The Riviera Garden Club is pleased to announce the upcoming garden event, Beyond the Garden Gate, Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 10 am to 4 pm. The self-guided tour of 8 special private gardens in the beautiful Hollywood Riviera area will include a hospitality house with education booths and refreshments. The eight tour gardens were chosen for their uniqueness and variety.

Take a peek behind the gates of a lush Mediterranean garden with an unusual sand-ring firepit;  a designer€™s dream at a seaside hacienda with impeccable landscaping and terraced gardens to the Pacific; an original Red tiled roof historic home, part of the original Hollywood Riviera seaside development of the 1930’s; bone up on water-wise gardening at the newly remodeled environmental home; enjoy the city view at the terraced dry-stream landscape and appreciate the hillside challenge homeowners€™ turned into a three-tiered water fall.and visit a small and charming colorful romantic hideaway, a sought-after wedding site.  A Riviera Garden Club member will host the hospitality house €“ check out the lovely boy and girl garden seat statue in the front yard; a succulent garden, gorgeous bonsais and Japanese maples.  Experts will be available at the €œHospitality House€ to demonstrate flower arranging, etc.  Also see a demonstration of €œlasagna gardening€ €“ a layered approach to growing in difficult places. The Riviera Garden Club€™s Master Gardner, Diane Connell, will also be available to give landscape and plant advice and answer questions. Riviera Historian, Marshall Stewart, will be at the Historic Home to talk about the area history and Landscape Designer, Gina Bush will talk about eco friendly gardening at the Environmental Home.The Riviera Garden Club celebrated its 50th birthday last year.  Club members are involved in local civic beautification, education and scholarships.  The Club has been involved in the development of the Rocketship Park, South Coast Botanic Gardens and many area plantings and improvements.Tickets went on sale September 6th.  $25 presale/$30 day of tour, and can be purchased at Bristol Farms in Redondo Beach; Villa Hermosa in Torrance; through Paypal at the Club’s website http://www.riveragardenclub.org, or by mailing a check made out to RGC to J. Young at 5105 Via el Sereno, Torrance 90505.  Tour day please look for festive umbrellas at the tour houses. Questions, please call the Riviera Garden Club Co-President Geneva Martin at 310.378.9767.