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Join us for a relaxed, self-guided garden tour featuring a range of unique landscapes across Castle Rock, Centennial, and Aurora.

This joint event highlights waterwise, alpine, and cactus-focused gardens adapted to Colorado’s climate. It’s a great chance to see how other gardeners are working with real conditions here along the Front Range.

Saturday, May 30, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Self-guided
Castle Rock, Centennial, Aurora

-This tour takes place in private residential gardens and is shared directly with members.
-Garden locations, addresses, and tour details will be sent by email to members prior to the event.
-If you are already a member, just keep an eye on your inbox.
-If you are not currently a member, this is a great time to join and be included.

👉 Click on the green button at the bottom of the page to Become a Member!

Gardens on the Tour

Ryan Harter – Castle Rock

The Xeric Garden is located on one-third of an acre in Castle Rock at about 6,400 feet. Since 2021, it has been gradually transformed from a traditional yard into a plant-driven, waterwise landscape. The garden features crevice gardens, terraced beds, and a wide range of drought-tolerant perennials, alpine and steppe plants, grasses, and dwarf conifers. With areas ranging from completely unwatered to lightly irrigated, it offers a chance to see what truly thrives in these conditions, including a long staircase lined with Delosperma.

Marcia and Randy Tatroe – Centennial

Marcia and Randy have been gardening on the same small suburban lot for nearly forty years. Over time, the garden became overgrown, with buried boulders, persistent weeds, and increasing shade from mature trees. A major renovation followed, with rock gardens rebuilt one at a time, including soil improvements and reworking plantings. The renewed focus emphasizes cacti, succulents, and dryland plants, creating a refreshed and thoughtfully updated landscape.

Lisa Brown – Centennial

Lisa’s garden began in 2018 as a small rock garden along her driveway, created from a load of lava rock. What started as a simple project has steadily expanded over time, gradually replacing a more traditional perennial planting. Today, the space includes a mix of cactus and heat-tolerant plants adapted to a dry, non-irrigated setting. More recently, a crevice garden has been added near the front porch, exploring plants suited to slightly more sheltered conditions.

Joe McCleary – Centennial

Joe’s garden includes rock gardens and a cactus garden that have developed over the past twenty years. The space reflects a long-term approach to building and maintaining these types of plantings, offering a look at how rock and cactus gardens mature and evolve over time.

Carol Gross – Aurora

Carol’s “Not-So-Secret Garden” is a newer landscape developed on a visible corner lot with challenging conditions, including poor soil, wind, sun exposure, and deer. Established over the past two years, the garden includes raised vegetable beds and crevice gardens, along with a mix of alpine and xeric plants. Despite the site challenges, the garden continues to evolve, with many plants settling in and thriving.

A Few Things to Know
-You may visit the gardens in any order and at your own pace
-Please be respectful of each property and follow any posted guidance
-Parking details will be included in the email sent to members
-Some gardens include uneven terrain, sun exposure, and tighter spaces
-Join the Colorado Cactus and Succulent Society to participate in member's only events like this

If you enjoy seeing unique gardens like these, connecting with other plant enthusiasts, and learning what actually works in Colorado, membership is a great way to stay involved.

Members receive access to events like this garden tour, along with ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and connect throughout the year.

👉Click on the green button at the bottom of the page to Become a Member!