5. Advance tickets are $10 and can be purchased at any Citizens National Bank, by calling the Master Gardener office at 318-408-0984, or online at www.nwlamg.weebly.com.
One of the gardens featured on the tour is the Stan and Boots Swen Garden. The Green Acres Place, Bossier City garden has wonderful yard art that tells a story of the garden owners’ travels. The fairy gardens can be enjoyed from multiple seating areas that offer whimsical accessories and a lot of color. The garden contains many unusual plants, and is a true delight, from the Princess Diana Clematis to the Peggy Martin roses, cassia vine, coral bean, Japanese quince, and crinums. With a gazebo and covered patio, this garden is a must-see.
The next garden featured on the tour is the Judy Donaldson Garden. Located in Plantation Trace, Bossier City, this home is situated on a corner lot, with wonderful beds everywhere. At the side of the house, there is an oak tree with resurrection fern, surrounded by roses, cannas, loropetalum, Japanese maples, and much more. A wrought-iron gate leads to a retreat, complete with a gazebo and She-Shed. Yard art, gaura, butterfly bush, kaleidoscope abelia, hydrangeas, and much more can be found as guests wander throughout the garden.
Another garden featured on the tour is the Scott and Christina Cabell Garden. Located in Kings Pointe subdivision in Shreveport, this garden is beautifully manicured with a variety of annuals and perennials along with established evergreens. Once you enter the backyard, you have entered an oasis of Oakleaf hydrangea, roses, beebalm, echinacea, African iris, widow’s tears, crown of thorns, and summer phlox. Don’t miss the night-blooming cereus and so much more.
The next garden on the tour is the Sharye and Steve Atchison Garden. Located in the Ellerbe Road area, this garden is a delight from the very first moment. Gardeners can wander around part of its five acres and find hidden treasures down each path. Guests will be greeted by a fountain surrounded by many perennials, such as black and blue salvia, Shasta daisies, Mexican petunias, and daylilies. Continuing around the back garden, guests will see a greenhouse, pool, pond, and barn, along with many winding paths covered with Louisiana irises, daylilies, coneflowers, hydrangeas, azaleas, and much more.
Next on the tour is the Polly Buller Garden. Walking up to this South Highlands home, guests are drawn to the southern charm with azaleas, Japanese maples, crinums, and a quiet area to reflect. Continuing past the lace-cap hydrangeas, down the caladium-edged driveway to the back garden, beautiful patios surrounded by maple trees, irises, salvia, foxglove, daylilies and so much more can be found.
The last garden featured on the tour is the Charles Rascoe Garden. Another South Highlands charmer, with a sunny front garden filled with blueberries, daylilies, black-eyed Susan’s, irises, crepe myrtles, roses, and yarrow. This cottage garden has a large collection of irises which will definitely be worth the visit. Not to be missed is the Chinese dogwood. The backyard is a shade-loving garden filled with hydrangeas, peonies, Japanese maple, and a lovely shaded area to sit.
A Garden Bazaar will be held during the tour at the Red River Research Station in South Bossier City, featuring food trucks and vendors. While there, enjoy a tour of the Louisiana Super Plants gardens, a project of the Northwest Louisiana Master Gardeners. Mark Wilson, Northwest Louisiana Horticulture Extension agent will be on hand to discuss Louisiana Super Plants and answer any questions. Tickets can be purchased at this location using credit/debit cards.
Proceeds from the garden tour fund future Master Gardener projects and help promote the Master Gardeners’ mission to enhance the quality of knowledge for gardeners in the community.