The Irvington Garden Club is hosting the 21st Annual Irvington Garden Tour on Sunday, June 27 from 1-5 p.m. The tour features some of the finest private gardens in the historic neighborhood, with a chance to go behind the garden gate to see creativity flourish. The historic Benton House, 312 S. Downey Ave. and the Bona Thompson Center, 5350 University Ave., gardens will also be showcased. Tickets are only $10, and are available prior to the tour at Ace Hardware at 10th and Arlington. On the day of the show, you can buy tickets at any of the gardens — look for the big daisy sign in the yard. United Methodist Church on N. Audubon Circle will have tickets available.
Established in 2000 as a fundraiser for the club, the annual garden tour has become a must-see event for anyone interested in garden design. Past tours have taken visitors to an enormous koi pond surrounded by dozens of hosta species and rare plantings, Bible-themed gardens, fairy gardens, Japanese tea gardens, and gardens devoted to protecting birds, bees, and butterflies. Owners are on hand to talk about how the gardens were built.
Artists will be set up in the gardens, painting and sketching. Some of the most notable artists in and around Irvington have been known to set up their easels in the lovely gardens.
Proceeds from the tour go to support the beautification projects of the Irvington Garden Club. The club maintains the historic gardens of the Benton House, plants the planters along East Washington St. and plants trees at Ellenberger Park, for starters.
A great way to end your day is at IUMC, which holds its patriotic concert and annual Strawberry Festival also on Sunday, June 27 from 1:30-4:00 p.m. Strawberry Shortcakes with the works (ice cream, strawberries, shortcake and whipped cream) is only $5 — it’s the best deal in town! There will also be live music courtesy of The Round-Ups and an activities tent for kids. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and spend some time enjoying the treats and the music!
To ease traffic congestion, you might want to bike from garden to garden. There are many bike lanes and trails through the area that make biking in Irvington easy and safe.
