Garden tour raises money for Vallejo museum

Eight different gardens will be featured

Though it won't feature a visit to an octopus garden, Sunday's 19th annual Vallejo Garden Tour will feature eight different locations sharing and showcasing some of the finest private collections of plants and flowers in the city.

Benefiting the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum, tickets for the tour, which are $40 per person, can be purchased ahead of time online, or in person at the museum's gift shop, where attendees will start their day by picking up a packet with a map to all of the gardens.

“The homeowners actually volunteer their garden, so we're very thankful to them for doing that,”

said Melinda McCrary, Executive Director of the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum.

“The proceeds go to the general fund, which allows us to plan programs,” continued McCrary. “One of the things that I'm really interested

in and that I want to do more of, particularly next year, are field trips, because students didn't get a lot of opportunity over the last couple years to do field trips. The better we do on these fundraisers, the better our educational programs can be.”

The tour is self-guided, so participants can take it at their own pace throughout the day. There will be

two members of the Master Gardeners of Solano County available to talk at each garden for anybody that might have questions about the locations they are visiting, or about their own tiny oasis at home.

In addition to the fundraising aspects of the event, McCrary, who took over as Executive Director in January, points to the public interactions amongst residents

as another important part of the tour.

“It's a great way to meet your neighbors and meet new people who you may not have otherwise, in addition to seeing beautiful plants and flowers, in addition to supporting the museum, it's a great way to build community,” said McCrary.

“Because the more we know each other as neighbors, the more we'll look

out for each other and the closer-knit our community will be,” said McCrary. “We will all be safer and happier, more joyful. That's a really important aspect of our work.”

If You Go: When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday Where: Starts at Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin St., Vallejo Cost: $40 per person For more info: vallejogardentour.com