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East Row Garden Club's 12th Annual Garden Walk Features Eight Gardens
June 28 & 29, 2008
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click HERE for the Garden Walk Flyer
When the well-respected Garden Design magazine touted in its May 1999 issue that "Rhode Island isn't the only state where a town called Newport has become synonymous with great gardens," members of the East Row Garden Club in Newport, Kentucky, weren't surprised. They take pride in their charming gardens and were thrilled that the writer of Miss Green's Datebook, the Garden Design column, thought so, too.
The East Row Garden Club will present its 12th Annual Garden Walk for the public on Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29, 2008. The tour will showcase eight captivating gardens in historic Newport.
The 2008 East Row Garden Walk runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the East Row Historic District, the second largest local historic district in Kentucky. (Newport was founded in 1795.) During the walk, as visitors stroll through the neighborhood, they can view the gardens chosen for their distinctive creativity, design and use of plant materials.
The gardens, most of which are nestled in back yards of historic Queen Anne and Italianate homes, are hidden from public view by century-old brick walls, ornate iron fences and other structures. Of the eight gardens, six have never been open to the public.
Among the gardens:
- An English Courtyard Garden with touches of whimsy tended by a native of England. (Two musicians will entertain visitors with Beatles songs on Saturday afternoon.)
- A mature woodland garden that’s colorful and shaded by a massive century-old tree.
- A romantic perennial garden designed with vintage statuary, antique brick walkways and slate steppingstones.
- An intimate Charleston-style courtyard garden.
- A plot, once overrun with weeds that were hiding a decrepit cement patio, transformed into a perennial garden with raised beds, a koi pond, two wood decks and a pergola built with translucent, polycarbonate roof that still allows the homeowners to sit under it in rainy weather.
- A garden designed for entertaining with a patio bordered by a river stone wall, a small lawn and a curving pathway that extends between the front and the back yards.
- An ever changing, artistic garden that is also enjoyed by the homeowner's two Pembroke Welsh corgis. "The gardening corgis have been known to transplant a few items (including sedum) with surprising success," says the homeowner.
At the ticket booth, visitors will receive a handout listing the homeowners' 10 favorite plants, which are marked with stakes in each garden. The handout has become a favorite tradition of the tour. In addition, vendors including Greg's Antiques and Nature's Corner will offer plants and garden related decorative accessories for sale. Live musical performances are scheduled in some gardens, and volunteers and homeowners will be available to answer visitor's questions.
One relaxation area offering complimentary bottled water, lemonade, cookies and restrooms is planned along the tour route at a home selected for the 2007 East Row Victorian Christmas Tour. Curtis L. Heuser, an artist, interior designer and author of Your Home: A Living Canvas (North Light Books), will open his spectacular home at no charge to Garden Walk ticket holders. The home showcases the murals, trompe l'oeil and faux finishes that are featured in Heuser's book.
A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Brighton Center, Inc., Newport, (www.brightoncenter.com) which provides 37 programs for individuals and families throughout Northern Kentucky including employment training, youth services, and community, family and child development. Proceeds also go toward beautification projects for the neighborhood and the City of Newport.
Tickets will be $15 per person and sold both days at the exhibitor area at the Watertower Square parking lot, located at Sixth and Washington streets. Children age 12 and under will be admitted free of charge if accompanied by an adult. Tickets will be sold until 3 p.m. each day, and the tour will continue until 4 p.m. Advanced tickets (at the same price) may also be purchased at Kentucky Haus, 411 E. 10th St. (Phone: 859-261-4287).
The Title Sponsor is The Bank of Kentucky. Golden Trowel sponsors are Multi Craft, Inc. and Newport on the Levee.
The East Row Garden Club was founded in 1996 to educate members about gardening, provide a social atmosphere and sponsor projects that beautify the East Row Historic District and the City of Newport. A portion of proceeds from previous tours and through ongoing efforts of many volunteers have allowed the club to make financial donations to several charitable organizations in Newport, complete a formal garden at Third and Park Avenue in Newport and assist with community-wide beautification efforts including new gardens at Fourth Street School.
In April, the club's container garden entry at the Cincinnati Flower Show received a gold medal along with the Martha Seaman Award of Excellence, awarded to an amateur in Container Gardens displaying them most distinctive use of color and/or textural harmony.
Last year (2007), the East Row Garden Walk attracted over 800 visitors. As a result, the club donated $1,132 to the Kids BackPack Program, a program sponsored by the Freestore Foodbank and Newport Independent Schools that provides free meals to low-income Newport students on weekends and holidays.
One of last year's gardens, a courtyard with brick walls, slate walkways and a large pond with a waterfall, is featured in the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens' Special Interest Publications called Do It Yourself.
For further information, contact Mary Beth Crocker, president, at marybethcrocker@fuse.net or 859-431-7607.
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