16 talented residents will display colorful blooms and artistic plantings in the first annual Resident Garden Tour, to be held Wednesday, June 16, 10 a.m.- noon.
Resident Tom Lynch, who is helping organize the tour through the Resident Garden Group, says there are several great reasons for people to turn out at this resident-only event. “You’ll meet your neighbors, appreciate their gardens, and get some ideas for your own gardening,” he explains.
“Normally you don’t go around peeking into people’s gardens … it’s a private thing,” Tom says. But on one morning in June, “these gardens will be open for a couple of hours and gardeners will be there to answer questions.”
“The event is a nice way to get people working in their gardens,” says Tom, since the featured gardeners are already weeding and pruning tirelessly to make their areas visitor-ready. “And we’ll also get more gardeners working as people get ideas and get motivated. We think it will raise the levels of all the gardeners.”
“Everybody wins — the people doing the gardening and the people viewing the gardens,” he sums up.
Budding Surprises
What will be some highlights of the tour? “I have no idea,” says Tom. “I haven’t seen any of the gardens, so I don’t know what we’ll be seeing. We’re all going to find out together.”
Residents got selected to display their gardens because of their green thumbs. “Our committee knew of people who had really nice gardens,” says Tom. ”So we called them and asked them if they’d like to open up their gardens to visitors. Nobody turned us down!”
To make the day not only enjoyable, but convenient, the group has arranged shuttle transportation. “We’re planning to have transportation from West Hill to the Trees and Birds neighborhoods of the courtyard homes. In each of the areas, we’ll have a bench and a hospitality table with refreshments and maps pointing out where to go,” explains Tom. “Although we’re encouraging everybody to walk, people will also have the option of taking the bus. We’re using brightly colored balloons to identify the hospitality tables, as well as the 16 homes that will have gardens on display,” he finishes.
Lifelong Passion Keeps Growing
Meadowood is home to many extremely dedicated gardeners, including Tom himself. “It’s been my lifetime hobby,” he says.
Tom works in the Residents’ Garden, a place where “we kind of get together and weed and water and do things that we want to do.” Since some residents don’t have gardens, “this gives them a way to plant their favorite plants and flowers,” he explains.
He also has his own individual garden. “I went out at six o’ clock last night and spent an hour and a half,” Tom says. He’s planting ajuga, salvia, marigolds and petunias, to name a few. But this year, his garden won’t be on the tour. “We (Tom and his wife Ginny) have only lived here a year and a half, and it takes a year or two for a garden to mature,” he points out.
Tom’s favorite thing about gardening at Meadowood? “I don’t have to pick up any more sticks,” he says. In his good-sized home, trees rained down branches all the time, littering the large yard with debris. “You were more the maintenance man than the gardener,” he says. “Now I’m just the gardener. It’s wonderful.”
And maybe he’ll be the one to show off his garden next year.
To learn more about gardening and the other 60+ resident-run clubs and groups at Meadowood, please call us at 610.584.1000.