ZK Alumnus Featured in Master Gardener Spring Tour

For 27 years, the UCCE Master Gardeners of Fresno County has hosted a garden tour to provide inspiring examples of the diverse landscapes that can thrive in our region.

“For many of our loyal visitors, it has become a spring tradition,” says Chris Hays, publicity chair for the Master Gardener Spring Garden Tour.

On Saturday, April 21, five homeowners will open their backyards for the tour. Committee members begin the search process a year in advance — ensuring the featured gardens are in bloom during the event and are in tip-top shape by April’s showcase.

“We look for a diversity of gardens, size, style, themes: plant material, are they drought-tolerant plantings, do they offer ideas for common problems in the Fresno area,” Hays explains.

It’s important for the UCCE Master Gardeners of Fresno County that the experience be educational and enjoyable. Hays notes that a team is sent to each garden to meticulously ID and label the plant material beforehand, and docents and homeowners are on-site on the day of the tour to offer attendees further assistance and advice.

This year, tour attendees will have VIP access to something quite unique: a G Scale model railroad. Chip and Carol Putnam began attending the National Garden Railway Convention in 2006, and started on the design of their own garden’s renovation to include a G Scale model railroad just four years later.

Now, the railroad dominates the couple’s backyard, with miniature plants and mature shrubs dotted throughout the space to help add color and shade to the Putnams’ whimsical landscape.

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Read the full article in Central Valley Magazine here.

Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners of Fresno County for a more in-depth preview of Brother Chip and Carol Putnam’s garden.