Bright yellow order forms are now available in many local sites for Bowen's 2012 People, Plants and Places (PPP) Tour scheduled for July 21 and 22. Unique gardens, homes with a special flair and a bountiful assortment of island hosts and hospitality form an unusual kind of museum outreach for the hosts - Bowen's Community Museum and Archives and the Bowen Island Memorial Garden (bowenislandppp.org).
Among the 2012 sites is a beautiful example of cottage renovation and tasteful expansion. The interior emphasizes the owner's love of art while the multi-level garden provides a perfect setting for the busy owners to relax. Not far away is a garden which was transformed from its original emphasis on fruit and vegetables to a new format featuring seasonal menus of color and texture.
Up on Cates Hill is a family home with a dramatic entrance via a vine-covered bridge over a pond. The property also has a tennis court, and orchard. Moving westward, visitors traveling up a winding lane will find a garden whose micro-climates have provided the owners many chances to diversify this garden.
Mid-island is a two-acre garden with a babbling brook, a low bank waterfront, a dramatic new home and owners who love to solve gardening challenges.
Elsewhere is a large, new family home replacing a crumbling old cottage set on a historic site. A forested lane leads to its entrancing waterfront location. Extensive multi-level gardens, some deer-fenced, some deer-proof, surround an airy stylish home with an unusual outdoor kitchen. An additional attraction is the well-placed pond whose bench provides a restful place to watch resident waterfowl.
A new PPP feature offers guests the opportunity to spread their visits over two days seeing part of the tour on Saturday and the other part on Sunday. Some guests may wish to stay for the weekend at one of Bowen's more than thirty bed and breakfast facilities, some on the water, some tucked in the woods, and many with fabulous views. In addition, the island has a diverse selection of dining options If there's a golfer in the family, showing the PPP ticket will earn five dollars off a nine hole round of golf at Bowen's gorgeous course with its popular Cup Cutter café.
Stay tuned, lots more info to come (by the way, it's never too early to put your name on the volunteer list shuttle car drivers, directional sign squad, ticket takers and keen gardeners all are welcome. Phone Alison Morse at 947-9875 or e-mail her at [email protected].
