IRVINGTON — Escape. Experience. Enjoy. That’s what visitors to the Irvington Garden Tour can expect from wandering through the gardens specially selected for this year’s event. On June 26 from 1-5 p.m., the Irvington Garden Club will host its 16th annual tour of outstanding Irvington gardens. Tickets the day of the tour will be available at the Benton House, 312 S. Downey Ave. Presale tickets will be available at Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson Ave., Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon, and the Antique Mall of Irvington, 5502 E. Washington St. Tickets are only $10 (children under 14 are free) and include a free plant.
This year’s gardens feature a wide variety of landscapes. Start out with the Benton House’s historical gardens, featuring heirloom plants dating back to 1400. Years of research and careful tending resulted in this remarkable botanical treasure trove.
The Bona Thompson Center is on the tour, offering a free plant with your paid ticket. Go inside and see the exhibit “Paintings From Your Neighbor’s Garden” with guest artist Elizabeth Seagull Heeter, and explore the building’s other historic exhibits.
Eight unique residential gardens are on the tour, each with their own take on what it is to be a gardener. Some are all vegetable, some all flowers — and some are a combination of both (a new trend in gardening, the edible landscape). Visitors can be inspired by yard art, water features, and wildlife habitats. The homeowners are on hand to talk about their gardens.
Unique to the Irvington Garden Tour are the plein air artists painting in the featured gardens. Visitors will be able to meet some of Irvington’s foremost artists working in the neighborhood they love best.
The Strawberry Festival at Irvington UMC in the heart of Irvington takes place the same day, so make it one of your official stops! Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Rd., will hold its annual Strawberry Festival and Patriotic Concert from 1:30-4:00 p.m. Strawberry shortcake ($5 for “the works”), music, and children’s activities will be held on the lawn. The free patriotic concert, with the IUMC choir and featured guest artists VOCE, Indianapolis, will begin at 4:30 in the sanctuary. For more information, call the church office at (317) 356-7231 or visit www.irvingtonumc.org
