Flowers, Food and Flair: Concord Garden Tour Coming June 7

Six homeowners will open their private gardens to the public during the Garden Tour of Concord on June 7, 2008 from 10am-4pm. The tour will take place in Historic Downtown Concord, a thriving business district and historic neighborhood dating back to 1882. View Flickr Gallery

Visitors are invited to stroll through six unique gardens that range from a Charleston-style landscape to a garden planted in red and white. At each home, garden owners will answer questions about the creation and maintenance of their home landscapes, and visitors can sample food from unique Concord restaurants. View Interactive Map

The self-guided tour begins on the lawn at historic Locke Mill with registration, a silent auction and a raffle, courtesy of Carolina Tree and Turf. It then continues down Union Street and onto Washington Lane in Concord. The Memorial Gardens on Spring Street will also be featured on the tour.

The garden tour celebrates the vitality of downtown Concord by showcasing public and private spaces. Visitors who choose to walk the 2.2-mile route can stroll through downtown Concord, enjoying the gardens and businesses along the way. The Cabarrus Arts Council Galleries at 65 Union St S will be open during the tour with art exhibits echoing the garden theme. The Cannon Memorial Library at 27 Union St N will offer a children’s story hour from 2-3 pm featuring garden stories.

Parking convenient to the registration location is available at Forest Hill United Methodist Church on the corner of Union and Buffalo Streets. The tour, which takes place rain or shine, benefits the Junior Charity League of Concord. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 5-10. For tickets or for more information, contact the Junior Charity League of Concord at 704-652-0669 or visit their website, www.jclofconcord.com.

Concord Garden Tour Itinerary

1. Charleston Garden: 213 Union Street North, John and Peg Morrison, Featuring food from Emma’s
This garden was created with the demolition of a flat- roofed garage and the addition of a sun room on the back of our residence. A new garage was constructed, juxtaposed with the south end of the residence, and in this courtyard a dual-level patio was created with a black iron Charleston fountain set in a circular brick pool. Below these two patios is a grass croquet lawn outlined in brick. Note the daughter’s play house nestled in the back southwest corner of the garden. In the rear motor court a custom wood pergola graces the garage doors. The motor court is laid in a herringbone brick pattern. An informal walkway leads to the north side service entrance for easy access to the kitchen. The yard has many Charleston plantings, including the evergreen clematis (Clematis Armandii) on the pergola, two camellia sasanqua espaliers, fig vine, cast iron plants, Chindo viburnum and several boxwoods. The two hemlocks are all that remain from the original plantings in the back garden. Much care was taken to save them during construction. Architect David Kelly of Charlotte and Garden Designer John Byrd of Charlotte worked together in blending the garden with the architectural additions.

2. Centennial Garden: 103 Union Street North, Rob and Glenda Steel, Featuring food from Two Leaves and a Bud
Blessed by the presence of mature boxwoods, magnolias, camellias and oaks on this century-old property, we have edited out the inappropriate, such as barbed wire fencing and given structure to our gardens with new hardscaping, deck, arbor, and fountain. Striving for year-round interest, we have added variety to the mix of plants with viburnums, hydrangeas, roses, and other woody shrubs. In our 25 years on Union Street North, we have added tapestry shrub borders, a woodland garden, a dry shade garden, an herb garden, and a composting center. Birds and wildlife are welcomed by many birdbaths and feeders.

3. Waterfall Garden: 90 Washington Lane, Kip and Faith Lyon, Featuring food from Max’s Ally
We have lived in this house for thirty years and everything is still a work in progress. We had a very small, uninteresting backyard until about 5 years ago when we decided to have a pond and patio installed. The two waterfalls that empty into the pond are nestled into the natural hill that is at the back of our property. We have worked since then to establish flowers and, actually, anything that will grow in the very hot summer sun the garden gets all afternoon. A couple of years ago, we added a white picket fence, enclosing the pond and patio, and now strive for things to climb over the arbor and fence.

4. Whimsical Garden: 104 Washington Lane, Lori McGuire, Featuring food from The Sweet Pea Café
This lovely home and its gardens sit among the rolling hills of Washington Lane. The garden is divided into four distinct areas. The front garden is more formal and is a sunny hot spot. The back and side areas are full of shade and whimsical touches. There is a cozy swing hanging from a branch of an old oak tree and an area devoted to the child in all of us. This garden pops with colorful flower pots and bright, beautiful gerbera daisies and geraniums. It you have ever wondered what to do with a hillside, small gardens or heavy shade, this is a must-see garden.

5. “Little of Everything” Garden: 312 Union Street South, Judy Quickel, Featuring food from The Ibis
This charming garden begins in their front yard which sits on a stately hill under beautiful oaks. Their large front porch beckons for someone to sit awhile and enjoy the view. The Charleston style garden on the south side of the house is full of miniature gardenias and Annabelle hydrangeas. A cozy niche for two is tucked up against the brick wall. In the back yard is a meandering walkway that takes you past roses, camellias, hollies, azaleas, and around the pond. A little of all things beautiful can be found in this garden.

6. “Green Cathedral” Garden: 520 Union Street South, Dick and Jackie Whitfield, Featuring food from The Sweet Life
This small, intimate garden was lovingly planned and planted by the original mistress of the house, Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, mother of Roy Davis. The current residents of the house, the Whitfields, have continued to care for and enhance the beauty of the garden for over twenty years. The garden is planted with many traditional southern plants: a wide variety of camellias and azaleas, as well as forsythia, nandina, acuba, hydrangea, daphne and many types of bulbs. The four corners of the back yard are planted with oak and pecan trees whose limbs arch toward the sky forming the roof of the garden, lovingly referred to as the “green cathedral.” In the center of the arching limbs in the yard is a garden angel sculpted by Joel Haas of Raleigh. A 2007 gallery exhibit sponsored by Cabarrus Arts Council at the Historic Courthouse featured the garden angel. Beautiful brick walls outline the garden and add privacy. Enjoy a stroll or a moment of quiet mediation in our small city garden, a safe and quiet haven from the busy whirlwind of life.

Additional Stops:

• Cabarrus Arts Council Galleries, 65 Union St S, featuring garden-themed art exhibits
• Cannon Memorial Library, 27 Union St N, offering a children’s story hour from – to – featuring garden stories.
• Memorial Garden, 36 Spring Street, three acres of gardens entwined through the 200-year-old cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church. A walk through the 1804 garden leads past an ancient stone foundation flanked with stone resting benches. In summer, brilliant annuals shine throughout. Year-round the garden boasts enormous oaks, magnolias, dogwoods, roses and twisted crepe myrtles.