September 6 – Gardens in Placitas become works of art during the eighth annual Placitas Garden Tour.
The event will take place from 9am to 4pm on Sunday, September 8th at various locations in Placitas.
Seven uniquely themed gardens are open to the public. Master Gardeners are on hand at each location to act as guides and answer questions from visitors. Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters are on hand at “The Zenful Garden” to provide tips on composting and sustainability.
Proceeds from the tour benefit the Sandoval Master Gardeners, a group of volunteers trained by New Mexico State University to teach the community better gardening techniques.
“We have three brand new gardens and we have one that was created about 20 years ago,” said Sandy Liakus, president of the Placitas Community Library. “We have something for everyone.”
Maps show a suggested tour route, but guests can start their tour at any garden they wish. Gardeners and artists will be present at each home tour, displaying artwork in all forms and answering questions.
This year’s tour theme is ‘Sowing for Sustainability’, with gardens highlighting the best ways to use resources consciously while maintaining a beautiful garden.
“We are trained to show guests ways to protect our environment,” Liakus said. “That includes saving seeds, harvesting water, mulching to create healthy soil, planting pollinator-friendly flowers and encouraging the naturalization of surrounding spaces to protect watersheds and wildlife.”
One of the gardens—“Books, Blooms and Seeds”—is on display at the Placitas Community Library. The library has a native garden planted by library volunteers. Visitors can talk about gardens with Sandoval County Extension Master Gardeners as they walk through the library’s meditative seven-circuit maze.
The library will also host fall cooking demonstrations and offer guests the chance to make seed balls from soil. Visitors will also have access to the library’s Seed Garden, where they can drop off plant seeds or request up to five seed packets to take home for their own gardens. For questions about the native garden, the library has a garden plant database where information about the library garden can be found.
This year, the tour will feature a unique garden that focuses on native plants and natural landscaping called the “Placitas Stonehenge Garden.” The entrance to the garden features a replica of Stonehenge. Several sculptures are placed around the garden to create a mystical feel upon entering.
According to Liakus, the tours have become increasingly popular in recent years.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen more families come to the tour and more people moving to Placitas and the surrounding area,” she said. “They’re interested in seeing what they can do to build their landscape and how they can garden. People are interested in seeing how people spend their free time and relaxation time, because a garden is a very personal space and everyone’s garden is different.”
According to Liakus, the tour is a great way to strengthen the community and encourage sustainable living.
“For a lot of the master gardeners, it’s a way to reach out to the community,” she said. “It’s a chance for them to volunteer and interact with the public and teach about gardening. Sometimes you just want to do something for the community.”
