Homes and gardens

Sage Merritt and Alicia Rimel
Published: April 27, 2008

The arrival of spring heralds the 75th Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia – one of the largest, and longest enduring, home and garden tours in the nation. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a long list of horticultural eye candy – from majestic formal gardens to simple herb gardens. More than 250 of the state’s historic homes and gardens opened as part of 30-plus tours scheduled through Sunday, including a tour of six gardens in Staunton that took place Saturday.
The Staunton event, sponsored by the Augusta Garden Club, gave visitors the opportunity to explore several Queen City homes and their gardens, as well as the historic gardens at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidental Library.
“When the [Garden Glub of Virginia] began its restoration programs in the early 20th century, most of our state’s historic properties had fallen into disrepair and neglect after the Civil War,” said Suzanne Munson, executive director of Historic Garden Week.
Saturday’s tour in Staunton gave visitors the chance to peek into five private homes and their gardens, including two historic residences on Woodland Drive and houses on Greenway road, Oak Terrace and Augusta Street. Shuttles carried attendees from location to location, and hostesses at each home gave informational tours of each residence.
“I have many close friends who are active in the Garden Club, and when your close friends ask you if you would do something, you say yes,” said Pam Huggins, homeowner of 1717 North Augusta Street, one of the residences on Saturday’s tour. “Our house, several years ago, had been on the historic Staunton Christmas tour and we had a really positive experience with that. People are really interested to see a historic home, and I am an active supporter of historic resoration and conservation.”
Huggins’ residence, a Georgian Revival-style home built in 1921, was designed by well-known Staunton architect Samuel Collins. Also open for the tour was the home’s carriage house and back yard, which included a variety of azaleas, dogwoods and other flowering plants.
“I have a fond appreciation for the architech who designed and the builders who built this home,” Huggins said. “They really don’t make them like this any more. It’s a little strange knowing that people you don’t know are going through your house and looking at your stuff, but so far today, everybody has been so lovely. … I’ve never seen anything that spoke more to the beauty of nature and what the Garden Club preservation efforts are all about. It was really our privilege to share their effort and share our home with the community.”
The gardens at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, also on Saturday’s tour, are a testament to the power of the Garden Club of Virginia’s fundraising and restoration efforts. The historic Victorian knot garden and the surrounding landscape at the birthplace were restored by the Garden Club of Virginia, with money raised from a previous Historic Garden Week.
“The biggest project we’ve ever done is the Pavillion Gardens at the University of Virginia,” said Anne Spencer, chairman of the Augusta Garden Club’s Staunton tour. “Each main project gets about $700,000.”
Other events around the state offered a peek inside historic homes from the early 1700s through the 21st century, from the East Coast to the Alleghenies. Featured homes around the state cover every major style, including Victorian farmhouses, city townhouses and glass-walled waterfront properties, among others. The event draws around 30,000 visitors every year, many visiting from other states.
“With tour proceeds, the Garden Club has been able to recreate the landscapes of the homes of some of America’s most notable leaders, including those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison … and many others, as well as the grounds of historic churches, colleges and public buildings,” said Munson.
Historic Garden Week began in 1927 during a flower show at Monticello – an effort to save Jefferson’s aging trees. The endeavor raised $7,000 – a respectable sum for the time period. Since this early success, Garden Week has raised a total of almost $13 million dollars. Since 1929, money raised has gone to fund more than forty renovations. 
Driven by volunteerism, Garden Week is a product of one of the largest volunteer groups in Virginia. More than 3,300 Club members, more than 200 homeowners and hundreds of other supporters contribute their efforts to the cause. 
The Garden Club of Virginia accepts donations in support of restorations, conservation and education in the Commonwealth. There are many ways to make a tax-deductible contribution. For more information, visit http://www.vagardenweek.org.
Tickets will still be available today for tours in Winchester and Clarke Counties, ranging from $10 to $40 per event. These may be purchased at open properties, at designated information centers, from tour chairman and through the Garden Club of Virginia’s Web site.