After a long COVID-19 absence, the annual Corrales Garden Tour (CGT) is back.
Wendy Hoffman
It returns today (June 5) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., celebrating its 11th anniversary.
According to the tour’s website: “Each year since 2010, the Corrales Garden Tour has showcased exceptional gardens within Corrales. Different soil types, water access, tree coverage and temperature ranges have determined the composition of the gardens.
“The goal each year is to provide a variety so everyone who visits will find a garden that appeals to them.”
Through the years, the tour has had added importance beyond summer entertainment: The committee adopted a fundraising cause, landscaping for Corrales’ PAR project, a proposed walkway that would enable visitors to stroll the village’s arts and retail district. Currently under discussion with the department of transportation, PAR remains a sought-after pedestrian addition.
Again, from the tour’s website, “Plans for a pedestrian path alongside Corrales Road were begun several years back. Since no funds were available for landscaping, a group of volunteers thought visitors would enjoy seeing interesting gardens, and the money raised would augment the path project and provide landscaping. …To date, the Corrales Garden Tour is the single largest donor.”
The tour is staged under the auspices of Corrales MainStreet, which plays its own role in PAR.
“The garden tour is a treasured event, and we are so looking forward to its return this year,” said MainStreet Executive Director Angela Gutierrez.
As with most Corrales attributes, gardens on the tour are eclectic and offer something for everyone.
Roses bloom next to wind chimes and a hummingbird feeder in a garden in the Corrales Garden Tour on June 5.
“These are private gardens; the owners have created their oasis suited to their personal taste,” according to the website. “Some are filled with sculpture; others have vineyards, floral beds or vegetable gardens. Water features provide a contrast and relief from our surrounding desert, and many native plants and those hybrids adapted to our climate have been used.”
Committee members say of the community partnership represented by the event, “The Corrales Garden Tour Committee is very grateful to the generosity of the garden owners for opening their gates and allowing about 1,000 people to visit their garden during the seven hours of the tour.”
In addition, the Sandoval County Master Gardeners supply invaluable assistance to the tour, so they deserve a shout out, as well, say CGT Committee members.
Tickets for the tour are $15. Those wishing to buy tickets today may do so at the tent at Frontier Market.
For more Corrales news, pick up a copy of the Corrales MainStreet News at the Observer office: 409 NM 528 NE, Suite 101, Rio Rancho.
(Wendy Hoffman is the editor of the quarterly Corrales MainStreet News. The publication is a partnership between Corrales MainStreet and the Observer.)
