Fox Island Garden Tour 2026
$45.00
Saturday, July 18, 2026 @ 10:30 am – 3 pm PT
In-person garden tour
Members $35 (with coupon code) / Non-Members $45
Fox Island
Garden addresses provided after registration
Enjoy a fun day on magical of Fox Island, exploring five unique shade loving gardens that express the creativity of their owners. These gardens are seldom open to the public and are well worth the journey. From a 12-foot moss mermaid to ancient tree faces; from a master gardener’s lush garden to a garden made for sitting and contemplating, there is something for everyone on this tour.
Tour starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Cross garden. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at the third garden, Hyak Park.
10:30-11:00 – Sally Cross
Our garden was once described by a visitor as… “There are many formal and informal plantings making this garden a pleasant place to be.” We have lots of color to brighten up the landscape on those dull winter days. A mixture of ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers along with a pond and working beehive keeps pollinators busy. There is also raised-bed vegetable garden, a woodland area and lots of sunny areas with color.
11:10-11:45 – Katherine Dumont
When we bought our home on Fox Island in 2008, the real estate language described it as a “Gardeners Dream”. Shortly after moving in that dream became my nightmare, with the highly acidic sandy soil left when the topsoil was scraped off and sold before we bought it. Nothing would grow, not even weeds, so it’s been a learning curve and an education I have been pursuing for almost 20 years. Just recently, I believe I have tapped into the solution.
First, we limbed 23 trees and removed another 16 fir trees to bring more light and helped with some of the watering issues. I am using biochar and bio solids to hold the nutrients in the soil. Plant selection has been trial and error. I have taken advantage of plants shared from friends, and start seeds in hopes something will thrive along with cuttings I propagate from successful plants. Deer have been a problem, so I installed a modest deer fence around our back.
My garden has become the playground for my creative mind. I’m using more large pots which do well here, and I have built a fern table that is one of the highlights of my garden. I’m in the process of creating a 12-foot moss mermaid and trying to incorporate drought tolerant plants and install drip systems. The side garden is called the connection garden. There are several metal arbors with roses and clematis.
Over the years I have propagated 700 boxwood plants and am designing an area to use the last of them. I have a small greenhouse which is helpful for seed starting and propagating. There is a potting shed, which truly is a working garden potting shed.
11:55-1:30 – Dannie McLaughlin
Bring a picnic lunch to eat in Dannie’s garden.
Our garden, Hyak Park, is situated on Hales Passage with spectacular views of Mount Rainier and, on a clear day, the Olympics. There is much to explore and enjoy in this three-acre garden, which we started in 2018. In 2022, we acquired the lot next door giving us the opportunity to expand the garden. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a waterfall and small pond graced by astilbe, azalea, and red twig dogwood.
Gravel pathways are flanked by dozens of blue and white hydrangeas. Following the arrowhead takes you to Couples Lane inhabited by several pairs of gnomes and planted with ferns, hostas, and shade loving perennials. Deeper into the garden, Bird Song Pond contains a children’s hut where little ones can play, and parents relax in Adirondack chairs. Tree Face Path was carved out by Mother Nature and is lined with cedar and Douglas fir trees and features a stumpery. Playful tree faces adorn many of the trees.
At the end of the path and across a small bridge visitors discover what we call our Coniferarium, containing 30 conifers and a garden with three dozen floribunda roses in various colors. Next to it is a memorial garden featuring hybrid tea roses honoring family members who served in WWII. A pergola with white wisteria and Dublin Bay roses speaks to our Irish heritage. Other garden features include a meadow habitat, an arbor walk with a dozen white flowering trees, a babbling brook, and an area dedicated to Japanese maples. There’s also a potting shed and fenced veggie garden with tomato arbors, herbs, and flowering perennials. A restored vintage Airstream trailer is surrounded by a cottage garden and a croquet court. Hyak Park also has a fully furnished two-story 500 sq. ft. treehouse, an antique canoe, and a fire pit, a perfect spot to sit and relax.
1:40-2:15 – Lars and Dawn Holmberg
Our garden is ever evolving to account for the changing light in a woodland setting. Over the years we have named the separate “garden rooms” – the South Forest Garden with the Glass House; the Fire Pit Room; the Orchard Border, and the Pond Garden.
We work with the elements rather than against, adding plant selections that do well in general in our ever-diminishing sunlight. Towering trees and growing greenbelts reduce our sun exposure each year, and we adjust accordingly.
We want the garden to feel livable. We strive to have places where we can sit, relax and enjoy the garden, a place to center ourselves and reflect, and a place to entertain visitors. These areas also provide a spot for us to sit and study the surroundings and sort out what needs to be attended to or adjusted.
2:20-3:00 – Peggy Power and Glenn Hansen
Our garden has come a long way since we moved here in 2010 when there was a lone yucca in the front lawn bordered by a bare chain link fence and concrete pier blocks separating us from the adjacent park. Peggy used her Master Gardener training to design the garden, and Glenn brought her vision to life with a green thumb, heavy lifting and creative thinking.
Once we installed a deer fence, our roses, hydrangeas and other plants have actually have a chance to show what they can do. The garden is filled with a diversity of texture, plant variety and color, along with a few quirky choices. We indulge our quasi-plant collector’s mindset, choosing hummingbird friendly selections at every opportunity. Much of the lawn, parking asphalt and blackberries are gone, replaced with a water feature, conifer bed, fern and fuchsia garden, driftwood rose trellis, peonies, lilies, and raised color and sunflower beds. Rare pines and other conifers dot the property along with a variety of Japanese maples.
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