IT'S GARDEN TOUR TIME!

Every May, (I'm a little behind schedule!),  I start my countdown until the day of the Ojai California Garden Tour. Believe me it's not because I'm some master gardener, although we have grown enough fruits and veggies to feed all the gophers in the neighborhood. I just love to go into other peoples back yards who have it way more together then we do.  Where the hell are there gophers!?!  I guess I'm part gardener wanna be and part garden peeping Tom. And this years tour was absolutely fantastic because not only were the gardens beautiful and interesting but there was a Turtle Conservancy that we didn't even know existed. This made it more fun for handsome too :)

The tour is self guided and it's put on by the Ojai Chamber of Commerce as a fund raiser. There were five beautiful homes participating.  Access to the Turtle Conservancy is rare so the fact that we got to roam the 6 acres for as long as we wanted, hang with the tortoises and see the homes of the 2 families that turned this property, which just three years ago was a citrus and avocado orchid, into a refuge for endangered species of freshwater turtles and endangered tortoises, was amazing. In addition to the non profit that trades turtles all around the word in efforts to protect extinction, there are impressive native plants an eco friendly pool, an amazing outdoor dinning room and the two homes which I was immediately in love with.  While handsome videoed the tortoises I tried to non nonchalantly peek in the windows.

If you missed last years tour, you can find it here.  Happy gardening!