Virginia’s Historic Garden Week
Extension Gloucester Master Gardeners
The Garden Club of Virginia annually presents its signature “Historic Garden Week” encompassing tours organized and hosted by member clubs statewide traditionally in spring.
Gloucester Extension Master Gardener Kathy Gierlak walking back from taking visitors on a tour of Brent and Becky's gardens.
GEMG Bob Beyea and Rose Sullivan manning the booth to answer questions and help visitors during this event.
The garden club operates as a non-profit organization comprised of 48 member clubs all over Virginia and over 3,500 volunteers. Proceeds from its signature fundraiser,Historic Garden Week, fund the restoration and preservation of Virginia’s historic public gardens and provide graduate level research fellowship.
The beginning of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week dates back to 1927 when a flower show organized by the Garden Club of Virginia raised an impressive $7,000 to save trees planted by Thomas Jefferson on the lawn of Monticello. The event still remains today as the oldest and largest statewide house and garden tour event in the nation.
At approximately the same time, the Garden Club of Gloucester was founded in 1928 by a group of ladies on the porch of Goshen, an historic home on the Ware River. They would begin to participate in Historic Week activities but did not officially become a member until 1945. To date the Garden Club of Gloucester has continued their philanthropic activities including participation in Virginia’s Historic Garden Week through the years on a designated day assigned by the Virginia Garden Club.
Formed in 1990, Extension Gloucester Master Gardeners were frequently invited by the Gloucester Garden Club to assist their members serving as docents at local homes and gardens on the tours and at Brent and Becky’s residence and business during Gloucester’s designated tour day of the week.
Recently this involvement at Brent and Becky’s has become an EGMG Standing Committee where Master Gardeners now man a booth at Brent and Becky’s to provide tours ofthe gardens as requested and answer horticultural and tour information for visitors that come from all over the country to Virginia.
GEMG Debbie Rollins leading a tour at Brent and Becky's.
GEMG Hurricane Thompson speaking to visitors about the growth and care of daffodils.
All photos on this page were taken by GEMG Bonnie Bernard.