The Coastal Gardener:

In 1985, I got in my car and pointed it toward Westminster. Through the gardening grapevine, I had heard of a new little out-of-the-way place that had some interesting and hard-to-find perennials.

The address I was given was somewhat vague: “behind the Westminster Mall.” “Almost under the freeway” was another rumor.

Finally, I remember something like, “Cross over some railroad tracks, then turn left and listen for some chickens; it’s right there.”

I finally found a little nursery called Heard’s County Gardens, and for the next 15 years I became a frequent visitor, often every week, eventually getting to know Mary Lou Heard quite well.

Heard’s Country Gardens had plants that none of the rest of us had. A check of my notes from the time shows that about 300 varieties went home with me from this hidden little nursery, and I was an “insider” already in the business.

When Mary Lou was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 she called me, and I visited her at her home. We talked for a while. She wanted to know if I was interested in taking over Heard’s Country Gardens. She would only sell it to someone with real passion, someone who might continue the tradition she had begun.

At the time I didn’t know that Mary Lou Heard was ill.

The most important thing to Mary Lou was that those gardeners that depended upon her and her little garden center would still be able to get the plants they wanted, and that local gardens would continue to blossom.

Two years later, I remember her funeral, where her own words were read — uplifting words that touched everyone. It was more a celebration of both gardening and life. It wasn’t a funeral.

One of the greatest contributions that Mary Lou gave to all of us was an annual home garden tour. In 1993, Mary Lou came up with the notion of a tour — “real gardens by real people,” she would call it. It was to be self-guided.

She would share the addresses of some “real gardens” and write a whimsical little parable about each of them in her newsletter. She figured a few people would show up during the day to leisurely walk around, investigate some interesting plants, take a few pictures and say hello to the head gardener.

At the time, the concept of a home garden tour was unique and no one, including Mary Lou, knew what would happen. The Heard’s Garden Tour was an instant success, with more than 800 garden lovers in attendance the first year. Word spread quickly, and within a couple of years the tour would draw thousands.

Although Mary Lou is no longer with us, her garden tour lives on, exactly as she would have wanted. “Real gardens by real gardeners.”

It remains the most popular home garden tour in Orange County.

This year’s tour features 39 gardens, scattered throughout Orange County and Long Beach. Because of its popularity, the tour is a two-day event with different gardens open each day and a few open both days. The tour is organized by the Mary Lou Heard Foundation, a California nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing Mary Lou’s life work.

There never has been a fee to view a garden on the Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour, but there are donation jars at the entrance of each garden. This is a charity event. Tickets to other tours, often with only six or seven gardens for viewing, range from $25 to $60, so you decide what is appropriate.

Let your heart and your spirit dictate the amount of your gift.

The gardens will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 1 and 2. For a list of the garden addresses, the day the gardens are open and wonderful descriptive backgrounds about each garden, you will need a tour newsletter. You’ll want this guide with you as you drive from garden to garden, not just for the addresses, but for the information about the gardens and gardeners.

You can pick up a Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour newsletter at most Orange County nurseries.

You can also visit www.heardsgardentour.com.

I hope to see you there. When you’re in one of the gardens, stop for a moment and listen.

If you pay very close attention, you might hear Mary Lou greeting you.

She would be smiling, glad that you were there.

Ask Ron

Question: Are queen palm roots shallow or deep? I have had a problem with nearby cement ‘lifting’ and am not sure if it is the palm or a rubber tree in the area.

Jeri

Newport Beach

Answer: Palm roots are typically rather shallow, but are nonetheless unlikely to cause much damage or lifting of concrete. All palms are monocots, like lilies, grasses, bamboos and others. Their roots grow in length, but not in girth and they do not become woody, like most trees. Palms do develop a large mass of roots in the soil wherever they are growing, making it difficult to plant anything too near to them or even to dig a whole. But their roots are not strong enough to lift most concrete. I suspect your culprit is the rubber tree with its woody root system.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@ rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.