The 12th Annual Tour of Gardens emerges in Summit County

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Trying to find something to do this weekend? Then look no further than the 12th Annual Tour of Gardens, a self-guided tour of Summit County’s best private gardens, which will take place on Saturday, June 23.

While the first Tour of Gardens was created by the Volunteer Center of Akron, it has been a part of The Master Gardeners of Stark/Summit County since 2001.

Mindy Costigan-McCartney, chair of the 2012 Tour of Gardens, told akronlife that guests should expect the unexpected.

“Last year we had a home that was constructed from straw bales. Although, we did not tour the house, it was an interesting twist to include in the garden description,” she said. “We strive to find gardens that have some unique features.”

Though, she also stressed that the tour should be a source for discovering more conventional ways to create your own garden back home.

“We look for the spectacular, but also keep in mind that our guests like to see features they could use in their own gardens,” Costigan-McCartney said. “We have learned that our guests like to see things they could do themselves. We like to be able to present both ends of the garden in some way on the tour.” 

Aside from seeing and sharing beautiful gardens with garden lovers, Costigan-McCartney and other members of the Master Gardeners of Stark/Summit County organization enjoy the camaraderie of working together. She said over 150 Summit County Master Gardeners and over 90 individuals work on the day of the event. Costigan-McCartney explained that the majority of the funds raised go toward providing grants to other non-profit groups for educational horticultural projects.

After discussing the event, you can tell Costigan-McCartney truly loves being a part of the event.

“It requires a lot of people to put on an event such as this, and we do it every year. We’ve learned all gardens possess beauty in one form or another and our guests appreciate that,” she said. “We love seeing beautiful gardens and enjoy sharing our love of gardening.”

Tickets are available until June 22 at local garden centers. Admission is $15.00 and is available for presale only at Graf Growers, Suncrest Garden Center and Donzell's Garden Center. The 12th Annual Tour of Gardens will take place on Saturday, June 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.