Aromas Country Garden Tour

Every Spring the Aromas Hills Artisans sponsor a "Country Garden Tour" in the small town with big character and community spirit,  Aromas. It consists of 10-15 gardens, some public and most private. You can show up early and purchase a tour map and guidebook at the Aromas Grange Hall, and head out at your own pace to discover the many hidden spaces in in town that are brimming with a wide variety of flora . 

"These gardens inspire not only vitality and new growth, but have yielded joy" states the guide booklet. 

Each year, members of our artisans group plant themselves in the gardens for the day to share their own creative work. 

My weaving spot for the day!

I have participated in the tour for several years, each time in a different location. In my experience, the gardeners have been lovely hosts and I've enjoyed spending time in their carefully tended garden spaces and enjoyed their company. I sit and weave for the day, show off my finished pieces and talk about my process with the stream of interested and interesting folk that come by. 

This year I was hosted by Tina and Wallace Baine, who both write for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, our local newspaper. Wallace writes a column in the Arts & Entertainment section, and Tina (an AHA member) writes a Do-It-Yourself column for which she conducts new experiments on a monthly basis in the world of craft. They each involve new materials or techniques. Many of the projects become garden ornaments.  

Here, she wrote about her garden and why she chose to be a part of the tour.

 "Life is too short for beige" is her encouragement for us to incorporate more color into our world. I'm a strong believer in that philosophy. In the article, she demonstrates 3 ways to add color to your garden, including these dyed concrete stepping stones.

My woven straps made themselves at home for the day on a fence.

This "rug" is a work in progress on the back patio, using paint and stencils to brighten up a large expanse of otherwise gray concrete.

In addition to the flora, the yard is a curated show of found, made and collected objects, like this area of perimeter fence, displaying old signs and license plates.

And the Eiffel Tour made of wire, behind the bottle bush.

What a great place to spend the day! A good time was had by all!