Big Bear Native Garden Tribute!!!

This year a new award has been added to the Sierra Club's 9th annual Xeriscape Garden Tour. The "Jim Otterstrom Earth Home Garden"Award will be presented to the garden that has created the most natural setting including but not limited to native plants. Jim Otterstrom was a native plant proponent and his garden was living proof of his belief that native plants were the best way to landscape your yard. The Otterstrom yard was a perennial favorite on the tour, with Jim and Peggy Otterstrom handing out seeds, sage advice and lemonade. With the passing of Jim in January of this year, the Xeriscape Garden Tour commitee created a new award in his honor.

This year's tour is Saturday, July 16th from 9am to 4pm. Attendees can start the tour at Emingers Mountain Nursery on Big Bear Blvd. in Big Bear Lake, across from Denny's. Participants will have until 4pm to complete the self-guided tour of seven homes. We are still in need of three volunteers. There are two shifts, morning and afternoon, which makes it possible to volunteer AND take the tour. A fun pot luck party takes place on Sunday July 17th, to thank the voluteers, homeowners and sponsors.

Thank you to our sponsors for making this a free tour to the public: Big Bear Lake Fire Protection District, Big Bear member Susan Piestrup, City of Big Bear Lake, CSD Big Bear City, DWP, Emingers Mountain Nursery, Hunters Nursery, Master Composters, Nativescapes, TSL Landscaping and USAA. For more information on the tour contact Christie Walker at (909)866-5006.