Be inspired by variety of gardening styles in Colonial Heights tour

Eleven private gardens plus four "unhosted points of interest" highlight the annual Colonial Heights Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday, May 5.

The Colonial Heights neighborhood, east of Stockton Boulevard between 14th and 22nd avenues, was established in 1910, making it one of Sacramento's oldest subdivisions. Early residents took streetcars to downtown Sacramento for work and shopping. Today, the tree-lined streets include gardens in a variety of styles.

"One of the standout features of our neighborhood tour is that, across a diversity of gardening styles and aesthetics, hosts have largely done their own garden design and installation" say the organizers. "If you are looking for ideas to go home and implement in your own yard, this is not a tour to miss!"

Gardens on the tour include edible landscapes, highly ornamental spaces, and multi-functional gardens that combine food growing, native plants, and elements such as a laundry-to-landscape greywater irrigation system, organizers note.  The "unhosted points of interest" are front or side gardens that can be viewed from the street.

Colonial Park at 19th Avenue and 54th Street will be the activity center of the tour; check-in will be located there, and day-of tickets will be available. When they check in, tour participants will receive a program with descriptions of the gardens, accessibility notes for each site, and a map. All the gardens are within walking or biking distance of one another and the check-in site.

The park also will be the site of a seed and plant swap, plant vendors and food vendors, as well as face painting for the kids.

Tickets are $10 (for a digital program) or $12 (for a printed program); children and youths age 16 and younger are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Garden-themed activities for children are also available free of charge.