Soak Up the Sights of Lamorinda’s Most Gorgeous Gardens
No need to spend your time thumbing through the pages of Architectural Digest - some of the most beautiful, original and inspirational backyard designs are going on display right here in Lamorinda. Read on to find out why you'll want to come along for the Moraga Juniors' 8th Annual Garden Tour.
We’ve all heard that home is where the heart is. But what part of the home generates the most love and attention? If a Moraga Juniors fundraiser is any indication, Lamorinda residents are pouring their hearts and souls into their gardens – creating backyard retreats that are equal parts fun and functional, romantic, peaceful - and above all else, gorgeous beyond words.
Go Ahead, Take a Look
“This is really a first-class event,” summed up Amy Martinez, co-chair of the 2012 Moraga Juniors Garden Tour, happening May 5, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., rain or shine.
“The Garden Tour is a self-guided tour,” she explained. “This year we have six beautiful gardens in the Lamorinda area.”
2012 marks the 8th year of the event. Tickets are on sale now.
“Our goal is to raise money for our beneficiaries,” said Martinez. “This year we chose Stand! For Families Free of Violence in Contra Costa County. Specifically, proceeds from the Garden Tour will be going to the therapeutic childcare center.”
“It’s takes a great, collaborative community effort to put on this event,” Martinez praised the organization’s members who are working hand in hand with homeowners, donors, sponsors and landscapers to make it happen year after year. “We are showcasing such amazing homes. I feel like everyone in our club is really proud of the event.”
Orchestrating the Oasis
Of course, the Garden Tour wouldn’t be possible without the gracious homeowners who are welcoming the community into their backyards.
Moraga resident and 2012 Garden Tour home participant Kelly Irving understands why people are anxious to take a peak behind her fence on the tour – it’s a lot like going to an open house in your neighborhood, only better.
“One thing that I think is so awesome about Moraga,” Irving can say with authority – having lived here for 17 years and in her present home for 13 years – “there’s lots of similar style homes and interesting geography in Moraga. What I loved whenever I would go to a meeting at anybody’s house or any type of get-together when my kids were younger was you don’t know what you’re going to see once you walk in that door.”
“People have done amazing things with their cookie-cutter plans,” she continued. “And I love going into homes and seeing what they’ve done. And I feel like that includes the yards and gardens.”
Take our word for it – Irving is one of those people who have done amazing things with her yard – a project that begin in 2006.
“We wanted to showcase a garden that had a slope, a hill,” Martinez explained one of the reasons Irving’s “California style” garden is a part of this year’s tour – adding that Irving’s garden had been on Moraga Juniors’ “radar screen” for some time. “So many people have backyards with a hill and they don’t know what to do. So, that was one thing that really interested us about this garden in particular, to be able to show other people what could be done.”
Irving’s garden also includes grape vines wrapped around white pergola and some English accents – roses she preserved from the original homeowner.
“We also didn’t do anything to some parts of it,” said Irving. “You may think you have to do every piece of what you have, and we kind of liked the idea of leaving some things natural. It’s okay to leave nature and have it be a pretty accent to your yard.”
For Irving, being selected as one of this year’s gardens is an honor.
“Absolutely, it’s so flattering,” she enthused. “We did everything, as lots of people do when they buy from the original homeowners, over a long course of time, for us it’s been 13 years. And the lawn and garden was the last piece of that.”
“It’s an extension of our home that we use, all the time, all year ‘round.”
She describes her garden as something of a classic, but with hints of Italian and English flavors, too. She recalls the painstaking process of moving and preserving the original rose bushes – which should be in bloom by the time of the tour. The pool has been retiled and a hot tub added to it, with a mouth-watering outdoor kitchen nearby.
The beauty of the Garden Tour line-up is that attendees will see variety.
“Each garden is different,” said Martinez. “We went for a collection of totally different styles of gardens. Kelly has the California with the English accents. We have a modern-contemporary, it’s a smaller garden. Some are a little bit bigger. We have a French country garden. One woman does her own gardening completely. One is a French-neo-romantic cottage look, and a real California casual garden, sports and recreation.”
Join the Club
Moraga Juniors membership stands to benefit from the Garden Tour, too – the organization itself is on display and reminding the community of the vital role it plays here. New members are always welcome.
“We’re really fortunate in this area that we have the time and resources that allow us to give back to other people who are not so fortunate,” said Martinez.
Giving back, Martinez pointed out, isn’t limited to high-profile events like the Garden Tour.
“We give our time, our resources and supplies,” she explained. “It’s more than just writing a check.”
That means, for instance, collecting and donating school supplies to needy.
In short, the Juniors give – but they get a lot back, too.
“What’s great about Moraga Juniors is that it’s something that you do for yourself, too,” reasoned Martinez. “You feel like you work on your own skills as you plan these types of events.”
“Moraga Juniors is a social and philanthropic club,” said Martinez.
The group meets monthly.
“It’s such a great way for women to come in and meet other women within their same time of life, so many of our members have young families. This is a great way to meet other women, and so often our events provide a real bonding opportunity for them, to put on these great community events together. You make a lot of friendships out of it.”
LamorindaWeb is proud to partner with Moraga Juniors Women’s Club as a media sponsor of the 8th annual Garden Tour, May 5, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., rain or shine. moragajuniors.org