A guide to the beloved, annual La Jolla event that has participants wandering the best gardens in 92037, updated with all-new features this year.
A tradition rooted in La Jolla history, the La Jolla Historical Society’s 27th annual Secret Garden Tour is about ready for harvest, and participants can reap the benefits of an updated format as they tour the six – or seven – gardens.
The Secret Garden Tour, held from 10 am to 4 pm Saturday, May 16, will open the gates to six premium gardens in La Jolla, allowing ticket holders access to private gardens while generating critical support for LJHS’s free exhibitions and educational programs.
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The tour is a self-driving tour; the gardens (locations kept secret until the day of) can be visited in any order, for any length of time.
A “Bonus Garden Ticket” add-on will allow participants to view a seventh, “spectacular” garden, said Historical Society Executive Director Lauren Lockhart.
New this year: the “Lunch + Learn” ticket, which includes a catered lunch by The Cottage and educational session with a master gardener from noon to 1:30 at the historic La Jolla United Methodist Church.
“We have a fresh format to experience the gardens this year,” Lockhart said. The lunch is “a great place to pause at a beautiful historic site [with] a lovely rose garden, … enjoy a really beautiful lunch with your friends, and it’s a learning opportunity.”
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The “learning” component of the tour is expanded this year, not only in the lunch but also throughout the gardens, as master gardeners are assisting LJHS with signage to identify “some of the more interesting plant specimens,” Lockhart said.
Additionally, there will be a “Citrus Care Talk” with expert horticulturalist John Clements at 5 pm Wednesday, May 6, a pre-tour lecture discussing proper care of citrus plants at LJHS’s own citrus orchard.
The talk is a “fascinating learning opportunity and chance to get excited for the following weekend,” Lockhart said.
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As always, the Secret Garden Tour locations will feature music, artists and a range of sizes and styles for viewing.
“We’re so fortunate that we have homeowners who generously open up their beautiful garden space, and each of them is so unique,” Lockhart said; some gardens are highly manicured and professionally designed, while others are “really homegrown and have been carefully tended to.”
The Bonus Garden is an oceanfront, recently-refreshed space. “Both the architecture and the setting are unmatched,” Lockhart said.
And back at the Historical Society, the always-free component of the tour, the Secret Garden Boutique at Wisteria Cottage, will be open to the public throughout the day, with a collection of gardening accessories, plants, artisan goods, silent auction and more.
Tour ticket holders can also enjoy a complimentary glass of wine back at LJHS after the tour closes at 4 pm.
There is no bus tour this year, but LJHS has formed partnerships with La Jolla Star Transportation and La Jolla Transportation Service; a discounted rate is available for those who would like to hire a car service to eliminate parking and driving.
Lockhart hopes the changes and additions will help participants curate their own experiences through the gardens.
For tickets, visit lajollahistory.org/secret-garden-tour.
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