EVEN MORE SHARING GARDENS: April 25 Exotic Open Garden In Rancho Bernardo
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Saturday, April 25, 2026, Open Garden in Rancho Bernardo
Sue Mansour’s decades of gardening expertise and enthusiasm are apparent the moment you see her front garden, a curbside succulent tapestry set against a low stucco wall. Located on a quiet street near our monthly meeting place in Rancho Bernardo, this richly planted strip hints at what is to come - a complex series of garden rooms filled with exotic (and mostly edible) treasures.
Sue was born in Iraq, earned her horticultural degree in Baghdad, and spent years in charge of 200 hundred people whose job it was to beautify that city with climate-appropriate plants.
Today, she does most of the gardening herself, and her driveway is lined with several kinds of flowering pomegranate trees growing alongside bougainvillea and palms, “a common Iraqi combination.”
As you approach the house there is a peaceful garden with the sound of running water, a haven for her husband, a poet, who likes to sit here and write in virtual seclusion from the street.
Nearer to the house, dozens of planters hold a huge array of succulents plus ornamental treasures Sue has collected for years. As you enter the back garden a tapestry of thriving trees, shrubs, vines, and annuals greets you. There is a living fence of carefully tended grape vines which Sue grows as much for the leaves she cooks with as for the grapes. Every tree has a story; many linked to her Middle Eastern heritage.
There are four kinds of mulberry trees, including one that bears three kinds of fruit. Raised beds are sown with seeds for Iraqi veggies. Fruit trees supply her with produce virtually all year – loquats, cherimoya, white sapote, apricot, kumquat, figs, dates, mango, tamarind, persimmon, jujube, Surinam cherry, apples, blood orange, and more. Passionfruit vines grow enthusiastically on a large trellis, and several pots of blueberries are an ongoing experiment to find the perfect variety for her microclimate. Hundreds of nasturtium plants provide both bright color and edible leaves, flowers, and seeds (which Sue has pickled).
In the sunniest spot there are roses, and against the house is a shady dining table from which to feast your eyes on this abundance. Be prepared to get some cuttings and/or seeds pressed into your hands by our generous hostess.
Parking is plentiful.
Not handicapped accessible.
Please wear closed-toe shoes.
Two Staggered starts with limited spots available on each - 10:00am-12:00pm and 12:00pm-2:00pm
Registration will start two weeks prior to event.