For years, Debbie Abrams traveled to Williamsburg from her New Jersey home each spring to check out the homes and gardens on display as part of Historic Garden Week in Virginia.
This year, Abrams and her husband, Ralph, who moved to Williamsburg in 2011, are proud to showcase their own home in the Ford’s Colony neighborhood during this year’s garden tour on April 30. It is the first time Ford’s Colony will be part of the tour.
“It’s such a great event for a wonderful cause,” Abrams said. “I was thrilled that they chose Ford’s Colony this year. Ford’s Colony is a multigenerational community that offers something for everyone.”
The Williamsburg Garden Club hosts the Home & Garden Tour each spring. This year, the club will celebrate its 90th anniversary as well as its 90th year of involvement with Historic Garden Week.
The Abrams’ Greek Revival-style home on Hurlston will be open to the public for the tour along with their yard, which features oak, maple, holly, and other native trees as well as a garden full of ferns and hellebores. Two other homes in Ford’s Colony also will be on display.
“All of the homes in Ford’s Colony are homes that have never been on the tour, so that’s a real treat this year,” said Terry Buntrock, publicity chair for the event.
In addition to the Ford’s Colony neighborhood, Williamsburg Botanical Garden at Freedom Park will also mark its debut on the tour. The botanical garden was established as a demonstration garden and education center for plants that are suitable and environmentally sustainable in the Virginia Coastal Plain region. Two homes in Colonial Williamsburg, the Dr. Philip Barraud House on E. Francis Street and the Grissell Hay House on W. Nicholson Street, as well as the Governor’s Palace Gardens will round out the tour.
“I am proud of the work my staff does, so I am delighted whenever their hard work is showcased,” said Laura Viancour, director of landscape for Colonial Williamsburg. “Visitors to the Palace grounds during Garden Day will be able to see several recently renovated gardens in addition to learning about plans to restore the ice mount and canal – both original 18th century garden features.”
Ticket holders also can tour the Palace’s popular boxwood hedge maze as well as the kitchen garden.
Scores of volunteers from The Williamsburg Garden Club decorate each home with spectacular floral designs and will also be on hand to assist guests and educate them on Historic Garden Week and its mission. Proceeds will go toward the restoration of Virginia’s historic landscapes and public gardens as well as a Centennial project with Virginia State Parks.
Want to go?
Williamsburg’s spring Home & Garden tour as part of Historic Garden Week will be held rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30. Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 day of tour. Tickets can be purchased at Seasons of Williamsburg, Wild Birds Unlimited, online at vagardenweek.org or by contacting Cathy Abrams at cbtbka@cox.net or 757-220-2486.
