local garden tours 2023

Preserving, sharing, and celebrating america’s gardens The Garden Conservancy

Welcome to Open Days

The 2024 Open Days Schedule is now online!

Visit america's best private gardens.

Fueling America’s passion for gardens, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program annually celebrates the country’s most exciting, creative, and innovative private gardens. Open Days is made up of a nationwide community of gardeners and garden enthusiasts teaching and inspiring each other and the public. From expert to novice, there is no better way to improve as a gardener than by experiencing a diverse range of gardens, and gardening traditions, firsthand. 

Since 1995, Open Days has welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors into thousands of inspired private landscapes—from urban rooftops to organic farms, historic estates, to innovative suburban lots—in 41 states. 

Open Days have become The Garden Conservancy’s best-known and most beloved program, and it is made possible by the hard work and generous support of hundreds of volunteers, garden hosts, and visitors. The Garden Conservancy is delighted to showcase America’s diverse regional horticultural and stylistic expressions for all to enjoy, and we hope to see you at an Open Day soon!

Tickets will be released online approximately two months in advance of an Open Day, around the first of the month. For 2024, our anticipated release dates are:

Registration All registrations must be processed online through The Garden Conservancy's website. Garden Hosts do not have the ability to collect payments or verify memberships onsite.

Tickets Once registered, you will receive an electronic ticket that includes all the information you need to visit your selected gardens, including the garden's address, location, parking instructions, and other information to help plan your vist.

You can still be spontaneous! Registration for gardens will remain live until the end of the Open Day or until all tickets have sold out.  

Guidelines for Visiting and FAQs

Getting the Most Out of E-Ticketing

Know Before You Go: Plan Your Garden Visits

Guidelines for Visiting

Learn more about The Garden Conservancy’s other Educational Programs

Become involved with the Open Days program

Open Days 2024

Registration is now open for all Open Days through the end of May!

Pictured (left to right): Open Days Public Program and Education Associate Philllip Carruthers, Open Days Program Manager Amy Murray, Director of Public Programs & Education Horatio Joyce

We can't do it without volunteers! Be a part of Open Days

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#OpenDays25

Click here to read about our 66-page book  celebrating a quarter century of America's gardeners and their gardens

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• Living on the Cheap

Greater Seattle on the Cheap

Free things to do, cheap fun, discounts and deals in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area

Our big list of public gardens and garden tours

Listed below are arboretums and botanical gardens* in cities throughout the Puget Sound region. Most gardens specialize in one or more aspects of Pacific Northwest native plants. A few offer non-native varieties and some have exotic specimens from far flung corners of the globe.

These public gardens are regularly open to visitors, some all year long and others on a seasonal basis. Most of these gardens are open dawn to dusk and have free admission. About one-third have a modest entrance fee.  Be sure to check the garden’s website before you head out to confirm hours, holiday closures, directions, entrance fees, ADA accessibility, pet and picnic policies, suitability for children, and other details.

*An arboretum or botanical garden is a place where plants are grown (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, perennials, etc.) , often for scientific or educational purposes, as well as for display and enjoyment by visitors. Most gardens have a focus in the types of plants they grow. Examples include: native plants, natural forests, cultivated or wild gardens, woodland gardens, wetlands, and English or Asian gardens, to name a few. Others may offer several different types of these and other gardens within their landscape.

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Footbridge in Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle – DepositPhotos.com

About Garden Tours

Many of the gardens in the following lists encourage free self-guided tours by providing signs, maps, and guides that you can download from their website or pickup at the visitor center or kiosk when you arrive.  Some of these Puget Sound gardens also offer docent-led guided tours. (A docent is someone trained to be a guide. Most, if not all docents at these gardens are volunteers who simply love gardens and want to share knowledge with others.) Some guided tours are free, but donations are gladly accepted. All gardens appreciate donations to help defray costs.

Following the list of gardens in Seattle, Tacoma, and other cities throughout the Puget Sound region, you’ll find an event calendar of upcoming garden events, including tours, classes, plant sales, and more.

Seattle arboretums and botanical gardens

(Listed by zip code )

Woodland Park Rose Garden , 750 N. 50th Street, Seattle, WA 98103 . Flower lovers can enjoy 2.5 acres of formal landscape and nearly 3000 roses representing over 200 different varieties. The large variety of roses blend elegantly with the garden’s formal architectural design to create a memorable showcase landscape. Since 2006 the Rose Garden has been pesticide-free; therefore, spent flowers are fed to animals in the zoo, most notably the gorillas, which have become quite fond of them. Open from 7:30 a.m. until dusk every day. Free admission.

  The Center for Urban Horticulture , 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle WA 98105 . UW Botanic Gardens encompasses Washington Park Arboretum and The Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH). More information about Washington Park Arboretum is found below. CUH is located on the north side of Union Bay behind the UW intramural sports fields. CUH includes several buildings and gardens, including the Elisabeth C. Miller horticultural lending library, the Hyde Herbarium (open business hours Monday-Saturday), several landscaped gardens, a research farm, and the 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area . The natural area is a premier birdwatching site in the City of Seattle. More than 200 bird species have been sighted there. It is also an outdoor research laboratory for the UW School of Environmental & Forest Sciences. The CUH garden and Union Bay Natural Area are open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission. 

Seattle Chinese Garden , 5640 16th Ave. SW, Seattle WA 98106 . The Seattle Chinese Garden borders the South Seattle College Arboretum. Located in West Seattle on the northern edge of the South Seattle Community College campus with commanding views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay and the Cascade Mountains. Development of the 4.6-acre Seattle Chinese Garden is ongoing, but will be one of the largest Chinese gardens outside of China, showcasing not only plants, but also stone, architecture and water elements that are customary to Chinese gardens. Dense and complex, it will change dramatically with each season. The Chinese Garden inspires global understanding by immersing visitors in the richness and beauty of Chinese culture. The beautiful “coming together space” is a Sichuan style that celebrates Seattle’s rich Chinese heritage and supports Seattle’s business and cultural relationship with China. Download guides on their website for free self-guided walking tours. The garden is open Tuesday to Sunday. Free admission , donations are gratefully accepted.

South Seattle College Arboretum , 6000 16th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98106 . The SCC Arboretum borders the Seattle Chinese Garden. Established in 1978 for Landscape Horticulture Program college students to serve as their living laboratory. The 5-acre site is located at the north end of campus on a bluff over looking the downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay and the West Duwamish Greenbelt. As part of their studies, students designed and built the Arboretum. It is used as a laboratory for courses in plant identification, arboriculture, pruning, irrigation, garden renovation, plant problem diagnostics, landscape management and landscape construction courses. The Arboretum is also used as an outdoor classroom by professional horticulturists, hobby gardeners and other college programs. Download guides on their website for free self-guided walking tours.  The arboretum is open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission.

Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden , 3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107 . Carl S. English Jr. transformed the grounds around the Ballard Locks into a lovely 7-acre English-style estate garden. Carl also helped to develop the waterside plantings along the Fremont and Montlake Cuts that are part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. He retired in 1974 as one of the Northwest’s leading horticulturists. The ground are open daily 7:00AM TO 9:00PM.  Free admission.

The Japanese Garden , 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112 . Located at the south end of the Washington Park Arboretum, this a 3.5-acre traditional Japanese stroll garden is one of the finest gardens of its kind outside of Japan. The Japanese Garden is closed every year from November to March for winter maintenance. The Japanese Garden has an entrance fee . You can enjoy free admission every 1st Thursday, April-October. More info: Events — Seattle Japanese Garden and Seattle Japanese Garden | Facebook

Volunteer Park Conservatory in Volunteer Park, 1400 E Galer St, Seattle, WA 98112 . The indoor botanical garden features a world-class collection housed in a century-old structure which stands as a reminder of a bygone Victorian age. The plant collection includes bromeliads, palms, ferns, cacti, and rotating seasonal displays. The Conservatory has an entrance fee .

Washington Park Arboretum , 2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle, WA 98112 . UW Botanic Gardens encompasses The Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)—described above—and Washington Park Arboretum . The Arboretum, located on the south side of Union Bay in central Seattle, offers year-round interest along the trails that wind through 230 acres of gardens, natural areas, and wetlands.  It’s an ideal place for a short or long walk, a brisk, birdwatching, photography, or exploring nature in a tranquil and beautiful setting. The arboretum is open daily from dawn to dusk.   Free admission.  

• Self-guided tour maps are available at the visitor center. 
• Guided Tours at Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle are offers January-November, departing from the Graham Visitors Center at 11:30am. No preregistration necessary. These educational tours are tailored for an adult audience, highlighting seasonal interest.
• Plant sales. The Arboretum Foundation also hosts several plant sales and garden shows throughout the year. Near the visitor center are the volunteer-operated Plant Donations Nursery and Pat Calvert Greenhouse. Visitors are welcome to browse the plants selections and purchase plants at the Arboretum Shop during business hours. All sales support maintenance and programs at the Washington Park Arboretum. 

Kubota Garden , 9817 – 55th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 . A stunning twenty acres of hills and valleys, streams, waterfalls, ponds, rock outcroppings and an exceptionally rich and mature collection of plant material. Located in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, the garden is owned by the City of Seattle and maintained by the Department of Parks & Recreation. The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission.

• Free self-guided tours are available anytime during garden open hours.  Download a Kubota garden map or pick one up in the birdhouse-like structure near the kiosk.
• Free guided tours are offered monthly. Check their calendar for upcoming dates. Reservations required.
• Plant Sales are held during the year (usually spring and fall) and feature trees, shrubs, perennials and surprises. 

Dunn Gardens , 13533 Northshire Road NW, Seattle, WA 98177 . Located approximately 10 miles north of downtown Seattle. Woodland gardens, perennial borders, and great sweeps of lawn are just a few of the elements that make up the garden. Garden plants range from diminutive trilliums, no more than an inch tall, to Douglas firs towering more than 150 feet in the air. Plants in the collection include rhododendrons, specimen flowering trees, and woodland plants such as erythroniums and trilliums, sited beneath a canopy of fir and deciduous trees that remain from the original garden designed by the Olmstead brothers in 1916. Visits to the historic Dunn Gardens are by guided tours only, they also host Open-Garden Events throughout the year. There is an admission fee.

UW Biology Greenhouse , Life Sciences Building, 3747 W Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195 . For more than 67 years, the Biology Greenhouse at the University of Washington has played a vital role in research and teaching. Whether focusing on plant-pollinator interactions, paleoclimatology, or other biological questions, the teaching collection has enhanced and inspired UW biological research. Over time the collection has grown to encompass approximately 1% of the world’s diversity of plants. Open to the public limited hours for casual browsing of collection rooms and for group tours by arrangment. Check their website for more information.

Seattle Kubota Garden – DepositPhotos.com

Tacoma arboretums and botanical gardens

W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park, 316 South G St, Tacoma, WA 98405 . The historic glass conservatory, with its distinctive twelve-sided central dome, is listed on the National historic register. 3,000 panes of glass make up the dome and wings of the conservatory. Exotic tropical plants and seasonal floral displays include over 250 individual plant species, 200 orchids, 300-500 blooming plants, seasonal displays, and large collections of tender Azaleas, Vireya Rhododendrons, Clivias, Cymbidium, Agapanthus, Epiphyllum Cacti, and exhibition Chrysanthemums. Open Wednesday-Sunday. Free admission .

Point Defiance Park , 5400 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, WA 98407 . This 760-acre park is a popular destination with a natural forest, saltwater beaches, and spectacular views. The Gardens at Point Defiance Park include a Japanese Garden, Dahlia Trial Garden, Fuchsia Garden, Herb Garden, Iris Garden, Northwest Native Garden, Rhododendron Garden, and Rose Garden. Find out what’s blooming when you plan to visit . The park is open dawn to dusk. Free admission .

Point Defiance Zoo , 5400 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, WA 98407 . Point Defiance Zoo is home not only to animals, but also hundreds of varieties of plants that create a stunning botanical paradise. The zoo is open daily, with some seasonal variations. There is an entrance fee; s ave on advance purchase tickets.

Gordon Dee Alcorn Arboretum , 1500 N. Warner St, Tacoma, WA 98416 . The grounds of the University of Puget Sound ( Campus Map & Directions | UPS ) are designated as an arboretum in recognition of biology professor and campus arborist Gordon Alcorn’s tireless dedication to his students, academic excellence, and the preservation of nature and the environment. The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission.

Rose arbor at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma – DepositPhotos.com

Other Puget Sound arboretums and botanical gardens

(Listed alphabetically by city )

Soos Creek Botanical Garden , 29308 132nd Ave SE, Auburn , WA 98092. The 22 acres on which the garden is located was originally part of 200 acres that Maurice Skagen’s Norwegian immigrant ancestors purchased as farm land between 1891-1905.  By 1968 there was nothing other than the native trees and plant life such as Douglas firs, western red cedars, hemlocks, vine maples, big leaf maples, and native perennials, ranging from trilliums to skunk cabbage along the creek. Over the past 40 years a wide variety of plants were acquired from Pacific Northwest specialty nurseries to create inspirational mature gardens based upon international, regional, and historical gardens. Open March-October.  Free admission ; donations gladly accepted.

Bloedel Reserve , 7571 NE Dolphin Drive, Bainbridge Island , WA 98110. Located at the north end of Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from downtown Seattle or Edmonds. The garden is an internationally renowned public garden whose primary mission is to provide a tranquil and refreshing experience of nature. The Reserve’s 150 acres are a unique blend of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens, including a Japanese Garden, a Moss Garden, and Reflection Pool, and the Bloedel’s former estate home. The 12 distinct gardens range from a Bird Marsh teeming with life, to a velvety-soft Moss Garden, to an award-winning Japanese Garden. It’s an ever-changing landscape, and each visit brings surprises as you witness nature unfolding right before your eyes. At Bloedel, you won’t find plant identification tags nor directional signage. A walk through Bloedel is an experience and one in which you immerse yourself in nature and for a moment, let the rest of the world fade away. The gardens are open Tuesday-Sunday year-round; closed some holidays. The Bloedel Reserve has an entrance fee . Advance purchase tickets required. First Wednesday is pay-what-you-wish community day.

Bellevue Botanical Garden , 12001 Main St, Bellevue WA 98005. A special place within the Bellevue parks system, it is made up of several smaller gardens, each with its own focus and unique character. The urban refuge encompasses 53-acres, including cultivated gardens, restored woodlands, and natural wetlands. The living collections showcase plants that thrive in the Pacific Northwest. Demonstration of good garden design and horticulture techniques inspires visitors to create their own beautiful, healthy gardens. The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission.

Lake Hills Greenbelt , 15416 SE 16th St, Bellevue , WA 98007. A wetland corridor encompassing more than 150 acres of diverse wildlife habitat including forests, wetlands, streams and lakes. Amenities include over three miles of trails, community gardens and pea patches, picnic areas, blueberry farms and seasonal produce stands. Visitors can attend master gardener workshops at the Urban Demonstration Garden and enjoy nature walks with a park ranger out of the ranger station. Open daily from dawn to dusk.  Free admission.

Everett Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens , 145 Alverson Blvd, Everett , WA 98201. A place of beauty and education. Located on 3 ½ acres in American Legion Memorial Park, Everett Washington, its ten themed gardens include the Urban Tree Walk, Entrance Garden, Rock Garden, Northwest Native Plant Trail, Japanese Maple Grove, Northwest Demonstration Garden, Viewing Mound, Woodland and Conifer Gardens as well as the 200′ Snohomish County Master Gardener’s Demonstration Border and sculptures throughout. Weaving through these gardens are ADA approved pervious pathways in most areas. There are countless ways to experience and enjoy all that the Evergreen Arboretum has to offer; docent-led tours, educational classes, the annual plant sale and volunteerism. Come witness the beauty that every season holds. The Arboretum is open daily from dawn until dusk. Free admission.

Pacific Bonsai Museum , 2515 S 336th St, Federal Way , WA 98001. A grand outdoor setting with the elegance of a fine art museum, the Museum boasts over 150 bonsai and the most diverse public collection in North America with trees from Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States. With a rotating display of 60 trees and the changing of the seasons, there is always something new to see at the Museum. The garden is open Tuesday-Sunday. Admission by donation.

PowellsWood Pleasure Garden , 430 S Dash Point Rd, Federal Way , WA 98003. Three acres are nestled against another thirty-five acres of native forest. A series of hedges help define several distinct garden rooms graced with more than a thousand varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials. The woodland and shade gardens in particular demonstrate how private landowners can use natural land features to develop stunning landscapes. Open Tuesday-Saturday year-around; closed some holidays. PowellsWood has an entrance fee .  

Rhododendron Species Foundation & Botanical Garden , 2525 S. 336th Street, Federal Way , WA 98003 (this address may lead you to an empty field, so be sure to follow the clearly marked signs to the Gardens, or input “Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden,” into your GPS application, which will take you to the main entrance). This garden is home to one of the largest collections of species rhododendrons in the world. The garden displays over 700 of the more than 1,000 species found in the wilds of North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as the tropical regions of southeast Asia and northern Australia. Conservation has come to be of primary importance in recent years with the destruction of Rhododendron habitat in many areas of the world. The garden is open Tuesday-Sunday; closed some holidays. The Rhododendron Garden has an entrance fee .

Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens , 3531 Meerkerk Ln, Greenbank , WA 98253. Located on Whidbey Island. The garden allows dogs on a leash. The Pacific Northwest style woodland garden is enveloped by a forest preserve. Download map on their website for free self-guided walking tours. Meerkerk gardens are open every day and have an entrance fee .

Heronswood Botanical Garden , 31912 Little Boston Rd NE, Kingston , WA 98346. One of the world’s most outstanding collections of rare and unusual trees, shrubs, vines and perennials. Seasonal hours vary. Heronswood has an entrance fee.

Lake Wilderness Arboretum , 22520 SE 248th St, Maple Valley , WA 98038. The arboretum includes five acres of display gardens and 30 acres of forest trails with diverse plant collections in both natural and cultivated landscapes. Open daily dawn to dusk. Free admission . 

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden , 13735 24th Ave S, SeaTac , WA 98168. A one-of-a-kind heritage location that was created to preserve some of the area’s most treasured gardens. The Garden is situated on approximately 10.5 acres adjacent to the North SeaTac Community Center. Included are two gardens that were physically moved to prevent their demolition during SeaTac Airport’s third runway project. The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk. Free admission.

Woodcock Demonstration Garden , 2711 Woodcock Road, Sequim, WA 98382. The Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County owns and maintains the Demonstration Garden on 2.74 acres. It presents a variety of gardening themes: raised bed vegetable gardening, an ornamental grass garden, rose garden, ornamental color garden with displays of colorful annual and perennial plants, an ornamental shrub garden, a small fruits (berries) demonstration area, dahlia display area, and a cottage garden. There is also an extensive orchard, including apple, pear, and Asian pear fruit trees. The Garden provides a pleasant and tranquil place for picnic lunches or quiet respites in beautiful surroundings. Open daily dawn to dusk. Free admission.

Kruckeberg Garden and Nursery , 20312 15th Ave NW, Shoreline , WA 98177. This four-acre public garden contains a unique blend of Pacific Northwest native plants and unusual exotics set in a naturalistic wooded setting. It may take multiple visits to see the more than 2,000 species, which include native and exotic conifers, hardwoods, rhododendrons, magnolias, ferns and groundcovers. Several trees are the largest or most rare in the state. Birdwatchers have identified more than 40 bird species while visiting the Garden. Download a self-guided tour brochure on their website or pick one up at the kiosk. Download guides on their website for free self-guided walking tours. The garden is open Friday-Sunday. Free admission.

Bonhoffer Botanical Gardens , 2420 300th St NW, Stanwood , WA  98292. The Northwest’s only complete native botanical garden. Plantings include all of western Washington’s indigenous trees, shrubs, vines, and ferns along with grass, moss, mushroom, pond, flower and groundcover species within 3 types of wetlands in a remnant of the destroyed West Fork of Church Creek.  The Gardens are intended to serve as an outdoor educational and recreational resource for the coming generations and contain 3/4 miles of a continuous wheelchair path and interpretive kiosks that provide information about native flora, as well as local and natural history. Kiosks’ roofs are planted to attract butterfly species requiring specific native plants as larva hosts. Native herbal gardens, feeders for native bird species, and a pond system intended to serve as holding water for Freeborn Church Creek’s 2 types of Coho. As of April 10, 2023, the Gardens are closed  pursuant to a Conditional Use Permit with Snohomish County. Public support of this effort is welcomed.

Pathway in Bellevue Botanical Garden – DepositPhotos.com

Upcoming Garden events

Listed below are gardening events of all kinds including classes, tours, plant sales, and more.

Featured Events  are list first each day, highlighted by a photo. Featured events are unique or annual events that we or our advertisers don’t want you to overlook.

But wait, there’s more!

• Home gardening resources and plant sales
• How to start a vegetable garden in the Pac NW
• Home & Garden shows in the Puget Sound region
• Spectacular Asian gardens in the Puget Sound region – Greater Seattle on the Cheap
• Tours & Special Events at Seattle Japanese Garden – Greater Seattle on the Cheap
• And here’s a list of  101+ always free things to do for fun .
• More free and cheap things to do every day: Greater Seattle on the Cheap event calendar .
• Still more ideas for frugal fun: Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page .

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Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005

The bloedel reserve, 7571 ne dolphin dr, bainbridge island, wa 98110.

Reader Interactions

Carole Cancler says

September 20, 2019 at 1:08 PM

Yes, Portland does have some lovely gardens.

LoisMoss says

September 12, 2019 at 5:14 PM

Great list! Thanks for putting it together and promoting garden and horticulture places that people can visit. There are a ton more in the Portland-metro area, too.

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Garden Travel

The Garden Tourist’s Philadelphia Flower Show

March 1–3, 2025.

Enjoy a festive preview of spring at the renowned Philadelphia Flower Show, the New York Botanic Garden’s Orchid Show and the colorful displays of Longwood Gardens’ conservatories.

The Garden Tourist’s Longwood Christmas 2024

December 8–10 2024.

Back by popular demand for the fourth year in a row! Holiday tour of Longwood Gardens, Winterthur Museum, Lyndhurst Mansion, and New York Botanical Garden.

The Garden Tourist’s Northern Italy Lake District Tour

September 27–october 7, 2024 (waitlist only).

Join me as we explore the gardens and spectacular scenery of the Italian Lake District and Northern Italy. We’ll visit a range of horticultural venues including opulent Italian villas on the water, an exotic botanical garden, intricate private gardens and romantic historic gardens. We’ll spend 10 days in the historic city of Verona as well as on the shores of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. We will visit a winery, learn how to make pasta, and sample a range of Northern Italian foods.

The Garden Tourist’s Lower Hudson River Valley

September 2024.

Tour historic mansions and marvelous gardens in the Hudson River Valley including:

Caramoor House

Untermyer Gardens

Sleepy Cat Farm

The Garden Tourist’s Spring in the Brandywine Valley

May 7–11, 2024.

Enjoy glorious bulb displays, woodland wildflowers, and magnificent azaleas in America’s Garden Capital with garden travel author Jana Milbocker

Longwood Gardens

Chanticleer

Greenwood Gardens

Brandywine Cottage

Private Gardens and more!

Sorry you missed it…

The garden tourist’s charleston, march 20–26, 2024.

Tour of historic estates and gardens, private gardens and more with garden travel author Jana Milbocker

Springtime in Charleston: 88th Annual House and Garden Tour

Charleston Garden Club House & Garden Tour

Middleton Place

Magnolia Plantation

Brookgreen Gardens

March 5–7, 2024

The Garden Tourist’s Longwood Christmas 2023

December 5–7, 2023.

Back by popular demand for the third year in a row! Holiday tour of Longwood Gardens, Winterthur Museum, Nemours Mansion, and New York Botanical Garden.

The Garden Tourist’s Coastal New England

July 26–28, 2023.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Celia Thaxter’s Garden

Bedrock Gardens

Moffatt Ladd House and Garden

Strawbery Banke Museum

The Garden Tourist’s Upper Hudson River Valley

Tour of historic estates, botanic gardens, private gardens and more with garden travel author jana milbocker, sunday, june 11–wednesday, june 14, 2023.

Berkshire Botanical Gardens

Clermont State Historic Site

Montgomery Place

Vanderbilt Mansion

Springwood Estate

Wethersfield

Broccoli Hall

The Garden Tourist’s Longwood Christmas 2022

Dec. 6—8, 2022.

Holiday tour of Longwood Gardens, Winterthur Museum, Nemours Mansion, and Brandywine River Museum

Gardens of New York: Hudson Valley to Brooklyn

Sept. 28—oct. 1, 2022.

Enjoy a bus tour of Olana, Cedar Grove, Stonecrop, Boscobel, The High Line and Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The Garden Tourist’s Connecticut Gardens, Nurseries, and Wineries

Sept 18—20, 2022.

A 3-day tour of beautiful Connecticut gardens and specialty nurseries including Hollister House, Brush Hill Gardens, Roseland Cottage, Elizabeth Park, White Flower Farm, Cricket Hill Garden, O’Brien Nursery and several wineries.

The Garden Tourist’s Philadelphia Flower Show and Brandywine Valley

June tour of the philadelphia flower show, grounds for sculpture, longwood gardens, chanticleer, nemours gardens and more with garden travel author jana milbocker, june 11—15, 2022.

Tour of Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey

Day at Philadelphia Flower Show

All-day tour of Longwood Gardens

Tour of Brandywine Cottage garden with David Culp

Tour of Nemours mansion and garden

Tour Chanticleer Garden

Read more>>

“ Everything about the trip was so enjoyable- well planned, wonderful venues, well organized! It was especially enjoyable to spend time with you as you shared your vast knowledge in a kind manner. Thank you, so much! ”

“ The trip was fabulous and very well organized. Between you and Brett our questions were answered before we even asked them. It was easy to travel alone since everyone was so welcoming and friendly. I would certainly recommend your trips to others. ”

“ “Loved the land at Nemours and Winterthur! We thought the tour and tour guides were great! A good group to travel with!” ”

“ “I came with no expectations as I had never done a bus tour over several days. I really enjoyed it! I came away with ideas, nice memories, new friends, and it was a fun way to start the holiday season.” ”

“ “The trip was, without exception, excellent. ” ”

“ The hosts make the trip. The venues are terrific and Jana and Brett made it magic. ”

“ Loved the variety and the tours as well as the access to the private gardens—very special! ”

“ Well planned and organized, great tour guides, just right amount of information. Good mix of gardens and art. ”

“ We wanted to thank you for organizing and guiding our wonderful trip to PA. You took such good care of everything, were so flexible with changes we had no control over, and made it a great experience that exceeded our expectations! We hope we will get to travel with you again in the future. ”

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United States Self-Guided Day Trips

Explore some of Los Angeles' best gardens. Walk peaceful pathways, see elegant and inspired collections, and learn more about local plants.

Famous for its miles of sandy beaches and pristine weather, San Diego also boasts amazing gardens. Discover 3 of local expert Debra Lee Baldwin's favorites.

Don't let the desert climate fool you. Explore three of the best gardens in the greater Phoenix area, and you just might be surprised at the array of beautiful plants that grow here.

Discover three unique gardens all located within Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The park offers visitors a picturesque setting with lakes, picnic spots, and trails.

If you're seeking a walk through mossy woods, Asian gardens or a botanical extravaganza to inspire you, you will find many ideas on this adventure.

Get off the well-trodden path to explore some hidden treasures. Walk woodland trails, see birds and wildlife, and get landscaping ideas for your own garden.

Known for its dramatic beauty and mild climate, Tucson is also home to 3 amazing gardens, where you'll find inspiration and practical advice for your own garden.

Utah is filled with fascinating destinations. Explore three of the best gardens in the area, where you'll not only find plant collections, but education and beauty.

Local garden expert Ryan McEnaney has planned the perfect day out for garden lovers, with 3 lavish Minnesota gardens all within the greater St. Paul area.

Boasting interesting architecture and art, Chicago is also home to beautiful gardens. Our local expert shares 3 favorites that any garden lover will enjoy.

Local landscape designer Diana Kirby suggests a fun-packed day exploring three of her favorites, all unique and exciting in their own way.

See plants from around the world, get inspiration for your own water-wise garden, and more at three fantastic gardens on this local day trip in the Denver area.

Visit these Proven Winners® Signature Gardens before or after a trip to Mackinac Island, or any other Michigan destination.

This day trip may take more than a day, but these three must-see gardens are well worth the time. See what garden is described as "a garden lovers dream."

Designated as a National Heritage Area, this region offers peaceful villages, spectacular views, and a wide range of garden experiences on this day trip.

Local landscape designer Jerry Fritz had no hesitation in recommending these three outstanding gardens for an unforgettable day trip in America's Garden Capital.

Step away from the museums and memorials and enjoy a day exploring delightful gardens, as recommended by local landscape designer Barbara Katz.

Georgia may be best known for its peaches, but there are also wonderful gardens to visit, such as the three featured in this day trip for the Atlanta area.

Take a break from theme parks and discover unique plant collections and explore exceptional gardens, including one that is described as "Miami and New York combined".

Sign-up for our travel newsletter to be notified when each new self-guided tour is added - plus other garden travel oppotunites.

International Self-Guided Day Trips

Experience three unique gardens in this Vancouver day trip that starts in the heart of the city, then on to an aerial trail adventure, and ends with a calming Japanese garden.

Visit three distinctly different gardens in Toronto, the largest city in Canada, on this relaxing day trip recommended by local garden expert Helen Battersby.

Enjoy three magnificent gardens in, and near, Halifax—including the oldest Victorian garden in North America, an amazing rock garden, and an historically themed garden.

The walled city of York in northeast England offers so much to the visitor, including three picturesque walled gardens that are not to be missed.

The Peak District National Park is a delight to all those who love the picturesque countryside, with its rolling hills, sweeping views, quaint villages, and historic gardens.

East Anglia is the perfect destination any time of year. See beautiful countryside, medieval and historic market towns, and three fabulous gardens.

Set in the heart of Yorkshire, the Harrogate District is filled with historic castles and abbeys, attractive towns, quaint villages, and exceptional public gardens.

Discover 3 breathtaking gardens set amongst the historic villages and rolling countryside that surround the spa town of Harrogate.

Loved for its fairytale châteaux, bustling market towns, and some of the best wines in the world, it also has much to offer garden enthusiasts.

An unforgetable adventure awaits when you visit these 3 gorgeous gardens in the vibrant, bustling city of Marrakesh.

Visiting Victoria is always an adventure, but it's also a gardener's paradise. Explore three unique gardens that both educate and delight.

Garden Travel Inspiration

Discover some of the best gardens to visit from coast to coast, including Longwood, Denver Botanic, Atlanta Botanical, Descanso, Bellevue Botanical (pictured), and more!

"Have you been to Great Dixter?” is the question on the lips of anyone debriefing a gardening friend who has been traveling in England. Great Dixter has a reputation for being...

On a hot afternoon last summer at Monticello, Peter Hatch walked toward a redbrick colonial pavilion pierced with floor-to-ceiling arched windows, then past neat rows of...

South Africa’s famous National Botanic Garden Kirstenbosch is known as the most beautiful garden in Africa. Its diverse collection of plants...

Twenty first century Philadelphia straddles its historical past and the future in a way that could only happen in America’s horticultural heart...

Make a pilgrimage to Brazil to get a firsthand view of the gardens and public spaces designed by modernist landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx...

On the grounds of a former estate outside of Philadelphia, a cadre of master gardeners presides over an oasis of earthly delights. We've put together...

Artist Helen Marden fell twice for Golden Rock Inn. The first time came in the mid-2000s when Marden and her husband were looking for a new...

RELATED: Top 20 Gardens to Visit in the U.S.

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Central Mass.

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Massachusetts gardens, arboretums, display plant life among beautiful paths.

The Polly Hill Arboretum

795 State Rd West tisbury, MA Phone: 508-693-9426

Highfield Hall and Gardens

56 Highfield Drive Falmouth, MA Phone: 508-495-1878

Mission House

19 Main Street Stockbridge, MA, 01263 Phone: 413-298-3239

Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum

396 County Street New Bedford, MA, 02740 Phone: 508-997-1401

Dike Road on Chappaquiddick Island Martha’s Vineyard, MA, 02539 Phone: 508-627-7689

Acton Arboretum

2 Taylor Road Acton, MA, 01720 Phone:

5 Prospect Hill Road Stockbridge, MA, 01262 Phone: 413-298-8138

Boston Public Garden

Boylston, Arlington, Beacon and Charles Streets Boston, MA, 02116 Phone: 617-723-8144

The Garden at Elm Bank - Massachusetts Horticultural Society

900 Washington Street Wellesley, MA, 02482 Phone: 617-933-4900

Green Briar Nature Center and Thornton W. Burgess Society

6 Discovery Hill Road East Sandwich, MA, 02537 Phone: 508-888-6870

Lowell Holly

South Sandwich Road Mashpee, MA, 02649 Phone: 508-636-4693

Berkshire Botanical Garden

5 West Stockbridge Road Stockbridge, MA, 01262 Phone: 413-298-3926

Maudslay State Park

74 Curzon Mill Road Newburyport, MA, 01950 Phone: 978-465-7223

Lyman Estate and Greenhouses

185 Lyman Street Waltham, MA, 02452 Phone: 617-994-5913

Garden in the Woods

180 Hemenway Road Framingham, MA, 01701 Phone: 508-877-7630

Wellesley College Botanic Garden

106 Central Street Wellesley, MA, 02481 Phone: 781-283-3049

Arnold Arboretum

125 Arborway Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130 Phone: 617-524-1718

Botanic Garden of Smith College

16 College Lane Northampton, MA, 01063 Phone: 413-585-2742

Ashintully Gardens

Sodom Road at Main Road Tyringham, MA, 01264 Phone: 413-298-3239

Heritage Museums & Gardens

67 Grove Street Sandwich, MA, 02563 Phone: 508-888-3300

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill

11 French Drive Boylston, MA, 01505 Phone: 508-869-6111

Spohr Gardens

45 Fells Road Falmouth, MA, 02540 Phone:

572 Essex Street Beverly, MA, 01915 Phone: 978-921-1944

Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary

Ashumet Road East Falmouth, MA, 02536 Phone: 508-362-7475

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Sedgwick County 7001 W. 21st Street N. Wichita, KS  67205 Map & Location Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

316-660-0100 [email protected]

2023 Garden Tour Showcases Premier Local Gardens

Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023

WICHITA — Tranquil garden paths will transport visitors among thoughtfully designed flowerbeds, shady woodland retreats, and calming water features during the 2023 Garden Tour. Sponsored by the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners, this year’s tour includes six private gardens, each with their own distinctive style. The gardens will be on display and open to the public on June 2, 3, & 4. These local gardens are full of creativity and inspiration, and are open to the public to discover new gardening ideas for three days only: Friday and Saturday (June 2 nd and 3 rd ) from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Sunday, June 4 th , from noon to 4:00pm. Tickets are $10 per person, and children 12 and under admitted free with adult.

Enjoy the serene and creative landscaping at your own pace while finding plenty of inspiration along the way.  Highlights from the tour this year include an orange garden, a keyhole garden made from fallen branches, a bird-feeding sanctuary, a pollinator garden, imaginative hardscaping (including one with coral), numerous trees and shade plants, multiple water features (one with a colorful koi pond), many unusual plants (gold dust plant, bear’s breeches, and trellises of creeping hydrangea, just to name a few), and whimsical artistic touches at every turn.  All plants will be labeled, and Extension Master Gardener Volunteers will be on-hand at each garden to share more about the garden and answer gardening questions.

Advance tickets are available for $10.00 per person at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 21st & Ridge Road and online through our website at: www.sedgwick.ksu.edu/events or directly on Constant Contact at: https://tinyurl.com/GardenTour2023 .  Online tickets can be presented at any of the gardens during the tour (June 2-4), and will be exchanged for a physical ticket. Tickets will also be available at the gardens on the days of the Tour for $10 each (cash or check only). All proceeds benefit the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners’ educational community outreach programs throughout Sedgwick County. 

For additional ticket or event information, please contact the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 316-660-0100. 

Featured Gardens:

Woodland Retreat 742 Surrey Ln. (Maize)

Whimsical touches can be found at every turn in this shaded woodland retreat, which at its beginning 40 years ago was a full sun spot. Now, graceful mature trees and curved paths give a sense of discovery to every turn. Multiple water features and a large pond filled with colorful koi are wonderful focal points in this garden. In addition to mature beds filled with hydrangea, iris, and Solomon’s seal, pots filled with annuals provide depth to the borders. A variety of path materials including flagstone and brick blend seamlessly to highlight different plantings in smaller beds.  The mix of fern, heuchera, and hostas around the lion water feature are a great example of mixing textures in a shade garden for maximum impact.

Garden of Water Views 9423 W. Wyncroft Ct.

In this garden, a front entrance is maximized with careful hedge planting, special angled pots, and seating areas that invite you in. The side path makes use of full sun with large cannas and hydrangeas as you make your way around the house.  The backyard water view is enhanced with a sloped private water feature added in 2011 that provides a relaxing respite with fish swimming around. Trees across from the water follow a stone pathway that make you feel like you’re entering a secret garden. The use of river rock and a bird sculpture featured in this garden serve as a contrast to the plantings. Both shade and sun plantings are highlighted to full effect with lighting at night as well.

Creativity of Nature and Art 9129 N. Seneca (Valley Center)

Birch Lane Estate is named for the nine birch trees on the property.  As you enter the drive, you begin to spot the creativity you will be treated to throughout your visit.  Many plants live in these gardens in wagons and other mobile receptacles – so they can be moved around easily.  The defining theme throughout the garden is creating and recreating spaces.

The property is home to many raccoons, turkeys, owls, wrens, hawks, eagles, woodpeckers, orioles, and an armadillo. The past five years have been spent shaping up the property and planning and expanding the garden areas. A true joy of nature and art is apparent when you visit this garden.

Backyard Garden Medley 4950 Wyndham Ct. (Park City)

Tranquility and harmony best describe this peaceful backyard medley. As you wander throughout the garden areas on their ¼ acre lot, you are aware that the spaces have been designed with a deep appreciation for using the resources around them: using large rock to build sitting benches, and fallen branches to shape a tree house fort, it feels quite natural. It reminds you that gardeners use everything.

There are so many different trees and plants to see in this backyard such as serviceberry, ‘Prairie Gold’ Aspen, ‘Tiger Eyes’ Sumac, large hardy hibiscus, bald cypress, plum yews, ‘Globe’ Blue Spruce, prairie smoke flowers, and prairie burdock. Each area is dotted with an eclectic array of art pieces, from meditating frogs, to colorful, handmade birdhouses, to a “Lucky Buddha Beer” bottle tree.

Islands of Color 2510 N. Greenleaf Ct.

During the past seven years, the homeowner has brought in 32 tons of soil to build a large garden bed, which now spans the length of the backyard. Five more beds were created, with more than 25 trees and a colorful variety of shrubs, plants, and flowers.

Ongoing challenges have been managing drainage issues and protecting shrubs from the extreme cold of winter. Mulch and evergreens were incorporated along the back of the largest bed to protect the shrubs from heat and wind.

A favorite area of the garden is the east bed consisting of hydrangeas, hostas, caladiums, and impatiens with their complimentary textures, shapes, and colors.  The homeowner considers the greatest addition to the backyard garden a home-built stone path that winds around the beds closest to the house.

Landscaping that Rocks 2514 N. Greenleaf Ct.

When the homeowner moved here 22 years ago, there were only 5 trees and 10 evergreen bushes in the yard. After digging French drains, building berms, and sodding the yard to control drainage, the homeowner began learning the fundamentals of gardening and design. Today there are more than 20 beds of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers in the yard, all of which incorporate rocks and boulders in their design, as well as gravel-lined stone pathways.

The largest bed is filled with both shade and sun plants, including the new golden Leyland cypress. Most of the rocks and boulders in the beds are a combination of river rocks, holey limestone boulders, plus 50 pieces of rare coastal coral. The homeowner and their next-door neighbor, whose yard is also on the Garden Tour, have worked together to make this bed unforgettable. For more information, contact Matthew McKernan at 316-660-0140, or [email protected] .    

Matthew McKernan (316) 660-0140 [email protected]  

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• Updated: 9/20/23

Breaking News

L.A.’s private gardens are springing to life. Here’s how to peek inside while you can

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In 1995, when most people considered native plants little more than weeds (if they considered them at all), desert devotee Mike Letteriello peered through a chain-link fence at a patch of bare ground and dreamed up a fragrant, vibrant tribute to California’s diverse native plant communities.

Nearly 30 years later, his dream is a lush reality, with a small waterfall, stream and pond along a meandering path bordered by a stony desert wash, thick chaparral, a flowery meadow and even native shrubs and trees from the Channel Islands bursting with blooms.

It’s still mostly viewed through a fence because it’s on the grounds of William F. Prisk Elementary School in Long Beach and reserved for students and teachers. But during Southern California’s annual season of spring garden tours, the gates of Prisk Native Garden will be open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 26 and again on April 2. Admission is free, but “donations will be gladly accepted,” Letteriello said.

The Prisk Native Garden tour is the earliest of more than 16 annual tours of private gardens around SoCal that extend into May, many of which are fundraisers for nonprofit organizations. You can find a list of other tours below, but if you’ve got a free afternoon and an interest in creating native plant habitats, or just wandering through a beautiful and lovingly tended garden of more than 300 mature species of California native plants, a visit to the Prisk garden is well worth your time.

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It was Prisk Elementary science teacher Candy Jennings who first envisioned creating a native plant garden on 7,500 square feet of weeds and dirt at the southwest corner of the school grounds, at East Los Arcos Street and Albury Avenue in Long Beach. She sought advice from the Theodore Payne Foundation — then known as the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants — and the foundation staff called Letteriello, a Long Beach painting contractor, native plant enthusiast and avid volunteer.

“They basically said, ‘Mike, can you handle this gal?’ so Candy and I got together, and it was the most fateful outreach you could imagine,” Letteriello said.

“I looked through the fence at flat dirt — a huge blank palette. The only plant was one white alder — Alnus rhombifolia — and I thought, ‘How can I do this?’ I had no master plan at the time, and I’d never designed a big garden. All I’d done was take out the lawn at my house and put in native plants ... but I told her, ‘Let’s just do this and I’ll design it as we go.’”

And design he did. He and Jennings, her husband, Alan, and the Jennings’ neighbor, Frank Duroy, took on the job of transforming the dirt into the colorful quilt of habitats it is today. Duroy not only helped with physical labor, Letteriello said, but he became the garden’s benefactor too, providing money for materials, a storage shed and the garden’s “learning arbor,” a sheltered space for classes to learn outside, recently renovated by Long Beach Eagle Scout Kai Cobabe , a Prisk alumnus.

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Creating the garden was fairly straightforward, Letteriello said, once they came up with the theme.

“The idea was to organize the garden by plant communities,” he said, “like you’re crossing California from the ocean to the desert, through all the biomes and native plant communities — a beach, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, mountain meadow, freshwater creek and marsh, shade garden, desert wash. ... We even included plantings from the Channel Islands.”

Duroy helped pay for a lot of those initial materials, including a good-sized fish pond that he and Letteriello dug themselves. In 2017, Letteriello got a $7,000 grant from the South Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society to build a small waterfall and stream that runs into the pond and recirculates back to the waterfall with power from solar panels. By then, Duroy had died and Candy Jennings had retired, so Letteriello did most of that work, again as a volunteer, with his friend Joey Vanoni, who helped him lug in rocks to build the creek.

The resulting waterway looks like a natural jumble of logs and rocks created by a small flash flood, with artfully set steps hidden by a profusion of native grasses and shrubs along the banks. Letteriello got permission from state wildlife officials to bring in two dozen native arroyo chub minnows for the pond from San Juan Creek, along the Ortega Highway. The chub have multiplied heartily, but Letteriello has had to erect netting “to keep raccoons from ravaging the pond.” The pond also has one lonely frog that Letteriello hopes to socialize when he brings in tadpoles later in the spring.

The Prisk garden is less than a fifth of an acre, but there’s so much to see, time seems to slow for visitors who get the Letteriello tour because he has a personal story for almost every plant and he’s a stickler for details. The Latin names of the plants he loves roll off his tongue as easily as his stories, which tend to drift as delightfully as his garden paths.

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For instance, one of the low-growing varieties of sagebrush, Artem i sia californica ‘Canyon Gray,’ was found on San Miguel Island, Letteriello said, where it adapted to the strong Channel Island winds by growing close to the ground, much flatter than Artem i sia californica ’s regular upright form. But with its feathery, silver-green foliage, Canyon Gray sagebrush makes a lovely groundcover for yards, especially since it has the same sharp, savory aroma as the taller plant, and did you know, he said, barely taking a breath, that some Southern California Indigenous peoples would weave sagebrush branches around their necks to serve as a kind of fragrant bug repellent?

Then there’s the sprawling island oak that Letteriello carried back from the Catalina Conservancy as a seedling in a gallon can, cradled in the front seat of his pickup, or the hilly area he created in the center of the garden from donated shale and other rocks — “my homage to the Vasquez Rocks,” he said, the iconic jagged rock formations near Agua Dulce in the high desert off Highway 14, made famous in numerous commercials and television shows.

Desert landscapes are what drew Letteriello to native plants in the first place. He loves wandering through desert washes, especially in the Mojave Desert, and tried to create that effect in his yard as well as the desert biome at Prisk. Many people have contributed to create and maintain this garden, but it continues to thrive because Letteriello has made it his life’s work. He doesn’t get any monetary payment as the garden steward, but when the kids run in, clambering over the stones he laid around the stream or squealing with excitement at the sight of a lizard — there are many in the garden — he said he feels well paid.

“One girl opened up her arms and said, ‘I just want to live here.’ Another boy looked at me with delight on his face and said, ‘This is my happy place.’ Those are all spontaneous things they came up with — I couldn’t solicit those comments if I tried, and when I hear them I think, ‘I’ve done my job,’” he said.

“And this isn’t just a garden, it’s a zoo, with the chub and frog and the lizards and all the birds ...,” Letteriello trailed off as a swallowtail butterfly sailed by, almost on cue, to land on a purple-blooming lupine, and he laughed in delighted disbelief. It was just too perfect.

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Someday, he said, he’d love to expand the Prisk garden into the huge expanse of asphalt behind the school, to create a bigger garden and stream. But more than anything, Letteriello wants to spread the gospel of the benefits of school gardens. He’s creating a nonprofit organization called Wild for Schools to try to build more native plant gardens at schools because he thinks they bring something rare and precious to the students within.

“[Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent] Alberto Carvalho said, ‘So many kids are caught in concrete jungles; we have a moral obligation to remove them from that,’ and I’m in total agreement,” he said. “It’s therapeutic to immerse children in nature. It calms them down and gets them into the present time, not the past or future. When you get kids in nature, they become highly observational. They start asking, ‘What’s that? What’s this?’ and they’re looking at everything with intense interest. When they stare at a computer, it’s not the same as surrounding kids with aromas, butterflies and lizards, fish and moving water.”

His mission now is to convince financial backers and school leaders that these native plant gardens should be a fixture in every school. There are so many lessons that can be taught here, he said, about plants and biology, the importance of habitat, animals and drought, and how California’s native peoples used the plants around them for food, shelter, medicine and spirituality.

“It’s highly educational, and it connects us with our heritage in California,” he said. “I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to an Italian immigrant family and moved to California when I was a child. I’ve never been to Italy, and I don’t care to go now. I love our mountains and deserts. I’d rather tour California because it’s my home and I’m proud to live here. I want these kids to know we’re unique, this is part of their heritage, and I’m just beginning.”

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Clearly, gardens can be intensely personal creations, so if you’re looking to be inspired or just want to satisfy your inner voyeur, there are lots of other garden tours throughout Southern California this spring. Here’s a list of upcoming events:

March 26 and April 2 The Prisk Native Plant Garden Open House features a free visit to the native plant garden usually closed to the public. From 1 to 4 p.m. both days at William F. Prisk Elementary School, 2375 Fanwood Ave. in Long Beach. The garden is behind the school, at the corner of East Los Arcos Street and Albury Avenue. facebook.com/prisknativegarden

April 15-16 The 20th Theodore Payne Foundation Native Plant Garden Tour features 37 gardens around Los Angeles devoted to at least 50% native plants. Ticket holders get a map for self-guided tours to gardens on the Westside of L.A. on April 15 and the Eastside on April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. One ticket gets you into all the gardens on both days and provides an opportunity to see gardens for larger spaces as well as residences, including Kuruvungna & the Tongva Sacred Springs, Ballona Discovery Park, Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, the Gottlieb Native Garden and Los Nogales wholesale native plant nursery. Participants will get a map in the mail once they purchase their tickets for $45 ($40 for members, children under 16 do not need tickets). nativeplantgardentour.org

April 16 The Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s 5th Bird-Friendly Garden Tour involves self-guided tours of 15 gardens at private homes, a school and a park in Oak Park, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Ventura from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tours are designed to showcase native plant landscapes and habitat gardens that support birds. The tours are free, but online registration for each attendee is required by April 7. Dogs are not permitted on the tours. conejovalleyaudubonsociety.org

The Creative Arts Group 28th Art of the Garden Tour includes self-guided tours of four gardens in the foothill communities of Pasadena, San Marino and Sierra Madre from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $40 if purchased before April 16 and $45 on the day of the tour. The tour is the biggest annual fundraiser for the group, which is entering its 63rd year as a community nonprofit. Executive Director Gwen Robertson said the tour strives to includes at least one blockbuster estate and one more modest but still inspiring homeowner-designed habitat garden. Photography, pets and children under 12 are not permitted on the tours. The Creative Arts Group Gallery will be open at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre for people who want to purchase tickets in person and view work by more than 25 local artists. creativeartsgroup.org

April 23 Claremont Eclectic: A Tour of Six Local Gardens from 1 to 4:30 p.m. around the city of Claremont, as well as two entries into the California Botanic Garden in Claremont, the state’s largest botanic garden devoted to California native plants, the day of the tour and once again in May. The self-guided tours begin at the botanic garden parking lot, 1500 N. College Ave., where ticket holders with a receipt can get their tour maps and brochures. Proceeds support the Claremont Garden Club. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in person at Claremont Heritage in Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., or Rio de Ojas at 250 N. Harvard Ave. as well as online. claremontgardenclub.org

April 22-23 The Redlands Garden Tour , sponsored by the Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society, features six private gardens representing a broad variety of garden landscaping, including hillside gardens, a yard filled with colorful mosaics and other repurposed yard art, a 5-acre garden where you can feed the ducks and the stately Kimberly Crest Gardens surrounding the mansion built in 1897. The self-guided tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Tickets are $15 (children 13 and younger enter free) and must be purchased with cash or check only at the Asistencia, 26930 Barton Road in Redlands. redlandsgardenclub.org

April 23 The Garden Conservancy Pasadena Open Days Tour : Explore four elaborate private gardens at historic homes in Pasadena. Tickets are $10 per garden ($5 for members) and available online only. Children 12 and under enter free with an accompanying adult. gardenconservancy.org

The Morongo Basin Conservation Assn. Desert-Wise Landscape Tour is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event features self-guided tours of five water-wise Morongo Basin landscapes in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Landers, along with docent-guided visits to the Mojave Desert Land Trust and Joshua Basin Water District Demonstration Garden . Tickets are $10 ($5 for members) and can be purchased online. The website also features videos of “desert-wise” landscapes from past tours. mbconservation.org

April 29-30 The Riverside Community Flower Show & Garden Tours ’ Diamond Jubilee Festival of Flowers celebrates its 75th year with self-guided tours in nine Riverside-area gardens between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. both days, along with a free flower show at the Elks Lodge, 6166 Brockton Ave., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with floral displays, crafts and garden art for sale. A wristband for admission is $10, children under 16 enter free. riversideflowershow.com

The 30th Floral Park Home & Garden Tour in North Santa Ana features tours of historic homes and gardens from the 1920s to the 1950s from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The tour also includes a vintage automobile display, food from local restaurants, a beer and wine garden and shopping opportunities. Proceeds support community scholarships and nonprofit organizations. Tickets for the tour are $45 if purchased ahead online by April 24 or $50 if purchased the day of the event. floralparkhometour.com

May 6 The Leimert Park Garden Tour is a biennial tour of eight private residential gardens in one of Los Angeles’ most historic neighborhoods, bounded roughly by Crenshaw Boulevard, Exposition Boulevard, Arlington Avenue and Vernon Avenue. The self-guided tours run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance online or $25 if purchased the day of the event at the Garden Tour Hub at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The hub will also feature artisan vendors from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children under 13 can join the tours for free when accompanied by a ticketed adult, but pets and strollers are not permitted in the backyards of the gardens. leimertparkgardentour.com

The Garden Conservancy Los Angeles Open Days Tours in Santa Monica : Explore four private gardens in Santa Monica — the Urban Wildlife Habitat, the Edna May Garden, Casa Nancina and the Adams Family Garden. Tickets are $10 per garden ($5 for members) and available online only. Children 12 and under enter free with an accompanying adult. gardenconservancy.org

The Laguna Beach Garden Club 18th Gate & Garden Tour begins at the Laguna Beach County Water District’s Bruce Scherer Waterwise and Fire-Safe Gardens at 306 3rd St. in Laguna, with special buses shuttling ticket holders to tours of seven Laguna-area gardens. Mexican fare and artisanal margaritas will be available for purchase along with free homemade baked goods. Artists will be painting canvases in several gardens and visitors wearing a “festive garden party hat” will be entered in the tour’s hat contest. Proceeds support school gardens, local scholarships and community projects; last year’s event netted more than $40,000. The tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, with the last entry scheduled at 2 p.m. Children are not permitted. Timed-entry tickets purchased by April 28 are $60 or $80 for entry anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. along with tickets for one food item and one drink. lagunabeachgardenclub.org

May 6-7 The Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour features self-guided tours of 43 gardens — 14 of which are new to the tour — from Long Beach to San Clemente from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. A list of the gardens and their addresses is on the Mary Lou Heard Foundation website, but plan ahead because some of the gardens are open to visitors on only one of the days. The tour is free but donation jars will be set out at the gardens to support the Sheepfold , a crisis center for women and children in Orange that has long been the beneficiary of the foundation’s annual tours. heardsgardentour.com

May 7 The 25th Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Assn. & Hospice Camarillo Garden Tour features art exhibits and demonstrations, live music, refreshments and a garden-themed boutique in addition to tours of five Camarillo gardens from noon to 4 p.m. Artists from the Pastel Society of the Gold Coast will give demonstrations at each garden. Tickets are $30 online. Proceeds benefit the association’s hospice program in Camarillo. lmvna.org

May 11 The 26th Newport Harbor Home & Garden Tour features stops at seven homes and gardens near Newport Harbor High School, along with lunch, a “boutique” of home decor and accessories vendors and an afternoon reception at Barclay Butera Interiors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The home and garden tours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation to support academic programs and faculty at Newport Harbor High School. Tickets can be purchased online for $100 ($110 after April 28, if still available). newportharborhometour.com

May 13 West Floral Park and Jack Fisher Park Neighborhoods Open Garden Day features eight garden tours in two tree-lined neighborhoods of vintage homes in North Santa Ana, along with live music, art displays, garden talks and demonstrations, cooking demonstrations and vendors selling food and garden products from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket sales begin March 27 online for $20, or $25 if purchased the day of the event, at West Santa Clara and North Westwood avenues in Santa Ana. opengardenday.com

May 20 San Clemente Garden Club 2023 Garden Tour features self-guided tours and live entertainment at five San Clemente-area gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online before the event for $35 ($30 each if purchasing four or more). Day-of tickets are $45 and must be purchased in person, at a location that will be announced on the website after 6 p.m. on May 19. Proceeds from the tour support the San Clemente Garden Club College Scholarship and Junior Gardeners programs as well as conservation organization and civic beautification projects in the city of San Clemente. sanclementegardenclub.com

May 21 The Rossmoor Woman’s Club 19th Garden Tour features self-guided tours of six private gardens in the Rossmoor-Los Alamitos area of Orange County, just north of Seal Beach, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $20. They can be purchased online after April 15, at several area shops or, on the day of the tour, at the club’s outdoor marketplace, featuring music, food, craft and plant sales in Arbor Village, 10651 Los Alamitos Blvd. in Los Alamitos. Net proceeds from the tours support local charities. rossmoorwomansclub.org

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5:51 p.m. March 27, 2023: This story was updated to include details about the Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s 5th Bird-Friendly Garden Tour on April 16 and the May 6 Leimert Park Garden Tour.

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The Garden Club of Savannah host NOGS Tour of Hidden Gardens April 19 and 20, 2024

Completely SOLD OUT Tickets for April 24 & 25 2025 go on sale as early as November 15, 2024

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the most up-to-date information on the NOGS Tour, gardening in Savannah and Savannah insider tips on how to enjoy your next visit.

This special Tour unlocks the garden gates of selected private gardens and historic gardens for self-guided exploration. Ticket holders will enjoy springtime gardens located in Savannah’s Landmark Historic District, which is the largest in the United States. All the gardens are located in the area North of Gaston Street (NOGS) to the Savannah River. As part of the Tour, guests are invited to a sampling of Southern Tea favorites at the Green-Meldrim House, a National Historic Landmark and one of the South’s finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Proceeds from the Tour are donated to garden-related organizations throughout the Savannah area thanks to your generous support. Garden Club of Savannah: Sharing the Art of Southern Hospitality with our guests for nearly 50 years.

Group Reservations: [email protected] Email to arrange groups purchase pricing for 20 or more.

NOGS Garden Tour will be heldApril 19 & 20, 2024 Premium Tickets will go on sale in November 15, 2023, followed by Tea Tickets on December 1. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @GardenClubSAV to be the first to know. Lee Green is the 2024 Chair. Please direct all inquires to our email at: [email protected]

 2024 Theme – Beyond the Garden Gates: Celebrating Savannah’s Iconic Ironwork

Our NOGS Tour Ticket Tent opens at 9:30AM and is located at:  Green-Meldrim House 325 Bull Street  Madison Square & Macon Street

Gardens Open to Tour :10:00-4:00 pm  Southern T ea Times:  Tea times will be scheduled every 30 minutes from 12:30-3:00PM. Premium Trolley Tours: 9:30AM and 11:00AM Friday and Saturday

Garden Club of Savannah: Sharing the Art of Southern Hospitality with our guests for nearly 50 years.

All 1100 Premium and Tea Tickets SOLD OUT!

General Admission tickets go on sale December 1st. They include the Tea and Gardens (Only the premium ticket has the custom guided Old Town Trolley Tour.) 

Tickets for the event tend to sell out by mid February. All sales are considered donations, and are final. 

Thank you for your donation. Ticket proceeds fund local beautification, education and conservation grants. November 15, 2023 when ticket sales begin for NOGS 2024.

Show ID when collecting your wristband in lieu of a printed receipt. Wrist-band pickup begins Friday, April 19, 2024 at 9:30AM at the Ticket Table in front of the Green-Meldrim House located on Madison Square. Use the following address in your GPS.

325 Bull Street Madison Square & Macon Street

Group Discounts: [email protected] Email to arrange groups purchase pricing for 20 or more.

NEW OFFER Garden Walk Self-Guided Tour  $50 each Tickets for the garden tour only are recommended for those who have attended the tea in past years or who are visiting Savannah and didn’t hear about the tour until they arrived. These tickets will be available March 1.

Premium Trolley, Southern Tea, and Garden Tour  $100 each Tickets include a 50-minute trolley tour of the NOGS Garden Tour area, a walking tour ticket, and a Southern Tea. Your trolley guide will provide an engaging botanical history of Savannah based on historic records.  It’s  educational, eye-opening and entertaining! Sit back, relax and enjoy the tour until the trolley returns to the Green-Meldrim parking lot. (This trolley does not make stops).

Southern Tea and Garden Tour  $70 each Tickets include a self-guided walking garden tour and a Southern Tea at the historic Green-Meldrim House on Madison Square at Bull and W. Macon St.

Guided Architectural and Garden Tour  $60 each Tickets for the garden tour only are recommended for those who have attended the tea in past years or who are visiting Savannah and didn’t hear about the tour until they arrived. These tickets are only available after the premium and regular tickets have sold out. 

Ticket Description Bring your e-ticket receipt or picture ID to collect your wristband and a map. The wristband will be your admission ticket. The color denotes your tea-time. The brochure contains a map with a key showing the locations of each garden. Your wristband is good for both days. You may visit each garden and the Southern Tea once at your appointed time and day.  If you purchased trolley tickets, the t our is valid for the day and time selected at time of purchase.

NO REFUNDS All tickets are considered non-refundable donations that fund our civic grant programs. Exchanges will not be facilitated by Garden Club of Savannah.

Please come to the ticket tent 30 minutes before departure time to collect your tickets.

The ticket tent is located at:

Green-Meldrim House 325 Bull Street  Madison Square & Macon Street

Times : 9:30AM, 11:00 AM and 12:30PM on Friday and Saturday

And, you are invited to attend this uniquely southern Savannah experience!  Your charming adventure begins with…

Private 50-minute Trolley Tour entertaining you with: 

• Tales of Savannah’s Botanical Roots
• Insights into the Historic aspects of the hidden gardens
• An overview of the walking tour area; however the trolley does no stop
• Begins and ends at the Green-Meldrim Mansion
• Self-Guided Garden Walking our where one can enjoy firsthand the delight of a hidden urban oasis
• Traditional and sumptuous Southern Tea sampling at the Historic Green-Meldrim Mansion, a national landmark.

Trolley Boarding: The Green-Meldrim House parking lot located at the corner of West Harris and Whitaker Street. Plan to arrive at the departure location 15 minutes before tour begins.  Tickets may be picked up at the ticket table as early as Thursday afternoon prior to the event.  There is limited availability for our Premium Trolley, Tour and Tea tickets. 

Note: There is no onsite parking in the Green-Meldrim parking lot. See FAQ for parking options

Why is it called the NOGS Tour? In 1975, the club introduced a Spring Tour of Gardens limited to the area North of Gaston Street, thus the “NOGS” (North of Gaston Street). In 2012 the garden tour was expanded to North of Gwinnett Street.

Sharing the Art of Southern Hospitality with our guests for nearly 50 years.

What is the 2024 theme?  Beyond the Garden Gate: Celebrating Savannah’s Iconic Ironwork

When is the Tour? The tour is April 19 and 20, 2024, Friday and Saturday.

Why do I have to pick up tickets?  Purchasing online provides you with a ticket receipt and instructions. The actual ticket is a wristband and a map of the Garden Tour which is top secret and will not be revealed until the day before the tour begins.

Where does the tour start?

Once you have picked up your ticket and map at the Green-Meldrim House,  located on Madison Square, you may visit the gardens in  any order  you wish. They will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. 

When is the Tour? The tour is traditionally held the third weekend in April. In 2023 it will be held the weekend after Easter on April 14 and 15, a Friday and Saturday.

Why do I have to pick up tickets? Purchasing online provides you with a ticket receipt and instructions. The actual ticket is a wristband and a map of the Garden Tour which is top secret and will be revealed until the day before the tour begins.

Does the trolley makes stops? No, the trolley runs a loop and provides an entertaining 50-minute presentation. You will begin at the Green-Meldrim parking lot and return to that same location which is central to the Garden Tour. It’s close to the restrooms and the Tea.

Where does the tour start? Once you have picked up your ticket and map at the Green-Meldrim House. It is located on Madison Square. You may visit the gardens in any order  you wish. They will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. 

Where should I park? On-Street parking is available along the tour route as well as in parking garages for a fee. Parking meters are enforced on Saturdays; see   Savannah parking information  HERE . There is an app that allows you to pay for parking via your smart phone. Click   HERE   for information on the City Parking App. Some meters located in our tour area are cash-only, so bring some quarters. Also, please note allowed parking times; these can vary. The Green-Meldrim House parking lot is private so no parking is available for visitors.

Is transportation available? This is a self-guided walking tour. All the gardens are within walking distance of the Green-Meldrim House. For those needing some assistance, Savannah Pedicabs are available for hire  912-232-7900. Also the City of Savannah offers a free trolley service in the Landmark Historic District for more information:   www.catchacat.org/shuttle

Can I take photographs? Take all the pictures you want of the gardens. The Green-Meldrim House  does not allow  ph otographs inside during the tea. Exceptions include: pictures of your friends and the floral arrangements.

Where are restrooms located? The   Royal Restrooms will be available in the parking lot of the Green-Meldrim House at the corner of West Charlton and Whitaker Streets. There is NO  restroom inside the Green-Meldrim House for guests. There are also restrooms at the Massie Heritage Center.

Where to should I stay: Go to  visitsavannah.com  for a listing of hotels, motels and B&B available in Historic Downtown Savannah.

Can you recommend dining and shopping? Please check our Partnerships page for a listing of local restaurants and shops supporting our tour. You will be given a list of restaurants and shops when you pick up your ticket.

Are refunds available? Thank you for your tax deductible donation. All purchases are final and are considered donations. They are non-refundable. The money goes to local 501c3 organizations to support horticultural projects that beautify, educate and promote conservation. We take no responsibility for exchanges. They may not be facilitated via our facebook page as there is no way to guarantee their authenticity. 

How should I tag the tour in social media?  Please post to our facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheGardenClubOfSavannah or on Instagram @GardenClubSav and copy & paste these tags:  #nogstour #visitsavannah #exploresavannah #Historicsavannah #gardento

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Watch Graham Ross on Better Homes & Gardens TV Show every Friday night at 7pm on Channel 7.

Listen to Graham Ross on The Garden Clinic Radio Show on Radio 2GB Sydney every Saturday and Sunday morning 6-8am.

Over 40 years of garden travel, we have built a reputation for tours that are relaxed, effortless, friendly, inspiring and great fun. Why don’t you join us?

My dream in 1980 was to share the world’s most beautiful gardens.

Since then we have taken groups to more than 1000 gardens on four continents. You’ll see some of those gardens on this website. Have a look around and then let us take you to the real thing.

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The famous rose gardens of England and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

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I loved the variety of gardens that we visited. The tour, accommodation, gardens and food were excellent. It was lovely to travel with such a wonderful bunch of like-minded garden enthusiasts. The wealth of knowledge that Colin Barlow displayed just… more

I loved the variety of gardens that we visited. The tour, accommodation, gardens and food were excellent. It was lovely to travel with such a wonderful bunch of like-minded garden enthusiasts. The wealth of knowledge that Colin Barlow displayed just blew me away. Inside Victoria was a wonderful holiday. I enjoyed every day.

This was my first extended tour, previously enjoying day trips to Red Cow Farm and the Jacaranda Cruise on Sydney Harbour. Should you have visitors from overseas this Cruise is a must. The Joy of Jacaranda in full bloom with… more

This was my first extended tour, previously enjoying day trips to Red Cow Farm and the Jacaranda Cruise on Sydney Harbour. Should you have visitors from overseas this Cruise is a must. The Joy of Jacaranda in full bloom with the Beauty of our Harbour plus Graham’s incredible knowledge of Sydney. Not forgetting the scrumptious morning tea ☕🍪 Sandra , Graham and their Team do not miss a beat. Thank you for a wonderful 5 days shared with a delightful group of travellers 👏

Tours visit the most beautiful gardens when blooms are at their best. Great commentary & information is freely given, & questions answered. Lovely accommodation & lots of fun!

Discounts on all Ross Garden Tours, Get Expert Advice (Diamond, Platinum and Gold membership levels), a Magazine Every Season, a Free Garden Class or Workshop (Diamond and Platinum membership levels), 10% Discount at Nursery Partners, Access Our Online Database And Magazine Archive And Special Events For Members Only (All levels)

Our blog inspires you with great garden tales and beautiful images. Click now and check it out.

Discover the Extraordinary with Ross Garden Tours

Welcome to Ross Garden Tours, the world’s leading specialist for garden tours. With over 40 years of experience, we are proud to offer hassle-free, fun, and deeply inspiring tours. We invite you to join us for an adventure through some of the world’s most beautiful gardens.

Japan Spring Festivals Tour

Embrace the land of the rising sun’s phenomenal natural and cultural heritage on our Japan spring festivals tour. From the breathtaking sight of azaleas, peonies and wisteria enveloping the landscapes to serene temple gardens, Japan is truly an unforgettable garden tour destination.

Experience the magnificent seasonal flowers in full bloom peppered across Japan’s countryside and cities. Revel in the nation’s commitment to nurturing nature and preserving its pristine beauty.

Why Choose Ross Garden Tours?

At Ross Garden Tours, our commitment goes beyond showcasing the world’s most beautiful gardens. Our guided tours offer:

• Authentic Experiences: Visit local attractions, meet dedicated gardeners, and learn about traditional and innovative gardening methods.
• Expert Guides: All our tour leaders are seasoned garden experts with a knack for creating a relaxed and unforgettable experience for our guests.
• Comprehensive Services: From pre-arranged travel to local meals and luxury accommodations, we take care of everything for our guests to enjoy their holiday worry-free.
• Exclusive Discounts: Members of the Garden Clinic, Australia’s largest gardening club, enjoy a discount on every tour.

Garden Tours: A Unique Perspective on Nature’s Opulence

Join Ross Garden Tours and start exploring some of the world’s legendary gardens. Enjoy nature’s magnificent greenery, revel in the enchanting displays of flowers, breathe in the subtle fragrances, and listen to the whispers of the wind as it brushes past the leaves. Experience the tranquillity, mesmerising display of colours, and enticing charm that gardens bring.

Book your garden tour on 1300 233 200 today, and let Ross Garden Tours guide you on an enchanting journey that will leave you with plenty of unforgettable memories.

Frequently Asked Questions for Garden Tours

Who are ross garden tours.

Ross Garden Tours was founded 44 years ago by Graham and Sandra Ross to share their passion for beautiful gardens. You might recognise Graham as the gardening presenter on Better Homes and Gardens TV Show, a position he’s held for 30 years. Graham and Sandra have also presented The Garden Clinic Radio Show since 1980 on Sydney’s Radio 2GB. They work together to plan and organise spectacular tours to gardens around the world.

What is included in the Japan spring festivals tour?

Our Japan spring tour lets you experience the phenomenal spring flowers of Japan. While many think of cherry blossoms as Japan’s most exciting floral event, we feel that the spring festivals and the gorgeous azalea, peony and wisteria are an aspect of Japan’s horticulture not to be missed! Wait til you see the wisteria tunnels.

Why should I choose Ross Garden Tours for my garden tours?

Ross Garden Tours offer unique, authentic experiences with expert guides. Our comprehensive tours include pre-arranged travel to public and private gardens with luxury centrally-located accommodations and memorable meals, ensuring guests can enjoy their holiday worry-free. Plus, members of the Garden Clinic Club, Australia’s largest gardening club, enjoy a discount on every tour.

How can I plan my next garden tour with Ross Garden Tours?

Booking with Ross Garden Tours is simple. Explore our variety of tours, read through the detailed itinerary, accommodation locations and details, and travel arrangements on our website. Call our travel experts on 1300 233 200 for any queries or additional arrangements. You can reserve your spot by booking your tour online or over the phone.

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Ultimate Garden Tour

Here’s an excursion through truly inspired Connecticut gardens, with an overnight in between. The best strategy is to time it for when the roses in Elizabeth Park are in full bloom – the other gardens have more varied and lasting pleasures.

Elizabeth Park

Hill-stead museum garden, white flower farm, bellamy ferriday house & garden, glebe house, elizabeth park rose gardens, hartford.

Start your trip on a late morning amidst an embarrassment of roses at Elizabeth Park in Hartford. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the park has been growing and displaying roses for 109 years and now boasts garden areas, pathways, greenhouses, lawns, a pond and a picnic grove on 102 acres. As to the rose garden itself, it’s 2.5 acres, with 800 varieties of the flower growing on some 15,000 plants. The fragrance of roses in full bloom (June and early July) is something you’ll never forget.

Following a stroll for lunch at the Pond House Café or a stop-off at Piccolo Arancio in Farmington, head next for the Hill-Stead Museum , where today your focus will be on the gardens outdoors rather than the wonderful Impressionist art indoors. The spectacular grounds were designed by Theodate Pope for her parents’ new home (which she also designed) and a key feature is the octagonal sunken garden, with brick walkways, summerhouse, a formal hedge and 36 perennial beds encompassing more than 90 plant varieties.

White Flower Farm, Morris

Continue west for a slow immersion into the Litchfield Hills, eventually arriving at White Flower Farm, a Litchfield shrine for American gardeners since 1950. White Flower’s “store” is a retail operation covering more than 5 acres, including a Begonia House, Shade Garden, Moon Garden and Polinator Garden, along with many other features. Bet you can’t leave without taking something for the garden back home!

Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, Bethlehem

After breakfast and some sightseeing in Litchfield, head for the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden in Bethlehem (it opens at noon). The antiques-filled 1754 landmark (once home to the town’s first minister) features a formal parterre garden with roses, peonies and lilacs.

Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden, Woodbury

Next, get to the Glebe House in Woodbury with its Gertrude Jekyll Garden, the only extant American garden planned by England’s most venerated designer. The house was built in around 1750 and contains many of the furnishings of that day. The garden dates from 1926, when Jekyll planned 600 feet of classic English-style mixed border and foundation plantings, a planted stone terrace and an intimate rose allee.

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Nature Meets Art in local Monroe Garden Tour

Press release from monroe-walton center for the arts.

04/08/2021 Sharon Swanepoel Community 0

Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts (MWCA) is hosting a local Garden Tour on Saturday, May 15 from 10 am – 4 pm.  The Tour is a fund-raising event for our local non-profit arts center.  

“We named the Tour “Nature Meets Art” because we are celebrating beautiful gardens as an artful expression,” says Tour Coordinator Joy Poole.  “Through this Tour, our guests will be treated to an up-close and intimate look at some of the prettiest gardens in our community.”

​Ten gardens are featured on the Tour: Seven lovely home gardens in downtown Monroe and “greater Monroe” plus three unique specialty public gardens.  “We have a variety of gardens on the Tour,” Tour team member Nancy Moate adds. “Seven lovely backyard gardens plus unique spaces like the Walton Wellness Field Garden are on the Tour.  We want to spotlight three local garden spots that many of our neighbors may not even be aware of.”

Plein air painters or gardening experts will be in many gardens to demonstrate or answer questions on gardening topics for an artistic, fun, educational and immersive garden experience.

Entries for drawings for Early Bird prizes (including gift certificates to Growers Outlet, an original oil painting and garden tools) are offered to ticket buyers in April.  Tickets are now available only in person at MWCA at 205 South Broad Street in downtown Monroe.  Early Bird tickets are $25.  

“We’re hoping we sell out, of course, but if tickets are still available in May, the price increases to $30 per ticket,” notes Poole.

“We’re excited to offer this fun outing to our community,” Hope Reese, director of MWCA states.  “What a great Mother’s Day present this would make for any Mom who loves gardening.  We are certain that our all of our Tour guests will find inspiration and a time to unwind and relax while viewing these artistic and beautiful gardens.”

Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts is open Tuesday – Thursday from 11 – 4, Friday and Saturday from 10 – 5 and Sunday from 1 – 5.  They offer art classes for all ages and abilities, an art gallery and local artist gift shop.  You can learn more about MWCA at monroewaltonarts.org.

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The 2024 Annual Garden Tour will be held on:

Featuring 12 beautiful sites around the Tooele Valley! Tour goes from 4pm-8pm on Friday and 10am-5pm on Saturday.

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Free Bonus Event and Nursery Garden! Join us for a FREE Garden Party on

June 10th, from 6p-9p

At tooele valley nursery.

Enjoy dinner or a snack from a local Food Truck, take in sounds of great conversations and music as you stroll through 2 acres of paths, shade trees, grassy areas, sitting areas, and whimsical outbuildings and garden settings!

Tooele Valley Nursery is located at 425 Cimmarron Way, Erda, UT 84074

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Want More Info?

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Tooele Valley Annual Garden Tour

Or contact Jay at 435-830-1447 / email: [email protected]

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Coopersmith's garden tours.

Akaroa Rose Photo by Suzanne Parker

Sissinghurst Castle Garden Photo by Paul Coopersmith

Paul at Borough Market, London Borough has become one of the largest and finest open-air food markets in all of Europe. Photo by Suzanne Parker.

" We have been on 12 Coopersmith tours in the past, starting with Venice and the Italian Lakes in 1994, through Buckinghamshire & Hertfordshire in 2023. Our upcoming tour to the Peak District will be our thirteenth, and Jane's farewell tour the fourteenth. So we've been traveling with you for 30 years, with our thanks! " — Kathy and Greg Stern, Jefferson, Maryland

Dear Garden Enthusiast,

Welcome to COOPERSMITH'S, North America's oldest and most trusted international garden and stately-home tour company, now in our 40th year of crafting One-of-a-Kind Tours® for the discerning traveler.

Over the years, people have asked me, “What made you decide to go into the tour business?” My answer, simply put, is that travel has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. Having grown up in New Jersey, some of my fondest childhood memories were the car trips our family took to places like Niagara Falls, Smokey Mountains, and Williamsburg. While in high school, I savored week-long bicycle tours in Nova Scotia and Martha’s Vineyard.

Later, while attending the University of California, Berkeley, I hitchhiked annually between West and East coasts. Upon graduating, I set out for Europe, where I thumbed my way around the Continent for six months before settling in London. In the ensuing three years, I researched and wrote a guide book for like-minded travelers ( Rule of Thumb: A Hitchhiker’s Handbook , Simon & Schuster, 1973).

Back in Berkeley, where I supported my travel habit by working for over ten years as a landscape gardener, contractor, and garden designer, I co-founded A Taste of Britain, later to be renamed COOPERSMITH'S One-of-a-Kind Tours®. My passion was, and still is, crafting unique, small-group, upscale garden and manor-house tours that I, myself, would feel comfortable being part of.

The following elements have always formed the foundation for those tours:

World-class tour leaders, with a minimum of ten years' experience in the field

Exceptional gardens, featuring private tours by owners and head gardeners

Small groups: as few as six and never more than 20 participants

Relaxed pace: on average, one visit in the morning, and one in the afternoon

Limited time on the motorcoach, with plenty of extra seats

In-depth focus on one or two regions of one country

Four-to-seven-nights in atmospheric country inns and manor-house hotels

Gourmet meals, often locally-sourced

Now, four decades later, we’re still going strong. Our tours typically fill up 12 to 18 months in advance. We have dozens of clients who travel with us on a regular basis, some up to two or even three times a year. I love what one of our clients once wrote on his feedback form: "Going on a COOPERSMITH'S tour," he said, "is like taking part in a traveling house party, focusing on beautiful homes and gardens, with Jeeves doing all the work!"

When people go on a COOPERSMITH'S tour, odds are they’ll be signing up for another one soon - sometimes even before finishing the one they’re on! Come join us in 2024 and help us celebrate our forty years in the business. And see for yourself what makes our tours truly One-of-a-Kind®!

Happy travels,

"A company that specializes in small groups [where members] are often taken to private gardens rarely seen..." — The New York Times

"My wife recently had the good fortune to meet and speak with [famous English horticulturalist] Penelope Hobhouse, who recommended your garden tour as one of the two best in Europe..." — Collier Espy, Jr., Dothan, Alabama

When people go on a COOPERSMITH'S tour, odds are they’ll be signing up for another one soon-- -sometimes even before finishing the one they’re on! Come join us in 2024 and help us celebrate our forty years in the business. And see for yourself what makes our tours truly One-of-a-Kind®!

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The Villas & Gardens of Madeira – 2023

Explore glorious madeira with us , easy garden tours.

Accommodation

Luxury 5* Hotel

Transportation

Luxury Coach

Single Supplement

Tour Booklet

1-8 April 2023

Welcome Drinks

$ 1,924 – $ 2,324

• Cost & Book

Request Brochure

Tour summary.

• Small Group escorted tour to the Portuguese Island of Madeira, staying at the excellent 5* Vidamar Resort Hotel .
• Visit 16 exceptional gardens including a banana plantation.
• Seize the opportunity to go on an organized dolphin viewing (and possibly whale) tour (optional).
• Luxury Transportation by private coach accompanied by experienced local tour guide with botanical knowledge.
• Complimentary welcome drinks on arrival.  All breakfasts and lunches included.

Tour Description

This 8 day tour of Madeira starts on 1 April 2023.  On the first evening you’ll have an opportunity to meet your tour leader and fellow garden visitors during complimentary welcome drinks.  The second day will be spent introducing you to what has become known as Madeiran Garden Style.  With its superb mild all-year round climate (between 73°F (23°C) – 61°F (16°C)) Madeira has become an important destination for garden and plant lovers from all over the world.  Over the next 5 days we will visit 16 exceptional gardens each of which has been hand picked by us to represent the best Madeira has to offer.  Of course, we’ll visit the world famous Botanic Garden .  But we’ll also explore the lesser known northern and eastern parts of the Island where we’ll encounter the varied landscapes and different gardens that support more than 2000 different native plants that grow there.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 – 1 April 2023: Arrival & Check-In – 5* Vidamar Resort Hotel Madeira

After arriving at Funchal Airport, transfer and check-in to the very comfortable Vidamar Resort Madeira (formerly CS Madeira), the 5 * Hotel where which will be our home for the duration of our stay. Meet your tour manager Alice Bernardes and fellow garden visitors over complimentary drinks between 1800-1900.

Make you own arrangements for dinner at one of our hotel’s 5 theme restaurants.

Day 2 – 2 April 2023: Gardens Visited: Funchal’s Public Garden, Quinta Vigia, Botanic Garden

After a leisurely breakfast Alice Bernardes will give you an introduction to Funchal and its surrounding area. Afterwards we visit the Funchal’s Public Garden and the gardens of Quinta Vigia. Located in the centre of Funchal, the Public Garden was designed in 1842 by Andre, the Parisian landscape architect, on the site of an important 16th Century Monastery – the Convento de Sao Francisco. The garden is historically significant as it introduced new aspects of garden design to the island. Over the years, plants more suited the local climate were introduced and the gardens now reflect what has become known as the Madeira garden style. With more than 168 different species here, some of the plants in this garden are found at its edges – a Bella Sombra, flowering Jacaranthas , Flame Trees and Grevilleas are all present. After our visit we’ll walk a short distance to Quinta Vigia, it’s garden being perhaps one of Funchal’s best kept secrets. Now the official residence of Madeira’s Govenor, Quinta Vigia dates from 1662. Although the gardens surrounding the house only date from between 1979-1982 they are in exemplary order. Maintained by staff from the Botanic Garden, there are bamboo orchids, beds displaying Madeira’s indigenous plants many of which are not commercially available in Europe. After our visit we walk back to the old town, visit the market and have lunch.

After lunch, we head off to Madeira’s famous Botanic Garden. Once home of hotelier William Reid, these 15 acres of gardens date from 1881. Although famous for its carpet garden (created from all kinds of plants with colourful leaves) the Botanic Garden has much more to offer the visitor. With more than 2000 different plant species and cultivars organised to reflect each of the different ecosystems of the Madeira Islands – coastal plain, mountain forest and upland plateau – there is a great deal to see. There are few places in the world where you can see plants from three continents and three habitats during one visit as you can here. The gardens reach up to 350 metres above sea level and offer a splendid view over the Bay of Funchal. After a couple of hours exploring, we head back to our hotel. Evening is spent at leisure. Make your own arrangements for Dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 3 – 3 April 2023: Gardens Visited: Ribeiro Frio, Quinta do Furão

After breakfast we leave our hotel by luxury coach and tour the eastern part of the island. During the day, we’ll experience Madeira’s different landscapes, from high mountain ranges to coastal plains. En route we’ll visit the Ribeiro Frio. Nestled in a ravine with its own microclimate, Ribeiro Frio was established around 50 years ago and intended to be a reserve of Madeira wild flowers. Here we’ll find Madeira’s yellow foxglove , spotted orchids, woodwardia ferns , Madeira daisies as well as a good selection of woody plants of the forest. If we have time we’ll take a short walk through in the nearby forest and experience it first-hand. From Ribeiro Frio, we travel to Santana and have lunch at the Quinta do Furão before we start our return trip back to Funchal via Machico passing through vineyards on the way.

En-route we’ll stop off for cocktails at Reid’s Palace Hotel, the most exclusive hotel on the island of Madeira.   The garden surrounding the hotel is very nice and if we have time, we’ll walk around before we return to our hotel.

Make your own arrangements for Dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 4 – 4 April 2023: Gardens Visited: at leisure or optional visits to Porto Mare gardens, Pestana village gardens, Quinta Magnolia and/or the Madeira Magic Gardens

You can spend this day either on your own either relaxing in our resort hotel’s spa or by going on an organised dolphin tour (not included) where if you’re very lucky you might spot a whale!  If you would like to spend the day exploring more gardens we suggest visiting Porto Mare gardens, Pestana Village gardens or Quinta Magnolia all of which are within short walking distance of our hotel.  Your tour guide will lead a group to visit Madeira Magic Gardens, which is, in our view, a must-see.  Please let her know if you would like to join.  Make your own arrangements for dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 5 – 5 April 2023: Gardens Visited: Quinta do Palheiro Ferreiro, Quinta do Vale Paraiso, Quinta Splendida

After breakfast we travel to Quinta do Palheiro Ferreiro (Blandy Gardens) the first of three gardens that we will visit today. Blandy Gardens is considered as being one of the beautiful gardens on the island. With a history dating back more than 200 years it has one of the most celebrated botanical collections in the world. Large specimens of tulips trees, sequois, ginkgo and cedars feature next to South African and Australasian flora for which the gardens are justly famous. Don’t forget to take a look at one of the rarest trees in the garden – the Burmese Saurauia nepalensis and wonder at the collection of more than 10,000 camelia trees! After Blandy Gardens, we travel to Quinta do Vale Paraiso where we’ll have lunch. Afterwards, we’ll visit the gardens of Quinta Splendida which will be in full bloom during your visit. Make your own arrangements for Dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 6 – 6 April 2023: Gardens Visited: Madalena do Mar, Port Moniz, Banana Plantation

After breakfast, we’ll tour the west side of the island by luxury coach. En-route to Madalena do Mar our first port of call, we’ll experience some beautiful scenery and if possible we’ll stop to take some photos. Madalena do Mar is a traditional fishing village surrounded by banana plantations. We’ll take some time to walk around the village and admire some of the well tended gardens before we head off to visit a banana plantation. Before lunch at a traditional local restaurant, we’ll see the splendid waterfalls at Port Moniz. If we’re lucky one of the national dishes – spada fish with banana – with be on the menu. Delicious ! Depending on the weather, we’ll also have a short walk along one of the “levadas” for which Madeira is famous.  Levadas are channels built in the 15 th century that bring water from the north of the Island to the south where most of the population and plantations are located. They are popular with walkers and give us a glimpse of the past.   Make your own arrangements for Dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 7 – 7 April 2023:

After breakfast we’ll travel by coach to the Pico dos Barcelos, one of the panoramic viewpoints over the city of Funchal. Afterwards we’ll visit the Quinta de Santo Antonio which is believed to be more than 500 years old and by far, one of the oldest houses in Funchal. The garden was established in 1871 and consists of 3 distinct parts. A working garden with flowers, fruit and vegetables, a fazenda consisting of agricultural land and woods (called a mata). Everywhere we’ll find a glorious mix of traditional Madeira garden plants and native island flora. After Quinta de Santo Antonio, we’ll visit the Quinta Jardins do Lago, one of the most beautiful quinta on the island and which is now used as a luxury “botanical” hotel. Dating from 1803, the garden retains many of its original trees: dragon trees, jacarandas and mangos amongst others. Recently the gardens have been enlarged by the addition of many new plants including bromeliads, cycads and palms. Afterwards we’ll take the cable car to Monte and visit the extraordinary gardens of the Monte Palace where we will spend the rest of the afternoon exploring all that this garden has to offer. Although the house dates from 1900, by the time that it was bought by its present owner in 1987 the garden had become overrun. Since its official opening in 1991, it has become one of Madeira’s most popular attractions and offers the visitor a bewildering array of very different garden experiences all of which seek to dazzle and amaze. Make your own arrangements for Dinner either by choosing to eat in one of the Hotel’s 5 theme restaurants or nearby at one of the restaurants recommended by the Hotel’s concierge.

Day 8 – 8 April 2023: Check-out

After breakfast, please check-out of the hotel before 12 am in time for your onward travel.

For More Information

Click on the tab above for a detailed tour itinerary.  For practical information, visit our FAQ or About Us page and our Bookings Conditions . Please Contact Us if you have any questions or comments or visit our Home page for more of our superb garden tours.

• Category Spring Garden Tours
• Grade Easy Garden Tours
• Start Date 01/04/2023
• End Date 08/04/2023
• Accommodation Luxury 5* Hotel
• Transportation Luxury Coach
• Flights Excluded
• Single Supplement € 400
• Group 15-20
• Tour Booklet On Arrival
• Dates 1-8 April 2023
• Breakfast 7
• Welcome Drinks Included
• Pay Deposit
• Pay in Full

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1. pay a refundable 20% deposit now:.

• Step 1: Please select the correct amount and departure date above. The higher of the two prices displayed includes the single supplement and should be chosen if you are travelling alone.  If you are a couple or group travelling together select the lower of the two amounts.  You can change the number of people travelling together on the next screen and the price will be recalculated automatically.
• Step 2:  Choose the Pay Deposit option.
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Suffolk county.

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Local Garden Tours

• Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Thursday, June 29, 2023, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
• Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
• Sunday, July 9, 2023, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

June is national pollinator month.

To celebrate, Master Gardeners in the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators are inviting you to three free local garden tours. These tours provide good examples of incorporating native plants and pollinator plants in your home garden. Although self-guided, gardeners will be at each destination to answer questions.

Tuesday, June 20, 9:00 - noon Quogue, East Quogue, Westhampton Pollinator Tour

See native and pollinator plants incorporated in three public gardens and two private homes. Begin at 9AM at the first garden on the grounds of the Quogue Library, where you’ll receive the other addresses and plant notes.

Thursday, June 29, 9:30-1:00PM Southampton-Water Mill Pollinator Tour

Five residential native gardens, including shady, sunny, water side, beach right of way and a larger landscape will be featured. Sign-in at 11 Lake Drive, Bay View Oaks, Southampton from 9:30-10am. Handouts and addresses will be provided. The tour ends in Water Mill.

Tuesday, June 27, 1:30-4:30PM Huntington Garden Crawl Tour

Join Huntington SAP members in a Garden Crawl of local native pollinator gardens. Gardens include public spaces, a community garden and resident garden. Tour begins at 1:30 at 127 Abbott Drive in Halesite. Here the Crawlers will receive the addresses of the other 4 destinations.

Sunday, July 9th, 12:00-4:00pm North Fork Pollinator Pathway Inaugural Garden Tour

Starting at Custer Preserve. Both private and public gardens will be showcased. To preregister email: [email protected]

Last updated June 21, 2023

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Derby, KS (67037)

Overcast with rain showers at times. High 69F. WSW winds shifting to N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low 52F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.

Updated: May 2, 2024 @ 6:47 am

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The Islands of Color in Wichita is one of the featured stops on this year’s Garden Tour.

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Tour to showcase local gardens in June

• BY INFORMER STAFF [email protected]
• May 20, 2023
• 1 min to read

Sponsored by the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners, the 2023 Garden Tour is quickly approaching and will be held June 2-4 around the Wichita area.

Local gardens full of creativity – and inspiration – will be open for public viewing, giving area residents plenty of ideas. Tickets will be sold for $10 each, with children 12 and under admitted free with an adult.

Gardens selected will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 2 and 3, and noon to 4 p.m. June 4.

Visitors to this year’s tour stops can enjoy tranquil garden paths winding through thoughtfully-designed flowerbeds, shady woodland retreats, calming water features, etc. Highlights outlined by organizers of this year’s tour include an orange garden, keyhole garden (made from fallen branches), bird-feeding sanctuary, pollinator garden, imaginative hardscaping (including one with coral), whimsical artistic touches and much more.

Featured locations on the 2023 tour include Woodland Retreat (742 Surrey Ln., Maize), Garden of Water Views (9423 W. Wyncroft Ct., Wichita), Creativity of Nature and Art (9129 N. Seneca, Valley Center), Backyard Garden Medley (4950 Wyndham Ct., Park City), Islands of Color (2510 N. Greenleaf Ct., Wichita) and Landscaping that Rocks (2514 N. Greenleaf Ct. Wichita).

As part of the tour, all plants will be labeled and Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand at each stop to share more about the garden and answer any gardening questions.

Advance tickets are available for purchase at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center (21st and Ridge Road, Wichita), as well as online at tinyurl.com/GardenTour2023 . All proceeds will benefit the Master Gardeners’ educational community outreach programs through the county.

For additional ticket or event information, contact the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 316-660-0100.

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Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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