Historic Garden Week 2013 will feature approximately 200 private homes and gardens open on 32 separate tours throughout the state of Virginia over eight consecutive days. It is the largest ongoing volunteer effort in Virginia and represents the coordinated efforts of 3,400 club members. One hundred percent of tour proceeds are used to enhance Virginia’s landscape. For 80 years, the grounds of the commonwealth’s most cherished historic landmarks have been restored or preserved with help from proceeds from Historic Garden Week including Mount Vernon, Monticello and the grounds of the Executive Mansion in Richmond. In addition to the amazing interiors and gardens on display, Garden Club of Virginia volunteers will create more than 2,000 spectacular floral arrangements to decorate the rooms. Visit www.vagardenweek.org.

Saturday April 20, 2013

Old Town Alexandria

Sponsored by the Hunting Creek Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alexandria

10 a.m to 4 p.m.

All eight private properties on the historic Old Town Alexandria tour are within an easy walk of each other, allowing visitors to enjoy strolling the quaint streets lined with charming townhouses and intimate walled gardens. The full tour ticket includes free admission to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate (entrance is normally $15 per person), as well as six other notable historic sites in Alexandria on the day of the tour. Refreshments are offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the historic Lloyd House and garden. Adding further convenience for tour visitors is the free King Street Trolley that travels from the Metro station down our main commercial street to the Potomac River every 15 minutes.

Tickets are $40 and available at the Ramsey House Visitors Center at the corner of King Street and North Fairfax Street on the day of the tour. For advance tickets contact Mrs. Donald Rocen at Virginia.rocen@comcast.net or by phone at 703-684-3876. For more information, please contact Tour Chairmen Mason Bavin at mbavin@mcenearney.com, Twig Murray at attwig@twigweb.com or Catherine Bolton at 4boltons@comcast.net.

Tuesday April 23, 2013

Fairfax: Oakton/Vienna

Sponsored by The Garden Club of Fairfax

10 a.m. to 4 p.m

The Fairfax County communities of Oakton and Vienna have emerged from small rural towns into thriving family-oriented neighborhoods with homes and gardens reflecting a wide range of architectural and personal style. Ticket price includes admission to the Cosby Home, the Unger Home and Garden, the Buster Home and Garden, the Kampa Home and Garden, the Rosenthal Home and Garden and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Advance tickets are $20 through April 9. Contact Marty Whipple at mwhip155@aol.com. For more information about the tour, contact Bonnie Rekemeyer at chezdarbon@aol.com.

Information, restrooms and refreshments on the day of the tour  at Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Road, N.E., Vienna.

The Full Schedule, All Around Virginia

• Saturday, April 20

Ashland/Elmont: The Ashland Garden Club

Old Town Alexandria: The Hunting Creek Garden Club and The Garden Club of Alexandria

Smithfield: Elizabeth River and Nansemond River Garden Clubs

Augusta County/Staunton: Augusta Garden Club

Orange County/Somerset: Dolley Madison Garden Club

• Sunday, April 21

Nelson County/Albemarle: The Charlottesville, Albemarle and Rivanna Garden Clubs

Chatham: Chatham Garden Club

• Monday, April 22

Nelson County/Albemarle: The Charlottesville, Albemarle and Rivanna Garden Clubs

Waterford: The Leesburg Garden Club and the Fauquier-Loudoun Garden Club

• Tuesday, April 23

Oakton/Vienna: The Garden Club of Fairfax

Fredericksburg: The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club

Lynchburg: Hillside and Lynchburg Garden Clubs

Richmond: Chatham Hills/Windsor-on-the-James, The Boxwood, James River and Three Chopt Garden Clubs, and The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton

Williamsburg: Kingsmill Resort and the Colonial Area, The Williamsburg Garden Club

Petersburg: The Petersburg Garden Club

• Wednesday, April 24

Harrisonburg: The Spotswood Garden Club

Martinsville: The Garden Club Study and the Martinsville Garden Club

Hampton/Newport News: The Huntington and the Hampton Roads Garden Clubs

Northern Neck/Northumberland County: The Garden Club of the Northern Neck

Richmond: Laburnum Park, co-sponsored by The Council of Historic Richmond Foundation and The Boxwood, James River and Three Chopt Garden Clubs, and The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton

Virginia Beach: The Princess Anne and Virginia Beach Garden Clubs

Warrenton: The Warrenton Garden Club

• Thursday, April 25

Danville: Gabriella Garden Club and The Garden Club of Danville

Norfolk/Ghent area: Norfolk Harborfront Garden Club and the Garden Club of Norfolk

Richmond/Rothesay Circle/Lock Lomond Area: The Boxwood, James River and Three Chopt Garden Clubs, and The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton

Warrenton: The Warrenton Garden Club

• Friday, April 26

Middle Peninsula/Lower King and Queen County Area: The Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula

• Saturday, April 27

Eastern Shore: The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore

Gloucester/Mathews: The Garden Club of Gloucester

Lexington: The Blue Ridge Garden Club

Roanoke: The Mill Mountain and Roanoke Valley Garden Clubs

Winchester: Winchester-Clarke Garden Club and The Little Garden Club of Winchester

Front Royal: The Garden Club of Warren County