June 12 column: Spokane in Bloom garden tour preview
I hereby proclaim that the 2016 garden tour season is underway! The first tour is Spokane in Bloom. It is put on by the Inland Empire Gardeners and featured 5 beautiful gardens in Spokane Valley. The tour will be held on Sat., June 18.
You can get a sneak preview of the featured gardens by reading my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Annual garden tour shows off the colors. Or you can read my column below.
I had the pleasure of strolling through Mike Di Biase and Chantel Fan’s garden in Greenacres and it is stunning. You will not want for color! Their garden is filled with annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees of all types. You will see more photos from my visit below.
I’m really looking forward to going on the Spokane in Bloom tour next Saturday and hope you’ll find the time for it as well. You’ll be full of inspiration to take home to your garden!
Column:
by Susan Mulvihill
Spokane is a gardening town filled with hidden gems. A garden tour is your invitation to explore them and be inspired. The first tour of the season, Spokane in Bloom, is on Saturday, June 18. Put on by the Inland Empire Gardeners, five Spokane Valley gardens will be featured.
The garden of Mike Di Biase and Chanel Fan:
Get ready for an explosion of color when you visit Mike Di Biase and Chanel Fan’s garden. It’s located at 17606 E. Ridge Ct. in Greenacres. Di Biase designed it in the cottage garden style.
“Cottage gardens have mass plantings with emphasis on mass blooming,” he explained. “There’s no structure to it but there’s a feeling of harmonious flow. Everything I do is for the color.”
It’s safe to say Di Biase has achieved that look. Six years ago, when he bought the house, the outlines for the beds were already there. Since then, he has filled those curving beds with every blooming plant imaginable to provide season-long color. This includes annuals, bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees.
What was blooming during my visit there? An amazing collection of lupines, geums, poppies, irises, geraniums, painted daisies, honeysuckle, flax, peonies, roses and a pink-flowering weigela.
Accomplishing all this has been a wild ride for Di Biase.
“For the past six summers, it’s been like running downhill where there’s no slowing down,” he said. “Time starts speeding by and soon it’s hard to do the planning and planting. I’ve had to get plants ordered on time and get everything into the ground early enough.”
Having enough time is challenging for all gardeners. But as a pilot for Federal Express, Di Biase is particularly time-crunched.
“The first thing I want to do after returning from a trip is work in the garden,” he said. “It’s my respite; it speaks to my soul.”
How Di Biase created the garden
In the past, deer have prevented him from accomplishing his goals. Once he put up a deer fence, that frustrating problem was eliminated and he can plant with abandon.
In addition to the colorful plantings, Di Biase has added many lovely touches to the garden. These include obelisks, benches, sculptures and an attractive pergola adorned with hanging baskets of million bells.
“That’s what makes it a retreat or a sanctuary, rather than just a garden,” he explained.
Attracting birds has been a top priority. Di Biase has been successful through the placement of feeders, birdhouses, fountains, and a collection of trees and shrubs. Some produce edible berries and provide a lot of color, of course.
“Sometimes I feel like the conductor of a symphony,” he said. “It’s all in the timing and I want to get it just right!”
The following gardens are also on the tour:
Ellie Mae Holm, 3730 S. Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley _ Located on her 1.5 acre-property, Holm’s garden is in USDA hardiness zone 4 which makes gardening a challenge. Her favorite feature is the sunken garden and visitors will enjoy seeing her special plants on the terrace where they get extra TLC.
Karen and George Whitehead, 17616 E. Linke Rd., Greenacres _ This garden was designed to be low maintenance and ideal for entertaining. It features deer-resistant plants, raised beds for vegetables and herbs, an automated watering system to save time and conserve water, and delightful focal points made with re-purposed items.
Karen and Mike Parks, 2309 S. Morningside Heights, Greenacres _ After relocating from Seattle, these gardeners had to learn what would grow in our climate. Their garden is filled with rhododendrons, roses, a variety of flowers for season-long bloom, garden art to spice things up and landscaping to attract pollinators and hummingbirds.
Mary Anne and Dennis Moore, 1407 S. Virginia Rd., Spokane Valley _ The Moores have taken their shady yard and transformed it into an Asian-inspired sanctuary, complete with a koi-filled pond, dry streambed, pergolas, rock gardens, and garden rooms with seating areas for quiet contemplation. Plantings include hostas, heucheras, ferns, ornamental grasses and specimen trees.
There will also be a bonus stop at Gibson’s Nursery, 1401 S. Pines Rd. Tour-goers can enter to win a $100 gift card there. Lunch will be available for purchase at the Di Biase garden.
Spokane in Bloom Garden Tour details:
- When: Saturday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Ticket information: Tickets can be purchased for $10 at most gardens the day of the tour, or ahead of time on The Inland Empire Gardeners’ website at tieg.org, or at the following Spokane nurseries:
- Blue Moon Garden & Nursery, 1732 S. Inland Empire Way
- Gibson’s Nursery, 1401 S. Pines Rd
- Judy’s Enchanted Garden, 2628 W. Northwest Blvd.
- Northwest Seed & Pet, 7302 N. Division St. and 2422 E. Sprague Ave.
- Ritter’s Florist & Nursery, 10120 N. Division St.
- Tower Perennial Gardens, 4010 E. Jamieson Rd.
- For more info: go to www.tieg.org.
Susan Mulvihill is co-author, with Pat Munts, of “Northwest Gardener’s Handbook.” Contact her at Susan@susansinthegarden.com and follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/susansinthegarden.
