Visitors to the 27th annual Garden Tour were treated to a variety of plants and flowers as they explored the work of Hoquiam’s growers.

Hosted by the Master Gardeners Foundation of Washington State, the Hoquiam garden tour featured five private house gardens along with a Master Gardener plant sale. The primary goal of the organization is to provide “support of and advocacy for WSU Extension Master Gardener Programs throughout the state.”

“We think of this as an educational event,” said Kelly Rupp, a volunteer with WSU’s Master Gardener Program. “Our mission is to work within the community to educate them on agriculture and gardening. We want people to be successful in their gardening.”

The Hoquiam garden tour itself, Rupp mentioned, was a “one stage” of Master Gardeners Foundation events hosted throughout Washington state. “We do it in different places every year … a thousand people or so will be touring these gardens.”

Jeff Greene, a carnivorous plant grower, when asked about his plants, mentioned how “they are very adaptable. Contrary to popular belief, they are a lot easier to take care of than you would think.”

The garden of Chris Gunderson and Jessie Toscano offered a variety of plants and trees from various parts of the world. Formerly known as the Westland, the property was the Lamb family garden. Frank Lamb designed the six-acre estates and pulled inspiration from his extensive travels, according to the granddaughter of Frank Lamb, Jean Bolton.

Everything, even the inside of the house, is inspired by the places they traveled.

“Grampa was a botanist; he went to Stanford and was on his way to a very distinguished career,” said Jean Bolton, an expert in the scientific study of plants. “The whole place represents family.”

Bolton mentions the time she spent in the garden.

“I remember catching tadpoles and watching them grow up,” she said.

Bolton’s advice to people thinking about starting a garden was to create your little corner of peace.”

Gunderson and Toscano, owners of the property, are in the process of determining the plan moving forward.

“The intent is to restore and enhance it,” said Gunderson. “However, I will have to kind of pick and choose which decades I want to restore to because there were so many iterations. … anything that’s been broken I have been trying to fix.”

Future goals for the garden are “potentially a community garden.”

Jean Bolton in front of a memorable spot in the former Lamb Garden.

Chris Gunderson (left) and Jessie Toscano are new owners of the former Lamb Garden.