By Ofelia Saenz, Staff Writer
Alford’s English Gardens and Urban Oasis Ponds have teamed up for the second consecutive year to host the 2007 Long Beach Pond & Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15.
This popular event is a self-guided tour through more than 15 professionally designed gardens in the Long Beach area. View tropical fountains, Zen meditation gardens, waterfalls, custom-designed ponds filled with colorful koi fish, as well as English country-inspired gardens and a variety of landscape designs using California native plants.
Each of the sites was designed by either Alford’s English Gardens or Urban Oasis Ponds.
“We both strive to create a hand-crafted and naturally balanced oasis in your own back yard, a refuge from the stress of your daily life where you can unwind and relax,” said Trey Heslep, owner and head designer of Urban Oasis Ponds. “These easy-to-maintain English or native gardens, soothing waterfalls and ponds will surely open your eyes to the potential in your own back yard.”
According to Kathy Alford, owner of the award-winning landscape design company Alford’s English Gardens, the sites that were chosen to be featured in this year’s tour are meant to represent a variety of sizes and styles in an effort “to show how real people live in real gardens.”
“Each of these designs was created for the individual client, their wants, needs and visions,” said Alford. “We’re inviting the public to walk through and use the ideas to take home and create the garden of their dreams.”
Participants will be provided a map with the locations of the gardens and ponds and will be able to visit as many as they wish during appointed hours on the days of the event. Some of the homeowners will be on hand to give tips and answer questions about the design process and maintenance.
Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased on either day. Only one ticket needs to be purchased to visit the sites on both days. One-hundred percent of the money collected for ticket sales will be donated to the Beacon House Association of San Pedro.
For additional information or to purchase tickets, contact Kathy Alford at (562) 882-8394 or Trey Heslop at (562) 234-1485.
