Come and be a part of what has quickly become a tradition in Encinitas, the annual Encinitas Garden Festival & Tour on Saturday, April 30, 2011! This very special event celebrates our community, gardening, and the horticultural heritage of Encinitas!

Our featured neighborhood this year is the historic tree-lined Crest Drive in Cardiff with diverse gardens and panoramic views of our community west to the ocean, and east to the backcountry. Details below.

Saturday, April 30th, 2011 16 private gardens 23 Marketplace Vendors Tickets now available on-line at www.EncinitasGardenFestival.org  Tickets also available at Anderson La Costa Nursery, 400 La Costa Ave. Encinitas, CA Barrels and Branches Nursery, 1452 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, CA Cedros Gardens, 330 S. Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach, CA Madd Potter, 310 North Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA Weidner’s Gardens, 695 Normandy Road,  Encinitas, CA Sunshine Gardens, 155 Quail Garden Drive, Encinitas, CA Glorious Gardens Landscape, 495 Leucadia Blvd, Encinitas, CA To purchase tickests by mail order, please click here.  Ticket orders MUST be postmarked by April 26th, 2011 Advance ticket prices: Adults $21, Children 10 and under $7 On-the-day ticket prices: Adults $25, Children 10 and under $10 Ticket sales at the Gardener's Marketplace are by cash or check only.  Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards on-site. In case of drizzle, the event will go on.  In case of rain, the event will be cancelled and we thank you for your contribution. For parking directions and other details, please click here

New Plants, New Ideas Enjoy 16 great examples of plants and gardens ideally suited to our climate Artists, Speakers, Food, Silent Auction Our 2011 speaker line-up offers something for everyone: 10:30 AM Creating a Waterwise Garden Kimberly Thorner 11:00 AM Rainwater & Graywater for Gardens Greg Bullock 11:30 AM  Backyard Raised Bed Gardening Madalaine Charnow 12:00 PM Urban Chicken Gardening Heather Thelen 12:30 PM What's New & Cool in the World of Gardening Nan Sterman 1:00 PM Alstroemeria Liz Younflesh 1:30 PM Using Soils to Reduce Water:  Compost and Mulch Sharon May 2:00 PM Composting with Worms Maryanne Bache 2:30 PM Combining Waterwise Perennials w/Succulents Samantha Owens 3:00 PM Tiered Gardens Stacy Sieber   2011 Sponsors Maggie Houlihan and Ian Thompson

Contemplate the Future Visit a labyrinth to meditate on the day's experience and on life in general Ride a Double Decker Bus to the Gardener's Marketplace Park at Mira Costa College San Elijo Campus and ride the free bus, starting at 9:45 in the morning.  Buses run all day long, between the parking lot and the Marketplace.  Pick up your tour map at the Marketplace, then stroll from garden to garden at your own pace, in whatever order you choose. Hungry? When you get tired of walking, stroll on back to the Gardener's Marketplace for lunch or a snack from Annel and Drew's Kitchen, Bull Taco, or Lion Coffee.   Rancho Santa Fe Plaza

It is blissful when all of your hens get along easily. My three hens, Charley, Dolly, and Dahlia have been together since they were day old chicks. They get along famously, and move around in my garden as a unit. They are never far from one another. It was special to find them all together in the warm sandy soil under one of my Pink Breath of Heaven shrubs.

Out in the garden, my hens are usually so active, poking for bugs, greens, and treats. The sunny warm soil must have been so inviting, they had to take five, and relax together. Sand flung up on their backs is soothing and cleansing to them. This is the ultimate dirt bath that chickens love.

Hens that are the same age, and have grown up together have better chances of getting along and avoiding the sometimes cruel pecking order.

VintageGardenGal Tidbit Thyme....

The 6th Annual Encinitas Garden Festival and Tour is Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10am to 4pm. The featured neighborhood this year is the historic tree-lined Crest Drive in Cardiff, with diverse gardens and panoramic views of our community west to the ocean, and east to the backcountry. Don't miss it!

You can purchase tickets online at Encinitas Garden Festival, and at these local nurseries: Anderson's La Costa Nursery, Barrels and Branches, Cedros Gardens, The Madd Potter, and Weidner's Gardens.