TO PURCHASE TICKETS

 By Website: Print Out and Mail in the Ticket Form
By phone: 203-222-1424
In person: WHS, 25 Avery Place, Westport Monday-Friday (10-4) or Saturday-Sunday (12-4)
Invitation: Tear off Ticket Order. Mail to: WHS, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT 06880

Event Sponsor

“Dine & Design” Garden Symposium
Saturday, June 9, 10:00AM – 3:30PM
Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place

Buffet Luncheon: 12:30-1:00 PM

Occurring after each seminar is a question and answer time followed by a coffee, tea, & chat time. An elegant buffet adds to a fabulous day. Seating is limited.

Seminar Details

Seminar 1: Going Native with Native Plants: Ecological and Beautiful focuses upon the environmental and ecological importance of Connecticut’s native plants. Discover how these plants contribute to water conservation, wildlife preservation, and bio-diversity. Lisa Turoczi, Certified Landscape Architect, and Kyle Turoczi, Wetlands Ecologist and Certified Soil Scientist, are a husband and wife team and the founders of Earthtones. Earthtones is a unique nursery and landscape design company devoted exclusively to Connecticut’s indigenous plants. Ms. Turoczi’s seminar demonstrates how these amazing plants complement and support “environmentally-friendly” gardens as well as create outstanding and beautiful landscapes. Do not miss this exploration of Connecticut’s amazing “homegrown horticulture”: very “green,” very “hip,” and very “cutting edge!”

Seminar 2: The Importance of Planning - Before Planting! is subtitled: “The Battle: Delayed Gratification versus Impulse Gardening.” The renowned landscape architect Dickson DeMarche is well aware of this on-going “battle” for both new and seasoned gardeners. Mr. DeMarche incorporates slides and stories that demonstrate how planning always saves time, money, and disappointment: the curse of “impulse gardening” becomes a pitfall of the past! With over thirty years of experience in the field of landscape design, Mr. DeMarche is the CEO and Director of Design for the LaurelRock Company as well as the recipient of several highly prestigious awards. In a recent honorific, the CT Chapter of the American Association of Landscape Architects stated, “Dickson is without a doubt one of the most highly regarded landscape architects in Connecticut and across the country.” Here is a unique opportunity to listen and learn from the best of the best!

Seminar 3: Vegetable Gardening: Thinking Outside the Box presents the highly entertaining Mr. Len Giddix from Prides Corner Farms. At this year’s Ct. Flower & Garden Show, Mr. Giddix’s filled-to- capacity seminar began with the participants listening intently, followed by much laughter, and ending with applause. Devoted followers of the down-to-earth Mr. Giddix tune in to WITC AM (News Talk, 1080) on Saturdays from 12:00-2:00 for his radio show, The Garden Talk with Len & Lisa. “Vegetable Gardening: Thinking Outside the Box” focuses on creating bountiful vegetable gardens that are also ornamentally beautiful. Mr. Giddix merges the traditional European ‘potager’ with the traditional American vegetable garden. Mr. Giddix ‘relishes’ (like in “vegetable”) the little known facts about vegetables. Enjoy “new tricks” for American vegetable gardening!

Seminar 4: A Little of This, More of That: Reinventing Your Garden is a not-to-be-missed presentation created by Pamela Weil, a professional garden writer and lecturer. Ms. Weil is also an avid gardener and most definitely a gardener with perspective. Believing that gardening should be a joyous affair and not a burdensome, overwhelming task, the astute Ms. Weil highlights the beauty of simplicity in the garden. Her knowledge of plants is vast. Demonstrating unique plant combinations in conjunction with stunning slides and meticulous handouts, Ms. Weil demonstrates simple, yet imaginative, vignettes for the garden. She is a former Westport Conservation commissioner, past co-chair of the Westport Tree Board, and former President of the Connecticut Master Gardener Association. Currently, she is a member of the Friends of Sherwood Island, is on the board for the Experiment Station Associates, and publishes Connecticut Gardener, a popular newsletter that focuses upon a variety of gardening topics. Ms. Weil is not only a venerable “gardening guru”; she is truly an inspiration!

Print Out and Mail in the Ticket Form

 Outdoor Garden Marketplace

Sunday, June 10, 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Veterans Green (adjacent to Historical Society), 25 Avery Place
Free Admission

Under a canopy of white tents, Veteran’s Green blossoms into an open-air marketplace where visitors browse through an exciting array of fanciful and practical garden-related items including rustic garden benches handmade from bittersweet, market baskets, iron obelisks, urns, and pottery. In addition, there are new and returning artisans whose wares include early American brooms and pure maple products made on the farm. Fabulous hand-woven, sterling silver jewelry, unique floral note cards, and digital garden imagery are not-to-be-missed items. Fun and fanciful women’s accessories such as embroidered linens, European lavender products, and hand-made herbal soaps are perpetual favorites. Every shopper will marvel at the luxurious silk pillows adorned with semi-precious stones, hand-painted silk scarves, and one-of-a kind stunning handbags. 

16th Annual Hidden Garden Tour

Sunday, June 10 Time: 10:30AM – 4:30PM

Five self-guided Fairfield County gardens

Ticket Distribution: ONLY on day of tour beginning at 9:00AM
Location: Veterans Green (adjacent to Historical Society)
Tickets include map and directions to the Gardens

Avid gardeners will find fresh ideas and inspiration for their own gardens while casual observers will have a relaxing day enjoying the beauty of five impressive landscapes.  No longer just a Westport tradition, the Hidden Garden Tour is now a tradition as well as a destination for all of Fairfield County. One home recently completed a total transformation of its landscape, which includes an amazing “indoor-outdoor” pool that completely opens onto the landscape during the summer and is glass-enclosed during the spring, fall, and winter. Another garden superbly complements an outstanding contemporary home perched on a hill with river views. An Asian-inspired influence blends with perennials, annuals, and shrubs at yet another garden, creating a serene perspective. The abundance of perennial beds is truly inspiring at another garden; the homeowner maintains a highly cultivated landscape that is lush with annuals, perennials, and ornamental trees.

After-Tour Champagne Soirée

Sunday, June 10, 6 - 9 PM

Advance Tickets, on sale now: $75

An exquisite home on a point jutting out into Long Island Sound is the breath-taking location for the after-tour party, “Champagne Soiree.”  Destined to be an evening to remember, the Soiree presents singer-pianist Suzanne Tanner’s “Broadway and Beyond.”  The Silent Auction (theatre tickets, sports events, restaurants, garden-related items, jewelry, and much more) is just in time for summer shopping! The evening includes sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and wine, delectable desserts, the specialty liqueur, “X-Rated Fusion” and Champagne Toasting.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO ALL OF THE EVENTS

 By Website: Print Out and Mail in the Ticket Form
By phone: 203-222-1424
In person: WHS, 25 Avery Place, Westport Monday-Friday (10-4) or Saturday-Sunday (12-4)
Invitation: Tear off Ticket Order. Mail to: WHS, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT 06880

Weekend of Gardening Adventure Committee

 

Event Chair	Donna Brody
Garden Tour Chair	Jane Costello
Garden Marketplace	Joni Andrews, Jenny Clerkin
Graphic Design	Cynthia Lee
Symposium/Soiree Design	Deborah Herbertson
Tickets	Ellen Cavaiuolo, Laurie Snow
Silent Auction	Paula Leonard, Jill Epstein
Publicity	Mary Ann Laurita, Linda Coveny, Denise Torv
Refreshments	Marion Palcsik
Gardens	Sara Shaw

View details of the 2006 Garden Tour