Regina's 24th annual Secret Garden Tour celebrates the season with otherworldly oases

An urban oasis. That's what organizers of the 24th annual Secret Garden Tour by New Dance Horizons said Regina people are in store for this weekend.

The tour kicked off Friday and continues until Sunday. The event is a fundraiser for New Dance Horizons.

This summer's tour features 13 gardens throughout the city. All of them bloom and inspire in different ways — they are hidden gems with fruit trees, vegetable gardens, lily gardens, tiny waterfalls, a sauna and elaborate designs made of rocks. 

"What I was really struck by this year was that many of the gardens were secret when you drive up. There's definitely something cooking in the back here, but when you open the garden gate … holy! It just explodes!" said Robin Poitras, co-artistic and managing director of New Dance Horizons.

She said the pandemic brought the creativity out of gardeners and would-be gardeners. 

"I think that a lot of people through COVID also really engaged more in their outdoor spaces because they were stuck at home."

Gary Varro's garden in Regina's Heritage neighbourhood is one of the stops on the Secret Garden Tour. It has a dining room and a living room. There's a sauna and even an outdoor shower, along with other water features. These outdoor "rooms" are swimming with green, from tropical plants to more local ones.

"It started off as a very practical solution to security. I needed to build a fence because people were attempting to break into my house. And that avalanched into this crazy spectacle that you see in front of you," said Varro, gesturing to his packed garden space. 

Varro has a background in design, and it's a passion of his. That's more than evident when you step into his garden.

"I was like, you know, I'm going to treat myself and do this fantasy and make it reality. And I think I may have accomplished that. It's basically a living space that's outdoors. And I've more or less doubled my living space for the summer or for our short season."

Varro said he wanted the garden to generate a sense of privacy for people who walk into it, so they can cut out the noise of the world for awhile.

"Kind of transport yourself to a realm of pleasure and relaxation … calm meditation. I have benches all around the place for that reason. So you can go into these little corners, and just sit and not think and focus on what's around you," Varro said.

On to the next secret garden.

When you approach Valerie and Steven Biden's house in northwest Regina, it blends in nicely with the other homes in the neighbourhood. They live right at the edge of the city, with canola fields clearly visible from their yard.