This year鈥檚 slate of stops at the Sept. 1 garden tour by the Bisbee Bloomers illustrates how to make yards a joy to sit in, linger and relax.
The self-guided tour of 10 residential gardens and The Gardens at Mile High Ranch Bed & Breakfast will also feature artists at work and performing musicians.
Here鈥檚 a sneak peek at what you can expect from the 17th annual Bisbee Garden Tour.
Accepting life
Suzanne and Ross Sheard鈥檚 garden is meant to attract nature as it happens 鈥 birds and butterflies, ants and cats, plants and paths and porches.
Wild orchids, sages, grape vines and a desert willow tree are allowed to naturally stake their space, says Suzanne Sheard.
鈥淚 find comfort and serenity in all that interconnection,鈥 she says.
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鈥淚 love the feeling of serenity this garden brings,鈥 she adds, 鈥渁n acceptance of life on life鈥檚 terms.鈥
Fixing neglect
After years of neglect by former owners, Cooper Raphael鈥檚 yard has become a soothing garden. She started by pulling out unwanted Bermuda grass and dead trees. She added a flowing stream, low-maintenance native and Mediterranean plants, and a steel fence that adds privacy.
鈥淪erenity to me is sitting on the porch listening to the birds,鈥 says Raphael, 鈥渁nd watching them take baths in the stream.鈥
Cooper Raphael鈥檚 overhauled yard has a flowing stream, and low-maintenance native and Mediterranean plants.
Cosmic combination
Long-gone trees have opened Bruce Syrett鈥檚 garden to direct sun. He鈥檚 discovered that cold-hardy succulents thrive in his self-described 鈥渁ustere鈥 garden. Large patios and a wrap-around porch provide lots of seating.
The loss of the trees also allows the yard to provide grand nighttime views of the cosmos.
鈥淲ith its unique exposure and with the benches,鈥 Syrett says, 鈥淚 find it most amazing to sit out there in the night and enjoy the moon and the stars.鈥
Cold-hardy succulents do well in Bruce Syrett鈥檚 sunny garden, which offers great views of the night sky from a wraparound porch.
Natural Scents
Claudia Collins鈥 hidden garden is a riot of colors and scents. A dichondra path leads to three beds of organically grown vegetables. Ornamentals and edibles share space where they are happiest.
鈥淔lowers and veggies don鈥檛 always want to grow well on a spot picked by me, so I鈥檓 flexible,鈥 Collins says. 鈥淒og and cat join friends and me on the patio and enjoy bird-watching and the delightful smells of a healthy garden.鈥
A dichondra path leads to three vegetable beds in Claudia Collins鈥 hidden garden.
Therapy
Nearly 2 acres of lush gardens and 150-year-old cottonwood trees at The Gardens at Mile High Ranch are meant to be contemplative.
Guests can wander through a rose garden, past a pond and among plants that attract wildlife.
鈥淕arden guests enjoy excellent opportunities for bird-watching, walking, meditation, picnicking and recreating,鈥 according to the resort鈥檚 website.
A pond and rose garden add a contemplative feel to The Gardens at Mile High Ranch resort.
Small delight
Plant volunteers like hollyhocks and four o鈥檆locks are part of Judee Edmonds鈥 small garden. She often tosses out seeds and adds garden center plants that catch her eye.
She starts most days drinking coffee while enjoying the 鈥渃alming soothing tones鈥 of a small, rocky pond. A sandy path allows her to walk barefoot through the garden.
鈥淚t is a constant source of relaxation and delight,鈥 Edmonds says.
Judee Edmonds鈥 small garden, filled with delights, will be featured in the 17th annual Bisbee Garden Tour.
Hints of Italy
When Sloane and Danielle Bouchever bought their home seven years ago, they also got the lot next door. That allowed the couple to create 鈥渁 kind of Italianate oasis with no grass to care for,鈥 says Sloane Bouchever.
The result is a garden that鈥檚 more formal and ornate than most found on Bisbee garden tours. It features concrete paths, raised planters, a fire pit, redwood pergolas and garden art.
鈥淚 particularly love the half dozen Italian cypresses we planted on a little promontory built up with stacked stone,鈥 Bouchever says.
Sloane and Danielle Bouchever鈥檚 鈥淚talianate oasis鈥 is part of the garden tour.
Harmonious chaos
Jane Geffer wanted the garden to harmonize with the home she and her husband, Peter, were building, so she made sure to have it installed at the same time as home construction.
鈥淣ow, 2陆 years after we put it in,鈥 says Geffer, 鈥渢he tiny front garden is a chaos of colorful native plants.鈥
She picked plants that bloom most of the year, require the least water and provide a screen for privacy. The result is that the garden 鈥渋s literally buzzing with hummingbirds, bees and butterflies,鈥 she says.
Jane Geffer鈥檚 garden buzzes with hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
Water-wise
Frances and James Richmann didn鈥檛 want to use much water. After much research, they opted for a xeriscape garden, which focuses on desert-adapted plants, efficient irrigation and good soil.
A 250-gallon tank stores rainwater, which then is used to irrigate roses, bushes and trees.
The couple delights in the many garden-art cats collected over the years.
A 250-gallon tank stores rainwater that nourishes Frances and James Richmann鈥檚 desert-adapted plants.
Garden views
After 10 years, Marsha Mayer has the garden she鈥檚 wanted, one that provides views and private spaces.
鈥淚 feel a keen sense of serenity sitting on the front porch swing,鈥 Mayer says, 鈥渟urrounded by ivy, watching the hummingbirds who had nests under the eaves of the porch.鈥
She removed the walls of a potting shed and sits sheltered as she watches her plants grow.
A private terrace in the back allows her to garden as she sings to her favorite music.
鈥淚t is my favorite part of my gardens,鈥 she says.
Marsha Mayer garden with views and private spaces will be featured in the 17th annual Bisbee Garden Tour.
Getaway
A dichondra lawn and living ocotillo fence provide the cooling greenery of Dale and Ellie Faught鈥檚 home.
Their cute wooden garden shed looks more like a whimsical playhouse.
A garden shed and living ocotillo fence in Dale and Ellie Faught鈥檚 green retreat.
