HOW TO GO
What: WASSO Garden Tour
Where: Various homes in Clark County
When: 1-5 p.m. next Saturday, July 11, and next Sunday, July 12
Admission: $15 presale and $20 oon days of the tour
More info: Call 937-325-8100 or go online to www.springfieldsym.org.
If it’s July in Springfield, then it’s time to get ourselves back to the gardens, to paraphrase Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Five unique residential gardens and one of Springfield’s classic gardens highlight the 22nd annual Women’s Association of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Garden Tour.
The tours will be 1-5 p.m. next weekend, on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12.
Tour tickets cost $15 each in advance, and proceeds benefit the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.
The featured gardens are all Clark County-area locations this year.
“We like to include the whole county,” said longtime event coordinator Janet James. “We also want to include a variety, not cookie-cutters, and I think we have that this year. The gardens are so varied.”
Participating gardens include:
George and Joyce Simons, 1315 Ryan Court in Kingsgate Commons. This stop includes numerous flower beds, stone walks, fish pond and wood fence and deck.
Pat Day, 3582 Heatherwood St. in Holiday Hills. Considered a vacation home, this contains flowers and hanging baskets, ponds and fountains. It also boasts historical objects from former Springfield buildings including the former jail's steps and cornerstone, bricks from the old railway station and a fire meter from a former furniture store.
Harvey Bank, 1330 E. High St., on the grounds of the Transformational Healing Center and adjacent to the Westcott House. This four-season garden includes cultivars, numerous specimen plants and garden tapestry with a variety of colors, sizes, textures and shapes.
Dave and Jenny Marshall, 212 Old Arthur Road. The home dates to 1799, and the garden includes a montage of flower beds, trees, shrubs, rock and timber walls, vegetable garden and pasture.
Jerry and Carolyn Bull, 1454 Crest Drive, Grandview Heights. Perennials, hostas, pond and water features that have matured on the property over time will be a part of this stop.
A special added attraction to this year’s tour is the Hartman Rock Garden, located at 1905 Russell Ave., a unique Springfield attraction for more than 80 years with its intricate rock structures and figurines.
James said each year the tour includes such a stop.
“We like to include a public place some people may not have seen that ties into things,” she said.
The Rock Garden will also have a different slant, celebrating its annual “Tchotchkepalooza” with 70-100 added garden gnomes that only appear a few times a year.
Advance tickets are available in Springfield at Curves West, Schneider’s Florist, Frame Haven, Heart of Country, Katie’s Hallmark and the Springfield Symphony office. Tickets are available in Urbana at Bill’s Enchanted Florist, and in Yellow Springs at Heaven on Earth Emporium.
Tickets can also be purchased the day of the tour for $20 each at any of the homes on it.
This is one of three annual fundraising events for the WASSO organization. It also sponsors a culinary home tour in the spring and a holiday home tour in December.
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