The 95th Garden Tour is set for this Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy leisurely strolls through area gardens and afternoon refreshments. For a list of this year’s gardens, see below. Information on how to get tickets to the tour can be found here.
Photo inspiration from the gardens is below in a gallery. All photos are courtesy of the Georgetown Garden Club.
Amy Chaffman, owner of The Pampered Garden, a local gardening company that has worked on some of the gardens on the tour, has noticed a green and white garden trend the last few years, calling the aesthetic a “consistent request.”
Her best advice for amateur gardeners is to check that you can easily get water to the plants you choose to plant. “Hose bib or irrigation location is important,” she said. “Also, know if you have shade or sun in your garden and watch how the sun moves across the garden to see where your hot afternoon sun is—this helps to know in advance before you are talking with a nursery about plant recommendations.”
Georgetown gardens tend to be small to medium in size, which Chaffman mentioned as having lots of brice, glass and concrete that heats up quickly during D.C.’s hot summers. “This heat can be reflected on the garden and dry it faster than you’d expect,” she said. “Also, small and enclosed gardens have limited airflow, and with our hot, humid summers these low airflow areas are a breeding ground for plant pests and diseases that affect plants and trees, so [it’s important to] keep an eye out for those periods.”
Small space gardens should be treated like outdoor rooms, according to Chaffman. “You want it to be a space you can make as an extension of the house,” she added. “Create a comfortable sitting area that is steps from the house, but spend time in nature–add planters with flowers and plants that encourage pollinators such as flowering perennials.”
Some of Chaffman’s favorite plants to plant in Georgetown gardens are roses, perennials and boxwoods. She tries to imagine what the gardens of the 1800s were like when the homes in the neighborhood were first built, reading up on historic gardening during that time.
3240 S Street NW
2805 P Street
2819 P Street NW
3406 N Street NW
3264 P Street NW
3304 O Street NW
2817 N Street NW
Georgetown Library, R Street and Wisconsin Avenue
Photos from the gardens at the two N Street homes:
Photos from the gardens at the homes on S and P Streets:
