Unique flowers and shrubs, beautiful landscaping and a fun community atmosphere are what attendees can expect at the Bittersweet Garden Club's 22nd annual Bittersweet Garden Tour.
The garden tour will be from noon-4 p.m. June 26, rain or shine. Tickets -- which can be purchased in advance for $10 or at the gardens for $12 (children ages 12 and younger are free) -- strategically come in the shape of a fan that also have the locations and information for each garden printed on them.
This year, the garden tour will feature six beautiful gardens, including a bonus garden, as there have only been five for show in the past.
Bittersweet Garden Club promotions chair Lela Kosteck Bunch said the event is not only a wonderful way to look at stunning plants but also an opportunity for viewers to be inspired by the plant creations.
"It's a great way to get ideas for your own garden," she said.
Members of the club will be stationed throughout the gardens to answer questions and point out unique flowers and plants.
"We've educated ourselves to be good stewards," Bunch noted.
Here are the six gardens that will be featured in this year's tour:
• "Symmetry in Chaos" will incorporate lilacs, magnolia, daylilies, roses and much more in front of the owner's historic home.
• "Garden Stroll Room by Room" will have cottage-style features, like a koi pond, a vine-covered arbor and vegetable and flower gardens.
• "My Perfect Garden" is going to have hydrangeas, daylilies, salvia and the scattered annuals. Be sure to keep an eye out for the frog trio, yard art and rabbits.
• "Cottage Garden Charm" bears a heavily planted and colorful garden that attracts bees, birds and butterflies, complete with vine-covered and flower-studded iron trellises and a fountain.
• "Gardener's Delight," which is a sunny, well-dressed and compact garden, will boast hydrangeas, hostas, roses and crepe myrtles.
• "Eclectic Creekside Garden" has a grand old sycamore tree, and can show viewers how to use raised beds and homemade irrigation systems. Spectators can also walk across a bridge to see vegetable gardens, fruit trees and flowers.
The much-anticipated event brings in guests from across Missouri.
"We have people come from all over," Bunch said. "They know it's really a show, and they really get a lot of good ideas."
Tickets can be purchased in Jefferson City at All-n-One Outdoor Solutions, Amié B. & Me, Busch's Florist & Greenhouse, D&D Main Street Market, Gardens to Go, Green Horizons Garden Center, Hy-Vee Supermarket, Longfellow's Garden Center and Samuel's Menswear, and in Columbia at My Secret Garden.
The garden tour is Bittersweet's only fundraiser, and the proceeds help fund scholarships for students in the area, civic beautification, the garden of the month awards, garden therapy at residential living centers, the youth poetry contest, the 4-H gardening project and the world gardening project.
"People put a lot of work into their gardens, and it's just really cool to see all the work," Bunch said. "They're just beautiful."
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This garden features eye appeal from the start and large stone pavers throughout the flower bed around the back of the house.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This garden features eye appeal from the start and large stone pavers throughout the flower bed around the back of the house.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This garden is unique in that the plants abut and grow above a concrete retaining wall. A fence of trees provides a natural barrier between this homeowner and the neighbors.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This garden is unique in that the plants abut and grow above a concrete retaining wall. A fence of trees provides a natural barrier between this homeowner and the neighbors.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Potted plants at this location create an appealing and relaxing area around the pool and the house.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Potted plants at this location create and appealing and relaxing area around the pool and the house. Another feature of this home is the row of bamboo that create a natural barrier between properties.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: A row of trees creates a natural barrier between the property line and neighboring parking lot.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Potted plants at this location, including in a tree line, leave much latitude for this homeowner to be creative.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Potted plants at this location create and appealing and relaxing area around the pool and the house.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: The curb appeal of this home and the layers of plants in and around the house is just the beginning of the awe-inspiring landscaping that leads to a koi pond that features a four-foot waterfall and plenty of seating.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This country-like setting has a number of plants and trees placed for specific reasons. There is a pollinator plant area to attract bees and butterflies while fruit trees and other fast-growing trees will form a fence line between houses.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This country-like setting has a number of plants and trees placed for specific reasons. There is a pollinator plant area to attract bees and butterflies while fruit trees and other fast-growing trees will form a fence line between houses.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This country-like setting has a number of plants and trees placed for specific reasons. There is a pollinator plant area to attract bees and butterflies while fruit trees and other fast-growing trees will form a fence line between houses.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This country-like setting has a number of plants and trees placed for specific reasons. There is a pollinator plant area to attract bees and butterflies while fruit trees and other fast-growing trees will form a fence line between houses.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This location has a variety of looks to appeal to most anyone. The colorful horseshoe-shaped flower line near the entrance elicits a smile from visitors. Behind the house are numerous potted plants , both large and medium planters and a series of trees that form a natural fence line near a creek.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This location has a variety of looks to appeal to most anyone. The colorful horseshoe-shaped flower line near the entrance elicits a smile from visitors. Behind the house are numerous potted plants , both large and medium planters and a series of trees that form a natural fence line near a creek.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This location has a variety of looks to appeal to most anyone. The colorful horseshoe-shaped flower line near the entrance elicits a smile from visitors. Behind the house are numerous potted plants , both large and medium planters and a series of trees that form a natural fence line near a creek.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This location has a variety of looks to appeal to most anyone. The colorful horseshoe-shaped flower line near the entrance elicits a smile from visitors. Behind the house are numerous potted plants , both large and medium planters and a series of trees that form a natural fence line near a creek.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: This location has a variety of looks to appeal to most anyone. The colorful horseshoe-shaped flower line near the entrance elicits a smile from visitors. Behind the house are numerous potted plants , both large and medium planters and a series of trees that form a natural fence line near a creek.