As the bulbs push their way skyward and the first floral fragrances begin to waft, gardeners across our island begin looking forward to the annual Vashon Garden Tour in June — a fundraiser to sustain the nonprofit work of Vashon Center for the Arts as it celebrates the arts on Vashon and cultivates the artists of tomorrow.

While gardeners love to take care of their gardens, this year’s Vashon Garden Tour is all about the ways gardens care for us. In addition to enjoying some of Vashon’s truly wonderful landscaping and horticulture, each garden offers another way to figuratively “stop and smell the flowers.”

Find inner peace on a bench in the pastoral Madrona Meadows; indulge your playful side with some “goofy goats” or a treasure hunt at BrambleByrne; escape into a Rousseau painting in the garden of Dustin Schulte and Alan Rose; experience the verdant muse of nature photographer Mary Liz Austin; get mindful about stewarding the earth at Littlest Bird Farm; or be inspired to nurture yourself with organics at Aeggy’s Farm.

Madrona Meadows

You can find peace at Madrona Meadows, the idyllic and pastoral property of Sue and Scott DeNies.

There, you’ll peruse an impressive vegetable garden, admire blooming flowerbeds galore and marvel at the detail of a French country-style post-and-beam barn. Take a wooded trail through native madronas, Douglas firs and salal, and rest on a quiet bench while soaking in the surroundings — a great bird-watching spot.

Finish up your tour at a serene pond surrounded by mature forest and plenty of wildlife.

BrambleByrne

A tranquil Cascade mountain pond, tumbling waterfall, and meandering rock river blend with contrasting Salish driftwood and Southwest desert gardens. The park-like setting of Mike and Brigitte Brown’s BrambleByrne was once a cattle and chicken farm and now serves as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ruminant rescue.

Beginning in 2020, the Browns have transformed pastures into a peaceful retreat, combining native and non-native gardens with whimsical art and Granny’s Attic treasures. Their guests can mingle with a small herd of goofy goats, forage for fruits and vegetables, pick flowers, curl up with a good book, or watch the sunset by the pond. Garden Tour visitors are welcome to play a round of croquet, complete a treasure hunt, or feed the goats.

Dustin Schulte and Alan Rose

The garden of Alan Rose and Dustin Schulte is a plant collector and garden designer’s garden. Featuring many unusual specimens acquired from specialty nurseries near and far, this 2-acre garden will delight visitors with a broad range of plant textures and colors inspired by the verdant and eclectic landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

The garden has been a labor of love for Rose and Schulte for the last ten years, with a significant garden expansion and hardscaping improvements completed in 2024. Plants range from rare rhododendrons and ferns to kniphofias and grasses. Together, they have transformed a sunny island property into a lush tapestry and showcase of plants reminiscent of a Rousseau painting.

Mary Liz Austin

Hidden in plain sight on Morgan Hill, Mary Liz Austin’s Garden is a portal to a verdant knoll of bewitching beauty.

Thoughtful planting combinations include a variety of sun-loving perennials, a mix of grasses, and whimsical garden art. A visit to her garden reveals a window into the heart of a true artist: a creative soul who transforms the ordinary into the exceptional through the alchemy of hard work, imagination and the love of nature.

Littlest Bird Farm

Littlest Bird Farm was once the Zarth farm, and Kim Kambak continues to honor this land that was stewarded for millennia by the Coast Salish people. Today, Kim raises poultry, sheep, pork, blueberries, flowers, and vegetables on 5.7 acres. She removes invasive plants and has planted more than 100 native shrubs and bushes.

Integrating various types of compost specific to the plant’s needs is part of the farm plan. “I hope to move towards the farm becoming a closed loop needing less inputs,” she said. “I hope to leave this soil healthy and productive for future generations.”

Aeggy’s Farm

Aeggy’s Farm is a small, multi-generational family farm with a greenhouse, two cultivated acres of fruit and vegetables, and 120 laying hens who are the secret to the farm’s signature egg sandwiches sold at the Saturday Vashon Farmers Market.

Aeggy’s practices regenerative farming, rotating their chickens so they forage, cultivate, and fertilize the land. This fertile four-acre hillside property is a gardener’s paradise, with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas, and of course, beautiful flowers such as dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, and peonies.

Because Aeggy’s Farm has its own stand, you can take home the flowers you see! You’ll also be able to purchase fresh eggs, produce, and fruit at the farm stand, and if you come on Sunday, they’ll be cooking up hot prepared dishes straight from the garden.

The Vashon Garden Tour runs June 21–22, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. each day. Tickets are $36 each and are valid on both days, so you can stroll at your leisure. Find information and purchase tickets at vashongardentour.org.

Allie Maki Maya is VCA’s development director. Ian Bell is VCA’s marketing director.

VCA, Windermere and Beth de Groen present the 2025 Vashon Garden Tour

• What: Visit six private gardens across the island during public tours — a chance to inspire your own home and take in local beauty. Browse or purchase garden-themed art at VCA’s special exhibit. Proceeds support VCA’s work to promote art on Vashon and cultivate the artists of tomorrow.

• When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on both Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22.

• Where: Ticketholders can check in at Vashon Center for the Arts (19600 Vashon Hwy SW) to receive their Garden Map at the box office.

• How: Get tickets and more information at vashongardentour.org.

Mary Liz Austin’s summer perennial garden is a portal to a verdant knoll of bewitching beauty. (Courtesy photo)

The garden of Alan Rose and Dustin Schulte is a plant collector’s and garden designer’s paradise. (Courtesy photo)

Aeggy’s Farm is a gardener’s paradise with 120 laying hens. (Courtesy photo)

A tranquil pond, tumbling waterfall, and meandering rock river blend await at BrambleByrne. (Courtesy photo)

Littlest Bird Farm features poultry, sheep, pork, blueberries, flowers, and vegetables on 5.7 acres. (Courtesy photo)