Some may remember engrossing themselves in the book “The Secret Garden” as a child; Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel will come alive this Saturday, May 20 as La Jolla reveals its own hidden blossoms in the La Jolla Historical Society’s eighth annual Secret Garden Tour.
Homes from Bird Rock to the Muirlands and La Jolla Shores will open their doors to a variety of gardens, including Mediterranean, Hawaiian tropical, English seaside cottage and minimalist.
Gardeners will shed insight on the theme, and nooks and crannies, of the landscape. Musicians will play among the flowering trees and vegetable patches, and painters will capture the scene of the day, displaying their work after the event. Various homes will also be opened for tour.
Pat Dahlberg, executive director of the historical society, recalls one home built in the 1920s that features a very old and unusual monkey pod tree. One of her most memorable sites was a home along upper La Jolla Hermosa that featured a historical façade with a modern interior, brimming with “art treasurers,” and a turn-of-the-century garden.
“It was such a contrast between the historical façade of the home and the inside that I will remember that forever,” Dahlberg said.
Between 600 to 800 people will mill through La Jolla’s backyards, with half of them hailing from throughout the county, and several journeying from Arizona, Washington and Colorado. The tour expects to raise approximately $65,000 for the La Jolla Historical Society.
The self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $50 for non-members and $40 for members. Platinum tour tickets, which include a shuttle to the gardens, lunch at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and a gift, are $140.
To purchase tickets, call (858) 726-0227 or visit www.ljhs.org. For more information, call the historical society at (858) 459-5335.