Six gardens in spotlight at Bernardo Gardeners Club Spring Tour

Jan 19, 2024

For those looking for some planting inspiration, six gardens on the Bernardo Gardeners Club Spring Tour could be a big help.

The self-guided tour will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Tickets are $30 per person.

The Velazquez garden on Acacia Terrace in Poway is sure to have something for everyone on its 1-1/3 acres — fruits, vegetables, cacti, tropical plants and a wide variety of flowers, .

The backyard features themed areas with several fire pits and water features throughout.

Over the 30 years that Steve and Barbara Velazquez have lived in their home, they transformed the steep hillside covered with wild plants and grasses into a functional produce garden with pathways that lead to a grove of eucalyptus trees and an archery range.

That's where they grow the 100-plus grape vines they use to make chardonnay sauvignon. Farther down is a raised vegetable garden featuring sugar snap peas, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beets, cauliflower, peppers and tomatoes.

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The slope also has many large prickly pear cacti. The couple uses the flower petals in salsa in addition to eating its kiwi-like fruit. Also grown in this area is passion fruit that they use in recipes.

Other trees throughout the property have persimmons, green and black figs, avocados, Mexican limes and mulberries.

Steve Velazquez said he is especially proud of the large fig tree that grew out of a root stock from a tree planted at his grandmother's home in 1922.

If it is sunny out, visitors can visit Sully and Cata, two African Spur Thigh tortoises who roam the dirt paths. The 100-plus pound tortoises, about 30 to 40 years old, joined the family eight years ago. The pair have their own casita with an electric heater.

"It's been evolving, with a major remodel done 12 years ago," Steve Velazquez said of their property.

Some changes fixed problems. Water from the sprinklers was staining the concrete pathways. To solve that, Velasquez had artificial turf installed along the sidewalks, with a real grass lawn a few feet inside. Artificial turf was also the solution for hard-to-mow areas.

"My family wanted to still have some real lawn for the birds and to play sports," he said.

A koi pond filled with fish and a turtle is next to the golf putting green. A tropical area includes banana and mango trees. Nearby are dwarf fruit trees, including lemon, grapefruit, orange, pomegranate, loquat, plum, guava and lychee, a tropical fruit.

Birds of paradise and lavender grow among an assortment of flowering plants. The flowers attract many butterflies, birds and bees.

As for fun features, they are numerous. There are swings, tree houses, a hammock among branches and a zip line going from one end of the property to another. Velazquez said he is not sure who has enjoyed the zip line more — the kids in their family or the adults.

"It is hard to name a favorite area because I love them all so much," Barbara Velazquez said. "I like our open gazebo because we have a view of everything and panoramic views."

Once they got a drone to record video so they could see what their property looked like from above. She said it was "just magnificent."

The property is still a work in progress. Velazquez said she is having a graphic artist carve rocks to memorialize miracles that happened in their family — their daughter being born after their second child was stillborn, her mother surviving cancer at 83 and their son's vocal cords healing completely after being severed during surgery.

"We are constantly adding things to the property that are meaningful to us," she said.

The assortment of fruits and vegetables are reflective of their family's tastes, the couple said.

"You can really taste the difference," Steve Velazquez said about eating organic homegrown produce.

They now grow so much that for the first time they will have someone can what they grow so they can enjoy it in their cooking year-round, Barbara Velazquez said.

"We love organic homegrown," she said. "We are in the fish business and eat from what we harvest in our yard."

They volunteered their garden for the tour after seeing a request for gardens notice in the Poway News Chieftain. Barbara Velazquez said it is because her husband enjoys gardening so much.

"This is therapy for him; he loves the outdoors," she said. "He gets enjoyment from it. We open our doors to our family and neighbors, love our community ... enjoy this. It is our happiness and we wanted to share it."

The other gardens on the tour are:

• The Brown garden on Lunada Place in Rancho Bernardo is described as a good example of working with a typography that includes boulders and many different levels. Visitors are greeted by a "magnificent" ficus shade tree surrounded by a landscaped area. Planting beds include white impatiens, ferns and unusual species of hydrangeas. Also on site are giant blue agaves, contemporary tall pots with succulents, colorful diplademias, varied succulents in ceramic pots, a vegetable garden and fruit trees next to a pickleball court.

• The Royer garden on Arbolitos Drive in Poway is an example of how to use varied topography. The front of the property has beautiful, water-wise plants — and be sure to be on the lookout for a puma peeking out from under a tree, one of many sculptures throughout the property. In the back are mature roses in abundance and whimsical statuary. The property's lower level has more roses and several mature fruit trees. The garden oasis offers texture, color, whimsy and panoramic views.

• The Stavros garden on Jackrabbit Road in Poway is tended by two passionate gardeners, one of whom is also a landscape designer. Created in the style of a British garden, it has over 800 types of plants. Many of them are not commonly found in California gardens. Roaming this garden makes one feel like they are exploring a wild woodland that just happened to grow there. Other features include handmade stepping stones and meandering pathways to various seating areas where you can pause to enjoy exotic plants in addition to camellias, azaleas and Tiger's Eye.

• The Turner garden on Bernardo Oaks Drive in Rancho Bernardo is described as the perfect garden for those with limited space. The garden features waterwise plants, roses, bromeliads, ferns, orchids, orchid cactus, diplademias, hoyas and succulents. There is a large assortment of pots and plants displayed at different levels, creating a feast for the eyes with a profusion of color in a relaxing and abundant garden environment. The covered patio is a perfect place to entertain surrounded by a secluded plant paradise.

• The Venn-Watson garden on Lunada Place in Rancho Bernardo starts with a combination of boulders among California pepper trees, cacti and agaves along the driveway. Those who enjoy cooking will want to check out the herb garden in a greenhouse. Visitors will discover an abundance of fruit trees, a majestic sycamore next to the swimming pool and two ponds. This garden shows how dead trees and other natural materials can be recycled. For example, a horizontal piece of trunk with a carved out section has succulents inside. Other features include curly driftwood turned into a planter for succulents and a pile of rocks and small boulders where plants have been tucked into each space and crevice. In the backyard, a dead tree has become a support for wandering flowering vines.

The event will be held rain or shine. It will include vendors and complimentary refreshments.

The vendors will be selling unique handmade crafts, jewelry, garden art, fine art, plants and plant arrangements. There will also be San Diego Master Gardeners available at the homes to answer gardening questions.

The tour is not handicapped accessible. Walking shoes are required. No pets or children under age 12. No restroom use at the homes.

Tickets are available at Walter Andersen Nursery, 12755 Danielson Court in Poway; and El Plantio Nursery, 1322 San Pasqual Valley Road in Escondido. They can also be purchased with a credit card online at BrownPaperTickets.com or with cash or check at the tour homes on April 29. For questions and addresses, call Renee Garza at 858-449-4240. For club information, visit bernardogardeners.org.