The 13th annual Gardener’s Weekend sponsored by the Homer Garden Club and scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, will feature five diverse and exemplary gardens sure to inspire garden lovers.
Artful or manicured, park-like or private, these gardens collectively demonstrate the breadth of gardening splendor Homer has to offer. To build on this inspiration, keynote speaker Fergus Garrett, head gardener of England’s Great Dixter, will kick off the weekend with his presentation on Saturday, July 27.
Fergus will speak at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center on Succession Planting in the Mixed Border starting at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Note that this keynote presentation is likely to sell out. Tickets for the keynote ($10) and for Sunday’s Garden Tours ($15) are currently on sale at The Homer Bookstore.
Great Dixter, located in Sussex England, is a jewel of a garden. Fergus Garrett, serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust, oversees all facets of the garden’s existence, from design to maintenance and experimentation to education. The Homer Garden Club is privileged to host Fergus, horticulturist, writer, speaker and multiple award winner. In fact, just this past April he was awarded the highest accolade the Royal Horticultural Society can bestow: the Victoria Medal of Honour.
The Gardeners’ Weekend tours take place on Sunday, July 28, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This year they will feature five gardens in peak bloom, with water features, stonework, perennials, annuals, containers and rock gardens along with stunning views of the bay and the glaciers beyond. Allow at least four hours if you want to see every garden on this self-guided tour.
The final opportunity to purchase garden tour tickets will be at City Hall from 10 to noon on Sunday; they will not be available after noon. Ticket sales are final and non-refundable and no longer sold at the tour’s gardens.
For individuals over 80 or children under 1 year old, the tours are free. Carpooling is recommended as parking can be problematic in some areas along the route. This event is sponsored and orchestrated by the gracious folks at the Homer Garden Club.
Additional details on this event can be found on the Homer Garden Club’s website: www.homergardenclub.org.
