The 18th Annual West Seattle Garden Tour (WSGT) will be held on Sunday, July 15, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. This year's tour features nine spectacular West Seattle gardens, including a former winner in the Pacific Northwest Gardens Competition. Garden descriptions and photos can be found at www.westseattlegardentour.com.

Lorene Edwards Forkner is this year's guest lecturer. Lorene is a long time resident of West Seattle and her garden has been featured on many garden tours and profiled in several publications; you may remember her garden folly travel trailer from the 2011 WSGT. In addition to an active writing and speaking career, Lorene is the editor of Pacific Horticulture, a quarterly publication dedicated to exploring West Coast gardening life in print and online. Follow Lorene online as she blogs about gardens and the stories behind them at PlantedAtHome.com.

Lorene's lecture topic is The Handmade Garden. Using highlights and projects from her latest book, Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More, Lorene's lecture will focus on the inspirational, lively and sometimes quirky profiles of "hands-on" gardeners and the personality-infused gardens they create.

Lorene will be available for questions immediately following the lecture and will have copies of her book for sale.

The nine gardens, whose locations are not revealed prior to the event are given colorful or descriptive names by the organizers such as " Curb Enthusiasm, Bluffside Beauty, or Pollinator's Paradise."

You can read their descriptions on the event's website here.

WSGT is a non profit organization and the net proceeds from the event go to Seattle based non-profit organizations that promote horticultural, education or artistic endeavors:

• The Bloedel Reserve
• Neighborhood House YELS
• Highline Seatac Botanical Garden
• Kubota Garden
• Barton Street Community Garden
• Community Orchard of West Seattle
• Seattle Chinese Garden
• ArtsWest Theatre

The poster art for the event was created by artist Sheila Lengle. She will be at the garden called Pollinators' Paradise from 12-4 on the day of tour to sign posters and ticket books.

2012 Ticket Outlets
Ticket books are on sale at the following locations for $15 each:

Admiral Metropolitan Market
2320 42nd Ave SW
West Seattle; 206/937-0551

ArtsWest Theatre
4711 California Avenue SW
West Seattle; 206/938-0339

Furney's Nursery
21215 International Boulevard
Des Moines; 206/624-0634

Junction True Value
4747 44th Ave SW
West Seattle; 206/932-0450

Swanson's Nursery
9701 15th Ave NW
Seattle; 206/782-2543

Village Green Perennial Nursery
10223 26th Ave SW
West Seattle; 206/767-7735

Wells Medina Nursery
8300 NE 24th
Medina; 425/454-1853

West Seattle Nursery
5275 California Ave SW
West Seattle; 206/935-9276

Purchase ticket vouchers online now at brownpapertickets.com