Quail Valley Backyard Tour

2012 Garden Tour

Our 2012 Gardens provide a variety of alternatives how different families enrich their lives through their gardens.

Tour is April 21, 2012,
rain or shine from 10-3.

 

The gardens were selected for variety including location and type of lot, price range, garden variety and/or maintenance ease.

Here are the gardens. Please press each link to learn about a specific garden or scroll down to read about all of therm.

• 3530 Palm Grove Drive        Love Story       

• 2902 Del Monte                   Comfort and Tradition

• 3034 La Quinta                   Art n' Critters

• 3207 Robinson Road            Not a "Lookin At" Garden

• 3623 West Creek Club         Made in Texas

Our tour route also winds by the front-garden, outdoor Bird Sculptures owned by Sandy and Dave Thorsen at the corner of La Quinta & Spyglass. The birds are by Jim Phillips who sculpted the Tree Sculptures of Galveston after Hurricane Ike. These interesting and beautiful creations were a solution for oak trees planted too close to the home's foundation.  Press Map to Gardens for tour location.

 

Purchase tickets at any tour location or call Janice Scanlan at 281 261-2320 for advance tickets.

 

Your $10 donation benefit the many community service projects of Quail Valley Garden Club.

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3623 West Creek Club

Made in Texas . . . Donna and Charles Adaway's garden on Oyster Creek just makes you want to kick off your shoes and go sit by the creek, have a cool one, and watch nature.

In many ways this garden feels like a beer garden in the hill country. Lots of seating areas among the trees, or where shade was lost to Hurricane Ike, a canopy covers a seating area with a firepit for cooler times, flowers in the summer. And you're greeted by a dragon . . . but that's another story this friendly, funny couple may tell about their garden made for friends and outdoor entertaining. A large patio connects into the cooking station.

You'll find interesting collectibles throughout the garden. Donna is a bargain finder and she knows how to use spray paint to make the seemingly most uninteresting, yes, even pitiful object, interesting. Even the garage and lean-to shed feel like an outbuilding on a ranch.

 

And like any good Texas garden, the roses and other plants will be blooming away. A jasmine arbor replaces the oak tree. But one cooking station isn't enough . . . you need a smoking section away from the house with some iced-down cool ones as well. And that's Charles' specialty. He can also tell you some wonderful Red-tailed Hawk and other bird stories. Seems there's other benefits to living on Oyster Creek.

Whether you're finding a mail box in a tree, a cow skull out of a Georgia O'Keefe photograph or many Texas and southwestern motifs, this fun and colorful garden is truly Made in Texas, though Charles had to get here from Louisiana as fast as he could.

  

Come enjoy this fun and eclectic garden. It's a great place for enjoying the Adaway's brand of Texas hospitality . . .

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3207 Robinson Road

Not a "lookin' at" garden . . . Patti and Rick Lyons bought their home and garden in Quail Valley six years ago. Patti says she had a "lookin' at" home before that was all white, everything in place; but it was to look at, not live in--without lots of fuss anyway. She wanted a place the entire family, especially the grandkids and cousins, could enjoy, relax and have fun without so many hassles and restrictions.

The large garden on the golf course presented a real challenge to her concept. It was Confederate Jasmine between winding stone paths . . . the patios were no longer inviting . . . so they cleared an area in the jasmine for a stone patio. The paths were treacherous to walk that it ruined the beauty that night brings to the garden. It was time for a big change.

By removing the ground jasmine and paths and re-contouring the patio into multiple seating areas, Patti and Rick are now able to include a large family. Rick alone has 11 siblings . . . and all the kids get into over 30 . . . So it's beautiful and spacious for the adults, but there are large areas to run as well as play nooks . . . far enough away for adults to visit, eat, cook, relax in the hammock and just have a great party--for everyone no matter what the age.

Many of the plantings are outside the fence so the dogs and kids can run and play free, but there's a pleasant buffer between the golf course and family activities--and the color and texture the plants and trees bring.

Multiple seating areas as well as an outdoor cooking area provide much family and friend fun. Using interesting objects as well as a simple clean look helps the garden maintain its spacious, open feel, even if you have a large crowd, and no matter what member of the family decides to take a rest.

Using large pots full of color with colorful outdoor cushions and pillows, this garden is always ready and inviting . . . but Patti no longer worries about a spilled drink or toys scattered about. This warm and fun family sets the mood for whatever game the kids want to make up and keep entertaining fun with less fuss and clean up.

Come enjoy this garden that's made for family fun and the pursuit of happiness.

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3034 La Quinta

Art n' Critters . . . Melissa and John Swanson married in their garden 14 years ago after finding their home in Quail Valley. They wanted mature trees and a unique home and garden.

Two children later, lots of pets and much work, they have 5 outdoor seating areas filled with art, interesting statuary and an array of plants that tend toward tropicals including gingers, elephant ears, and plants with colorful leaves. And you'll see many art pieces of horses, dogs and frogs. This home is interesting just to walk around. The back is sunny with multiple decks and patios filled with tropicals and seasonal plants. 

The front garden is more shade-filled with nooks and crannies everywhere. Above are chairs handcrafted from some old bleachers by artist Ron Burgess as well as, yes, a horse. Seems we have some real ones out on the ranch as well!

Melissa, an events, marketing and artist by profession, has put all of her skills into making the Swanson  home and garden an interesting and comfortable place that adults, kids and pets can co exist. And the views from inside the home incorporate the garden and fit the mood of the room.

The frog band offers a grin from the study.

Every room has a new view and surprise. 

This large and complex garden offers many surprises and ideas. With bold colors and extremely imaginative uses of plants, materials and seating areas, the Swanson's garden has many ways to add some spice to your life. Don't miss it.

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2902 Del Monte

Comfort and Tradition . . . Bil and John Miller have a relaxing garden with a traditional design and rectangular enclosed space. They've created beautiful focal points and transitions that add interest, depth and comfort. This garden is an invitation to relax in the cool shade.

Bil first envisioned a garden of pink. That's when she discovered how much John loves color. Her joy seems to come from watching and sharing John's "puttering and creating"--the view and living in the garden isn't bad either. True to form of many other men who enjoy gardening, John enjoys making things look neat. He's done more than that by creatively placing focal points, paths as well as using color. He loves the garden when it's full of color and this corner lot always has color when you pass off El Dorado.

 

 

A real strength of the garden is how it uses transitions between areas. The transitions often involve water features that bring birds that provide enjoyment and entertainment morning and late afternoon--perfect times for enjoying the garden. That works because you can golf in between.

 

 

Growing up in Longview, John has always been around gardening. He claims his brother is the "real gardener." However, he and Bil enjoy visiting nurseries and especially the family-owned ones where you can find something special. Another strong point of the garden is the way plants, rocks and other hardscape have been mixed for texture.

 

With railings, trellises, numerous water features and statuary, the design features pull the eye to a new area . . . and invite the visitor to discover a new portion of the garden.

Come visit the Miller's garden. It will change your mind about rectangular lots and provide ingenious ideas to create a neat, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere that's deceptively nuanced.

 

New surprises are seen around every corner. This is a garden to walk through from several angles.

 

 

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3530 Palm Grove Drive

 Love Story . . . Just like the cherubs above the pond, this garden is a love story about Alfredo and Alitza Vallejo's love of their garden and family.

 

The garden has a very old world feel including items from their native Guatemala and Alitza's family roots in Germany. Every item has a story and a reason for its placement.

 Alfredo has designed and built the garden and placed all the decorative items and potted plants for maximum visual impact.

 He is a master of taking advantage of misfortune, like the loss of a tree to create a focal point of interest. Using many tropical plants he has covered portions of the garden to ensure, Mother Nature cooperating, that even some tropicals will be blooming.

 

You enter the garden through a front garden full of colorful plants into an area covered for citrus trees and other tropicals. In another sunnier section of the garden, a grape vine covers the watering hose. Alfredo loves to tell stories about the garden and his passion flows. When the couple lived in Victoria, the Victoria Garden Club used their garden for annual special events. It was a Victorian Garden at an old home. Their new garden is different, but continues to reflect this love story.

 

Alitza uses the garden for her love of cooking and crafts. Her clever uses of dried flowers from the butterfly vine and other flowers is indeed impressive. Using the dried flowers in many ways are just some of the wonderful surprises of this garden.

Don't miss seeing this Love Story Garden with its lush surprises, beautiful crafts and the tender loving care that has nurtured and built every part.

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