Sunday May 4

Green thumbs dig Gamble Garden Tour

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Columnist

The 23rd annual Spring Gamble Garden Tour showcased five private neighborhood gardens of Old Palo Alto. For the first time, all of the gardens were within walking distance of the Gamble Garden Center.

The April 25 and 26 benefits, which generate more than a third of Gamble's annual operating budget, attracted almost 2,000 garden enthusiasts who came away with ideas for creating outdoor entertaining spaces.

Chairwoman Leslie Huey took time to say thanks to the generous homeowners "who shared their beautiful gardens with us," as well as the volunteers and staff who worked so hard on the benefit.

After touring the gardens, guests lunched alfresco on the teahouse terrace, bid on silent auction items, shopped in the boutique and chatted with master gardeners. Guests also purchased raffle tickets in hopes of winning a grill from Barbeques Galore in Palo Alto, a gardening goodie bag from Smith & Hawken or one of several fabulous table settings.

For the first time, The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel offered tourgoers a quick break with a complimentary hand or neck massage. Smart shoppers took home gently used gifts and treasures from the popular Over the Garden Gate shop (chaired by Karen Fry and Mimi Meffert), as well as hard-to-find plant species that included those propagated at Gamble Garden and, for the first time, from tour gardens. According to Huey, a record-setting $10,000 worth of plants were sold.

It was a labor of love for the 250 dedicated volunteers. Dressed in spring outfits with matching hats, Maddie Stein (who has participated in the Gamble Garden Tour since the beginning) and Carol Friedman reprised their volunteer hostess roles along with Lena Dawson, Pat Davis, Gamble Garden President Colette Rudd and Susann Mirabella. Mirabella was the lucky winner of the Four Seasons Spa silent auction prize of a poolside lunch for four with mini spa services and a pair of poolside cabanas.

The tour gardens reflected the homeowners' unique interests and vision, as well as their homes' specific architecture. A Mary Gordon landscape garden incorporated multiple living levels, arches, tiles and coordinating colors to enhance a 1925 Italian villa. An English Tudor featured a herb garden and sophisticated marble poolside sculpture. A recently remodeled Historic Registry property, designed and formerly owned by renowned Palo Alto architect Birge Clark, demonstrated the use of hardscape and water elements to solve the noise problem generated by traffic on Embarcadero Road.

For homeowner Anne Anderson it was her second garden collaboration with designers Laurie Callaway and Connie Lefkowitz. Anderson said her family loves to entertain so the state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen and dining area was a primary focus. Special garden areas were planned for both adults and her three sons. Anderson not only greeted guests in her garden, she invited her mother Mary Lou Patterson, sister Lissa Fickett and her mother-in-law Alice Anderson to attend the tour.

To complement the 1920s Mediterranean home, landscape designer Betty Lee used the existing hardscape and mature trees as a starting point in her creation of a new classic European garden.

Seen touring were Jeanne Fischer, Susan Golovin, Pat Gregory, Tina Patterson, Elsie Quigley, Jane Yates and sponsor Leannah Hunt.


ART CENTER'S "STYLE 2008"

The fourth annual Palo Alto Art Center benefit, "Style 2008: A Magical Art-for-Wear Trunk Show," on April 26, showcased artistic creations by 35 international contemporary artists who work with textile clothing, jewelry and accessories. It was a fashionista's dream, featuring daylong shopping, as well as a patrons champagne brunch.

Show originator Diane Master, manager of the Art Center's Gallery Shop, again reprised her chairmanship role. "Without a doubt 'Style 2008' was our best art-for-wear event since its inception," she said. "Once again, the artists and designers represented the very best in textile clothing, accessories and jewelry and offered a fantastic selection of items perfect for any occasion."

Clever, colorful invitations displaying fun jewelry, designed by Palo Alto teenager Camille Zellinger, set the tone for the stylish trunk show.

These unique fashion items are described as "creative today, classic tomorrow;" and all are made from natural fabrics and materials, such as Cari Borja's ruffled dresses and coats, which were ahead of the curve when they debuted several years ago.

Some designers emphasized a green orientation. Lisa Fidler used recycled vintage wool, cashmere, mohair and angora sweaters to create her garments. Jill Pillot showcased gently used clothing she recycled to create one-of- a-kind children's clothing and accessories. Rebecca Bashara and Scott MacDonald incorporated rocks and stones from Puget Sound and ocean glass in the fabrication of their jewelry.

About 60 people attended the champagne brunch, including Barbara Olson, Dorothea Gordon, Anne Avis, Nancy Mueller, Gina Jorasch, and board members Brigid Barton, Joanne Gee, Robin Welles, Kristin Rampe, and Carolyn Tucher.

The more than 600 people who attended generated a 35 percent increase in sales from last year. Funds raised at "Style 2008" will benefit the Art Foundation's art and education programs at the center.


E-mail Janet Duca Norton at society@paloaltodailynews.com.