Harvesting a quarter-century of tradition and celebration, the La Jolla Historical Society will present its 2024 Secret Garden Tour on Saturday, May 18.
The 25th anniversary of the Secret Garden Tour will once again open the best of La Jolla’s gardens to the public, appealing to all those who love plants, gardening, design and architecture.
And with volunteers pointing out the special features, artists painting plein air works for sale, tabletop displays from local organizations and live music at each location, the tour is “more than the garden,” said event Chair Meg Davis.
Historical Society Executive Director Lauren Lockhart agreed, noting visitors will be able to also see “historic and fabulous homes” in neighborhoods throughout La Jolla along with a variety of garden styles from formal to “organic and wild.”
“Choose your own adventure”
Secret Garden Party
The festivities kick off the night before, with a party ($105 LJHS members/$115 nonmembers) from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 17 at a former garden tour location, an “expansive property with incredible ocean views,” Lockhart said.
The cocktail party will include performances by local band Tiffany Jane, an artist creating an original mural onsite during the event and silent auction items.
There will also be a wine pull, during which all participants will walk away with a “fabulous bottle of wine,” Davis said.
Self-guided Secret Garden Tour
The Secret Garden tour ticket ($45 LJHS members/$55 nonmembers) includes access to seven gardens this year. All ticket holders will begin at the Historical Society’s Wisteria Cottage on Prospect Street at 9 a.m. to collect wristbands and programs and peruse the all-day Secret Garden Boutique, featuring local vendors.
The gardens open at 10 a.m. “Choose your own adventure,” Lockhart said. “Go in the order you like; take your time with each garden.”
This year includes a special add-on opportunity: an eighth garden (additional $20 ticket) that Davis called “one of the most incredible gardens in all of … California.”
This particular garden contains traditional rose gardens, local varieties of plants, sculptures, an aviary and much more.
“It’s more than five acres,” Lockhart said. “You could spend all day here so you’ll have to manage your time.”
Platinum Secret Garden Tour
The Platinum Tour ($145 LJHS members/$155 nonmembers) comes with eight gardens, including the self-guided add-on, beginning at The Bishop’s School at 9:15 a.m. with a hired bus to each garden, docent to share property information and lunch.
Anyone with a self-guided or platinum wristband can return to Wisteria Cottage after the gardens close at 4 p.m. for a glass of wine and to finish browsing the boutique.
“We encourage folks, after an incredible day in the gardens, to come back to … close up the day with us,” Lockart said.
All events will run rain or shine and have a limited number of tickets; Lockhart notes last year’s tour sold out of all ticket levels and she expects the same for 2024.
The secret is out
Called the Secret Garden Tour because the properties are kept a mystery until participants pick up their programs the morning of the tour, the event was created in 1999 “with a vision to invite the public to enjoy these incredible private gardens throughout all of La Jolla … and to see a wide variety of types of gardens and styles and approaches to design,” Lockhart said.
Seeds for the first tour, which included the storied Foxhill estate, were planted with founders Linda Marrone and Susan Vandendriesse.
The tour has grown over its 25 years, expanding to committees of volunteers who have had “the vision to continue to expand and grow and serve a bigger audience with this event and also leave a financial legacy for the Historical Society,” Lockhart said.
The tour, along with the annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance and the Modernism Tour, serve as fundraisers for the Historical Society’s multitude of programs, exhibits and archive growth and maintenance.
Planning the Secret Garden Tour entails working with many local organizations to sponsor the event, Davis said, as well as McFarlane Promotions, which have assisted with event logistics for more than a decade.
“Every garden that you go to,” Lockhart said, “you’re going to be inspired.”
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
