Oak Harbor gardens open for tour and tea
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Garden enthusiasts will have a chance to tour some of the finest private gardens in and around Oak Harbor next week.
The Oak Harbor Garden Club’s annual Tour and Tea returns for its 23rd year on June 27. A $35 ticket includes morning refreshments, admission to an after-party at Mailliard’s Landing Nursery and access to eight private gardens, including one which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to create.
Evergreen Landscape and Construction is responsible for that garden — located in a neighborhood off Polnell Road — which came to fruition after two years of work.
Arianna Basoco, an Evergreen co-founder and garden designer, explained that the homeowner, an older woman, wanted a garden which felt whimsical but could still be easily maintained and navigated. That meant no grass and plenty of walkways. Having completed a $2 million landscaping project for an assisted living facility, Basoco knew what features would help make the garden accessible.
Plants line the long, winding driveway which leads to the home, the pathway to the front door — which features a stained glass tree design — and the perimeter of the property. Strategic plantings like these create a degree of privacy, but still allow the property to feel open, Basoco explained.
Vegetation is carefully curated, and to a novice, completely unrecognizable. Ferns and Japanese bloodgrass populate the property. Adjacent to the home sits a tree special ordered from one of several old-growth nurseries Basoco works with; she estimates the tree could be anywhere from 75 to 90 years old.
Sustainability is a defining characteristic of the garden, Basoco explained: rainwater is collected for reuse; there is a “thermal heat grid” underneath the property; solar panels on the roof supply the home with power.
And a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables — apples, strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, snap peas and potatoes, to name a few — grow in a climate-controlled greenhouse, a small orchard and several planters on the property.
Basoco said she is proud of the garden she, installer Crockett Parker and their team created. Leaving her mark through gardening is something Basoco loves about her job; ironically, she hated gardening as a kid.
Basoco started Evergreen 25 years ago as a lawn-maintenance business serving about 200 homes each month. Over time, the company shifted its focus toward large-scale landscape design and construction projects. Creating and maintaining large-scale landscaping projects have become more of the company’s “forte” as time has passed, Basoco explained. Evergreen serves Western Washington, from “tip to stern,” she added.
“It really depends on the project and where you’re located but, as long as it’s a good enough project, we’ll come to you,” Basoco explained.
Basoco tried to get this garden featured in the Tour and Tea event for two years.
Robin Boyle, a member of the Oak Harbor Garden Club, explained that the club canceled last year’s event due to a lack of gardens to tour — at least five are needed. Fundraising is a goal of the Tour and Tea event, but it also serves as a controlled way for local gardeners to find inspiration for their own gardens in strangers’ backyards.
Tour and Tea attendees will be informed of the location of gardens and the tea site day-of, and must have their tickets in-hand as they arrive at each garden.
“To be able to spend 20, 30 bucks and be able to get that kind of spark put into you is kind of exciting,” Basoco said.
Tickets are $35, and can be purchased online at oakharborgardenclub.org or at one of three locations: ACE Hardware, Greenhouse Florist and Nursery or Mailliard’s Landing Nursery. Children 12 and under can attend for free.
