STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Lorna and Kelsey Hazelton have turned two acres off Buttercup Road into a cut flower farm, selling their flowers at farmer’s markets and to local florists.
Anne and Ben Young revel in a weeping cutleaf birch, which is the focal point of one of the oldest properties in Hailey. And JaNessa Gilbert loves adding to her “she shed,” which features a chandelier and other salvaged items.
These are among the Hailey residents who will welcome guests on the 27th annual Sawtooth Botanical Garden Tour on Saturday.
The self-guided Garden Tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 23, and will feature seven gardens, including Jane Sturdivant’s expansive garden at 200 Aspen Lakes Drive, Kelsey and Lorna Hazelton’s cut-flower farm off Buttercup Road and four gardens in the heart of Hailey.
Laura and Craig Johnson will open their garden, which provides lovely rooms full of fountains, statuary and their favorite hostas. And members of The Hunger Coalition will be on hand to discuss the holistic gardening techniques they’ve experimented with at the Hope Garden.
Artists Kim Howard, Gabe Embler, Deanna Schrell and Nancy Vandiver will be painting or, in Embler’s case, arranging rock art, in the gardens.
The tour will also feature musicians in the garden, including Minette Broschofsky, Mary Ann Davidson and Clark Furlow, who make up The Ukesters; Tim East and Friends, and Lynn Heidel with her Wood River Orchestra.
This year’s tour offers the best of high-elevation horticulture and outdoor living enjoyment, said Jen Smith, the executive director of the Sawtooth Botanical Garden.
“Whether you are quietly gathering your thoughts, gathering with friends in an exquisitely designed landscape, or gathering seeds at harvest time, gardens bring people together, and, by intentional design, they offer tranquility and inspiration,” she said. “The palpable feeling of peace and tranquility, as well as delight and, dare we say, magic and hope, are what will offer you inspiration upon visiting each of these wonderful spaces.”
Garden Tour booklets are available at the Hailey Welcome Center, gardening centers and bookstores. Local artist Michael Olenick illustrated the cover with a sunflower as an homage to Ukraine.
Ticket purchasers will receive a bright green commemorative bandana, which serves as their ticket. Bandanas may be picked up at Sawtooth Botanical Garden prior to July 23 or at any of the showcased gardens on the day of the tour.
Tickets may be purchased online at https://sbgarden.org. by calling 208-726-9358 or by visiting the garden at Highway 75 and Gimlet Road. Garden members pay $35 until two days before the tour, then $40 on the day before and day of. Non-members pay $40 and $45.