Greensburg Garden Center tour features 7 special outdoor spaces
Jun. 16—The seven locations on Greensburg Garden Center's upcoming garden tour feature themes spanning the globe from Hawaii to the British Isles.
The self-guided driving tour is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24. Five of the featured gardens are in the Greensburg area, the other two are in the New Stanton area.
Garden center member and tour chairwoman Mary Ann Artman has final say on which gardens make the cut for the biennial tour, said GGC co-president Carla Rusnica.
"She is the one you want to choose the gardens," Rusnica said. "She is a Penn State Master Gardener and a flower show judge and she has a wonderful garden of her own.
"She makes sure every garden is tour-worthy."
Some of the featured spaces belong to center members. Others come recommended by members, by neighbors and friends of the garden owners, or even by the gardeners themselves.
Rusnica said the aim is to to show tour-goers the possibilities of gardening in urban and rural spaces, both large and small.
"We make a variety, so everyone can relate to something," she said.
Highlights of each garden include:
—Garden 1: Behind a white picket fence are a stone water feature, decorated potting shed, a fairy garden and an area for each of the owners' four grandchildren.
—Garden 2: Features include rare and unusual plants collected over more than 30 years, 50 different roses, 20 clematis and collectible conifers and small trees. Refreshments will be served at this house.
—Garden 3: Modern interpretation of an English country garden, with both shady spaces and sun-loving native plants to encourage pollinators and biodiversity.
—Garden 4: Urban garden with Victorian elements surrounding a historically significant house dating to 1838, with abundant hostas, phlox and hellebores, a pergola and unusual potting shed.
—Garden 5: On a former nursery property, the garden is surrounded by beech, oak, maple and hemlock trees. Features include more than 100 hostas and a large cutting garden with dahlias, zinnias, cosmos and peonies.
—Garden 6: On a historically significant property that was a 1797 grant from William Penn are abundant perennials including peonies and roses, along with stately containers planted with various annuals.
—Garden 7: The property features various shrubs, trees and perennials. At the back of the house is the Hawaiian-tiki-themed garden with banana trees, hibiscus, ginger, cannas and castor bean plants, along with container-grown water lilies and lotus.
A host will be available at each site to answer questions. The tour will go on rain or shine.
Advance tickets are $25 each. Tickets also will be available for $30 from 9 to 11 a.m. on tour day at the garden center office in the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road.
For information and reservations, call 724-837-0245 or visit greensburggardencenter.net.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
