The Shaw Guild is marking a special milestone this June with the 20th anniversary of its annual garden tour, which offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at some of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s most beautiful residential gardens.
A handful of properties in Old Town will open their gardens to the public on Saturday, June 13 for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Alongside exploring the gardens of these selected properties, the homeowners and master gardeners will be on site at each home to share how these gardens came together and the history of the trees and plantings, as well as guide you on what you can achieve in your own garden at home.
“It’s just a lovely experience,” said Valerie Hancock, chair of this year’s garden tour. “It’s an opportunity to see behind the garden gates. You get to go to the backside of the homes and to see what’s actually happening in the spaces that we don’t often see from the roadway.”
There will also be live music entertainment at several of the sites and plein air artists working outdoors, capturing the scenery of these gardens throughout the day, plus floral arrangement demonstrations.
Tickets are on sale now for $25 per person until the day of the tour, when they will rise to $35. This will allow you to enter the gardens of seven homes.
New this year is a special tour of the historic McArthur Estate. Unlike the main homes tour, tickets for this tour are limited and $35 each.
As an early-bird special, those who purchase a ticket for both tours by June 12 will pay $55.
Buying a ticket helps support the Shaw Guild, which supports a variety of initiatives at the Shaw Festival.
At one of the seven homes on the tour, the McFarland House, visitors can pre-order a light lunch or traditional cream tea while taking in the view of the Niagara Parks. Pre-orders open May 17 and are limited to 200 guests. To reserve, call 905-468-3322.
Also part of the tour is a rest-stop at the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, which will offer visitors to view its gardens and watch their artists paint outdoors.
Here is a list of the participating homes: 216 William St.; 335 Victoria St.; 118 Johnson St.; 184 Queen St.; 242 Ricardo St.; 289 Ricardo St.; 15927 Niagara River Pkwy. (McFarland House); and 210 John St. E (McArthur Estate).
To purchase tickets, visit shawguild.ca/garden-tour.
