Morro Bay Marinos: The AAUW Garden Tour

Vince and Janet Marino's Morro Bay garden is making waves! Their Gardens by Gabriel landscape, installed 2 years ago in the spring of 2010, was featured in an article we wrote for the Tolosa Press; highlighted by the SLO Tribune in November of 2011; and is now one of the five gardens in 2012's AAUW (the American Association of University Women) spring Garden Tour.

"The AAUW is a great organization," says Vince Marino, "and the proceeds of this tour are going to do a lot of local good." The Marinos became involved with the garden tour through a number of channels: One of the Marinos' neighbors is a member of the AAUW; another neighbor's garden was in a previous year's tour; and the SLO Tribune's garden writer, Sharon Crawford, put in her recommendation as well.

Vince and Janet are preparing their garden for an influx of guests. "We're trying to be as ready as we can!" says Vince. "We'll have a welcome table set up, and a route for people to follow to best see the space." The Marinos have enjoyed their garden since its installation, and have equally enjoyed caring it. "This place is a botanical garden," Vince says, "with plenty of natural flavor and attention to detail. Janet works out here all the time, keeping it healthy and beautiful." For all her hard work, however, Janet says, "The garden belongs to God and Gabriel; I just work in it!" 

As for their motivation for sharing their space with 500 visitors, Vince says, "We're both so proud of this place. Everyone says 'Wow!' when they see it. Since we've learned a lot by visiting other gardens and nurseries, we're looking forward to sharing our creation with other people. We feel that people can enjoy our garden, learn from it, and get a sense of what's possible."

This year's tour begins at 12:00 on April 29th, 2012, and continues until 5:00 p.m. that afternoon. Five gardens in Los Osos and Morro Bay will be displayed, and the price to enjoy them is a mere $10. Tickets are available at Miner's Hardware stores, Volumes of Pleasure Bookstore in Los Osos, and Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay. The tour is self-guided; take the time to enjoy the plants at your own pace. Vince and Janet will be waiting for you, ready to answer questions and show off their incredible views and enchanting landscape.