Proceeds from the garden tour go to beautifying the neighborhoods that participate. Photos by Jeanine Michna Bales
The White Rock East Garden Tour & Artisans highlights different personalities of East Dallas
Everyone knows Little Forest Hills is funky, but did you know they’re competitive too? And thank heavens they are, or else the White Rock East Garden Tour & Artisans wouldn’t be going on its 12th year this May.
“How it started was, Donna [Mason] went to a few garden tours like this, and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, our neighborhood, we could do better than this,’” explains Lottie Minick with a chuckle.
Just like that, Mason and her husband, Jeff, decided to manifest the idea into a garden tour in Little Forest Hills and Casa Linda Estates. When nearby neighbors Minick and Barbara Michaels caught wind of the idea, they asked whether Forest Hills could be included as well. These days, Michaels heads up the tour, although Donna Mason is still over Little Forest Hills.
Neighbors in Forest Hills, Little Forest Hills and Casa Linda Estates use everything from plants, trees, landscaping, waterscaping, and yard art to beautify their yards for the White Rock East Garden & Artisans Tour in May.
“It was a free tour for a long time,” Minick explains. “But as the droughts happened, they lost some big trees, we lost some big trees, and so we kinda decided we’d like to make some money, so now we charge 10 dollars.”
That money goes toward beautifying the neighborhood with things like stone markers, street-sign toppers and water for trees during dry seasons.
“The thing that I love about this tour is that it’s brought the three neighborhoods together. I know more neighbors now with the garden tours. I’ve lived here 20 years, and not until I got involved with the garden tours did I begin to really make friends with people in the three neighborhoods,” Minick says.
The tour is celebrating its 12th year this May.
The day of the tour, the homeowners and extra volunteers stake out at each house and welcome guests into their beautiful gardens in the back and answer any questions the guests might have. “It’s a long day, but it’s a fun day,” Minick says.
They also make a decent little chunk of money during their plant sale in Casa Linda Park. Each of the participants in the garden tour will donate plants to sell. Since Texas can be a tough place for amateur gardeners — or even experienced gardeners, for that matter — they particularly focus on plants that have grown well for them.
Also, since the beginning of the tour, the gardeners have been teaming up with area artists, hence the “artisans” part of the title. At each garden location, two or three artists can pay to set up a booth selling their wares.
Gardens and artists seem to go hand-in-hand, says artist Chris Unruh, who has been selling her recycled-trash art (although her specialty these days is concrete pots) at the garden tour for the past couple of years.
“There are a lot of great artists in this area,” she says. “I think it really rounds out and points out that there’s so many creative people in these neighborhoods.”
The gardens feature everything from organic veggies to exotic blooms to tranquil landscaping to elaborate garden setups. This year, Minick and the others have a couple of “ah-ha” gardens they’re thrilled to showcase, she says.
“We try not to be too snobby that we live in the best place in the world,” she says, laughing. “Actually, that’s not true … I don’t try not to be snobby, but others try not to be snobby. I like to brag about it.”
HOW TO GO:
What: White Rock East Garden Tour & Artisans
When: May 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Buy tickets at1418 Bella Vista, 8706 Forest Hills or 8539 Forest Hills
How Much: $10
