TOURS FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Meet at the Utah House, 920 South 50 West, Kaysville. Check-in from 12 to 1.
All tours begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m.

TOUR 1: TAKE A HIKE!!! We will hike up the Adams Canyon trail in Layton. This hike will be guided by Bill Varga, Director of the Utah Botanical Center. He will identify many of the native plants that populate Davis County foothills. This is a mildly strenuous hike – you should be in good health if you wish to go on this tour.

TOUR 2: BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER – A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE UTAH BOTANICAL CENTER: The Utah Botanical Center (UBC), located in Kaysville, began as a polluted pond and vacant fields and is in the process of becoming the premier garden spot of the world. We will tour the grounds and facilities. The staff will guide you through the Utah House, wetlands, greenhouse, and research plots. We will also visit the Master Gardeners’ Iris and Daylily collections.

TOUR 3: CASH, CHECK, OR CHARGE? (NURSERY TOUR): We will visit Intermountain Cactus in Kaysville, owned by Bob Johnson and family. In their display gardens, they have winter-hardy cactus, yuccas, and agaves. You will also see row after row of container-grown plants. Next we go to Plant and Grow owned by Billy Holt. This is a family business and specializes in hard-to-find unique annuals as well as vines, hanging baskets, and heirloom tomatoes. The last nursery we’ll visit is J&J Nursery, both a wholesale and retail business. They have a large variety of tropical plants as well as bedding plants, annuals, and perennials. J&J also has a unique garden gift area.

TOUR 4: PEEPING AT BIRDS: We’ll tour nearly 4,000 acres of critical habitat at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve west of Layton. Visitors will find a variety of attractions including a one-mile trail through prime bird-watching habitat, educational exhibits, and vista from the observation tower. Our tour guide will be Bill Fenimore, owner of the Wild Bird Store in Layton. The tour will then continue at the Utah Botanical Center ponds. Bill Fenimore will be joined by Mark Larese-Casanova, UBC Wildlife Biologist. Here you will learn about wetland habitat and view some of the birds that make their home on the ponds.

FRIDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES:
Meet at Lagoon, 375 North Lagoon Drive, Farmington at 5:15 p.m.

We will be Lagoon’s exclusive guests (the rides are not open, and the public will not be able to enter the park). Brent Buhler, who has been in landscape management at Lagoon since 1992, and his staff will treat us to an excursion of the grounds and greenhouses and discuss plants of specific interest. Tropical plants are kept in the greenhouses during the winter months. Annual and perennial beds will be in the process of being planted, and the landscape is being installed for Lagoon’s newest ride. Lagoon also has a large variety of trees. Don’t miss this opportunity to get an inside look at one of Utah’s best gardens and arboretum.

Dinner at Lagoon at 6:30 p.m.
Lagoon Bowery

Dinner will include top sirloin steak, all-you-can-eat salads and side dishes, and cheese cake. Entertainment will be provided after the dinner.