By PETER DAY
Leader Editor
A trio of Lucerne Valley homes showcased the desert’s unique beauty during last Thursday’s Desert Crossroads Garden Club annual spring tour.
More than 30 club members and guests first gathered at the club’s Water Awareness Garden, where attendees were treated to a tour of all colors of blooms by Sue Nolan, the club’s head gardener.
Flourishing, flowering spring growth include lavender, rock rose, spanish broom, penstemon, pincushion flowers and salvia.
The club selects vegetation that demonstrate an ability to endure Lucerne Valley’s low precipitation needs.
“We only water the garden twice a week in the summer,” said event co-organizer Linda Riddle. “We have lots of plants that bloom at different times of year.”
With plants in bloom, the garden has attracted numerous people -- many from the adjacent Lucerne Valley Senior Center -- who walk on its paths and rest on its several strategically placed benches.
“A lot of the seniors use this path to exercise,” she said.
Groundbreaking for the Water Awareness Garden took place in late 1994 with landscaping beginning the following year. CSA29 installed perimeter sidewalks — with concrete donated by Mitsubishi Cement — in the fall of 1996. The garden was dedicated to developer and club member Marie Russell in 2007.
After touring the Water Awareness Garden, spring tour attendees caravanned to the Sapphire Road home Walter and Edna, who led guests around their property. The second leg of the tour was on Trade Post Road at the home of Michelle and Mark. A box lunch was awaiting participants on the third and final part of the tour at the Rabbit Springs Road home of Sara.
Tonya Judkins is current president of the Desert Crossroads Garden Club.
New trees and shrubs will be added to the Water Awareness Garden on National Arbor Day, Friday, April 25. The public is invited the event.