Virginia’s Historic Garden Week Is A 96-Year-Old Tradition With Over 120 Blooming Garden Tours

Spring is in bloom all over the South. Although your yellow-dusted vehicle and sinuses may be feeling the adverse effects of the season, the benefits—namely, the beauty as pops of color dot the landscape—outweigh any inconveniences. While now is the time to head to a botanical garden or historic home to see what’s blossoming, those in the Old Dominion have a more intimate peek into private gardens during Virginia’s Historic Garden Week, a 96-year-old tradition.

What Is Historic Garden Week?

Courtesy The Garden Club of Virginia; Photo by Georgiana Watt

Spanning 8 days each year—from Saturday to Saturday at the end of April—48 garden clubs from the Commonwealth of Virginia work together to open over 120 private homes and gardens throughout the state. And there’s a wide variety of things to see. “I feel like there’s something for everyone,” says Virginia Gillock, the chair of Historic Garden Week. Whether you enjoy nature, flowers, history, or touring homes, the reasons to attend are manyfold.

What To Know

Courtesy The Garden Club of Virginia; Photo by Joyce Feder

Choose Your Tours Wisely

However, visitors must choose wisely, as the time is divided into 29 one-day tours. While you can buy separate tickets for individual events, you can also purchase a statewide pass to attend multiple tours throughout the week. For example, you can take a more urban walking tour of Old Town Alexandria on Saturday and see waterside homes in Middlesex County on Friday. Or, if you want to visit Richmond, three tours occur on three different days, so you can pick one or all.

Part of Historic Garden Week’s uniqueness is that each club manages its individual tour, including selecting the homes and providing staffing on its tour date. Over 3,500 volunteers participate statewide to service over 24,000 visitors—from 24 states and almost 20 different countries—each year. Organizing the day is no compact feat, and it’s years in the making.

How Gardens Are Chosen

For clubs and homeowners, the procurement process begins two to three years in advance, which gives the owners time to ready their spaces. Factors like the home’s architecture, garden areas, and decorating style all weigh into a home’s selection, which Gillock says regular attendees have come to appreciate. “I think that’s why we have very loyal visitors who come year after year,” she adds. Plus, the featured properties change each year.

While each route features multiple locations, the time offers more than just a glimpse into the house and gardens, as the clubs work to place arrangements throughout. You’ll see everything from gorgeous, large-scale displays on mantels and dining tables to diminutive bouquets on bathroom vanities and bedside tables, with most featuring native plants. “Our members who do the flower arrangements are very much encouraged to grow the flowers and the greens that go into the arrangements,” says Gillock.

Courtesy The Garden Club of Virginia; Photo by Tom Topinka

Look Out for Extra Events

Clubs also offer extra perks as they see fit, such as gardening lectures, a special luncheon (an additional fee), or plein air artists live painting in the gardens. “Every tour is a little bit different because each tour is organized by that individual club,” reveals Gillock. “That’s what makes it special and distinct.” To review a specific itinerary, head to the tour website and click on the routes that interest you, or—if you’re fortunate enough to find one—pick up a guidebook, which details the entire week.

Be Wary of Taking Photos

Naturally, visiting gardens open to the public provides plenty of inspiration and ideas, but cultivating such large-scale spaces often requires a team of horticulturists and staff. However, seeing the real-life private gardens of homeowners usually provides more practical inspiration accompanied by an “I can do that” attitude. 

However, before packing your camera or pulling out your smartphone to document ideas for your to-do list, be wary. Taking pictures is taboo. “Out of respect for the property owners, we do not allow photography inside the homes,” says Gillock. While some homeowners don’t mind guests taking photos of outdoor spaces, it’s best to ask one of the garden’s hostesses for permission before doing so. Plus, a dedicated Facebook page showcases professional images of the week’s highlights for guests to operate as reference.

History of Historic Garden Week in Virginia

Courtesy The Garden Club of Virginia; Photo by Steve Trumbull

Although it’s a labor of love for the individual clubs, the overarching premise is preservation and a penchant for gardening. “At the very core, this is a fundraiser for the restoration of public gardens,” adds Gillock. And it’s an event that has been happening for over nine decades. 

“It started way back in 1929 when we had a small group of garden club women who wanted to raise money for trees that were faltering at Monticello,” says Gillock. To purchase modern trees, these women opened their private homes, invited their friends, and charged a compact admission fee as a fundraiser. “That is really how the birth of Historic Garden Week began, and it’s a cherished tradition,” Gillock adds.

Since its inception, the event has grown while maintaining the welcoming feel of peeking into someone’s life and design style. Yet the premise is still the same—to raise funds for the public gardens. “We have restoration partners all over the state of Virginia,” says Gillock. Every year, Historic Garden Week helps to restore these areas to their original condition.

Courtesy The Garden Club of Virginia; Photo by Amanda Smithson

In addition to Monticello, other gardens, such as Belle Grove, Poplar Forest, Burwell-Morgan Mill, and Mount Vernon, receive capital as needed for various projects. The money is also utilized to fund fellowships promoting the research and documentation of historic gardens throughout the state.

The humble act of opening homes to save historic trees was the starting point of today’s state-of-the-art week-long event, which now influences patios and terraces throughout Virginia and beyond. “I think what’s exciting about Historic Garden Week is the great variety of gardens you will see,” says Gillock. From vegetable and perennial gardens to trees and shrubs surrounded by flourishing annuals, you’ll leave inspired to look at your spaces in a modern lithe. 

Gillock adds, “It’s an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Virginia.” A day—or week—of being surrounded by flowering, textural plants while doing good for the future by preserving the past provides lasting benefits and more aromatic spaces for all.