Arizona Real Estate Notebook

I love this stuff. It’s part of the real business of real estate… having a beautiful home to live in.

Garden Tours

Here are some of the Phoenix area garden tours offered in the next several weeks as printed in the Arizona Republic:

Real Gardens for Real People Tour: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. next Saturday. A self-guided driving tour of five homes and one elementary school in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Find raised vegetable beds, ideas for dining areas and water features. $20. For a list of ticket locations, visit www.maricopamaster gardener.org. Tickets available the day of the tour at Squaw Peak Elementary School, 4601 N. 34th St., Phoenix.

Encanto-Palmcroft Historic Home & Garden Tour: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 25. Tour includes 12 homes in a picturesque neighborhood. Find historically accurate landscapes: lawns, mature palm trees and colorful bedding flowers. $18. Parking, tickets and free shuttle at Phoenix College, 1202 W. Thomas Road. www.encantopalmcroft.org.

Valley of the Sun Gardeners Tour: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 31. A self-guided driving tour of six homes in Phoenix and Paradise Valley. Find an assortment of rare tropical plants and xeriscape havens for wildlife. $10. Ticket locations listed at www.phoenixgardeners.org.

Grand Tour of Gardens: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 1. A self-guided driving tour of six homes in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. Find gardens designed and decorated by noted Valley designers and architects, outdoor kitchens and bold water features. $40. Order tickets by calling (480) 664-3960, Ext. 132.

Mesa-East Valley Rose Society: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 21. A self-guided driving tour of eight homes in the East Valley. Tour the gardens of avid rosarians with 80 to 150 rose bushes at each home. Tour is $10. Tickets for tour and dinner are $20 and can be ordered in advance at (480) 807-3475. Tickets available the morning of the tour at the Mesa Community College rose garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave. www.roses4az-mevrs.org.

Greater Phoenix Pond Society: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 28. A self-guided driving tour of 12 Valley homes. Find ponds and other water features of varying sizes, aquatic plants and wildlife. $10 per car. Tickets available April 14. Ticket locations available at www.phoenixponds.com.