Madera looks to flourish during annual Glorious Gardens Tour
Annette Nordine/The Madera Tribune Low-growing plantings, garden art and colorful pots bursting with interesting plants, a pool, patio and tucked away seating areas in the Taubert’s back garden lend a feeling of being on an adventure with Remmie, the Cocker Spaniel, in the lead.
Drought tolerant and low-maintenance are two buzzwords used today when describing the perfect Madera County home garden.
And at the Taubert garden in Madera, one of four being featured in the annual Master Gardeners Glorious Gardens Tour set for Saturday, you can add “pet friendly” and “lawnmower-free” as the Tauberts’ likeable black cocker spaniel acts as unofficial host.
The garden features outdoor spaces filled with an abundance of succulents, perennials and annuals, many of which are starts from her grandmother’s and mother’s gardens.
Dwarf citrus trees and herbs planted in barrels, plus artichoke, eggplant and tomatoes highlight the vegetable garden area.
At the front of the house stands a majestic 25-year-old rose tree and low-growing azaleas planted when the family bought the house. But the high-maintenance lawn was replaced with a variety of colorful annuals and perennials including the Shasta Daisies from grandmother’s Garden in Berkley.
The lawn-to-garden transformation began in early 2014, when the local utility company’s gas line easement required removal of large trees and shrubs from their back yard. They were given some replacement plantings. This was the impetus for total change.
Described as a therapy project, redoing the garden saw Jim and Mardy Taubert doing all of the work themselves by hand. It is now for them a place of nurturing, peace, beauty and memories.
