Are you are looking for inspiration to torch your knotweed, trash that chain-link fence and send the woodchucks a-packin’ to parts unknown? Have my earlier posts about compost Kool-Aid, wisteria, iris, creating storybook gardens etc. not motivated you from arsing about to actually getting things done?
Well Creeping Charlie, you my friend are in luck because the upcoming Roses to Rock Gardens event should fire up the spark in your trowel, get the zip-a-dee-doo-dah going in your clippers and put the old chassé back into your wellies! And by rock gardens I’m talking about stones or very large pebbles as landscape, not blaring your old Kiss albums while “jamming” on air guitar.
There is nothing like visiting a stunning garden to motivate me and this is truly the week of secret gardens in Montclair from garden tours to outdoor movies. Kicking it all off is the annual “Roses to Rock Gardens” tour sponsored by Van Vleck House Gardens.
The tour starts with a lovely luncheon tomorrow, May 31 at noon under a tent in the gorgeous gardens of the Van Vleck House, and goes through this Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm each day. The special guest speaker for the event on Thursday will be Montclair resident and Emmy-award-winning George Oliphant, host of NBC’s popular George to the Rescue – a great uplifting show where George and his team of contractors and designers rescue and fix up homes of deserving people.
George’s family history in Montclair started during 1943, when his grandfather George Oliphant Sr. moved to a 1914 Tudor in Upper Montclair. The family decided to keep the home and lease it out after the death of both George Sr. and his wife Sarita, as the family had a long tradition of spending every Christmas Eve in the house. There was even a clause written in the house’s lease that the family could always spend Christmas Eve in the home.
While George Jr. was raised in Colorado, his career has kept him out east. In 2008 after the birth of his son, he and his wife Zoe moved into the Montclair home as George had been the primary caregiver of the house since 2000. Working to fix up the home themselves while working on his hit show has led to many stories. On Thursday, George will share some of stories of his family, as well as what it is like on location taping his show.
Having moved to my Montclair home three years ago while battling three basement floods, leaky and then oh joy—-exploding pipes, “The Great Starling Invasion of 2012″ and other adventures, I always enjoy home improvement show like George’s.
Want to know more (yes Holly of course I do)? Here are the details:
A showcase for 7 unique private gardens running the gamut from charming to spectacular, the 2012 tour features several exceptional examples of horticultural and landscaping creativity. A magnificent Tudor manor-style house opens to an equally breathtaking terraced pool complete with plantings, waterfalls and a waterslide. Another property takes its inspiration from the gardens at Hidcote and Sissinghurst in Great Britain, featuring various “rooms” that combine ornamental plantings with perennials and garden antiques.
The Roses to Rock Gardens tour is self-guided. Admission may be purchased in advance or on the day of the tour. Guide booklets with property descriptions and maps of the tour are picked up from Van Vleck House, where coffee will be available to participants on the mornings of the tour. Tickets are valid for Friday and Saturday, but each garden can be visited only once. Audio narratives accessible by cell phone are available for each garden. Not all gardens are wheelchair accessible. Children over 12 are welcome.
Tour tickets are $30 prepaid, or $35 at the door. Prices for Friends of Van Vleck are $25 prepaid and $30 at the door. Luncheon tickets are $75; Luncheon plus tour, $100. Luncheon seating is limited. Please visit www.vanvleck.org, call 973-744-4752 or email info@vanvleck.org for ticket purchase. All proceeds benefit historic Van Vleck House Gardens, 21 Van Vleck St., Montclair, NJ, a non-profit organization.
Do you need motivation? What is your number one battle in your yard/garden/weedy plot? Let’s open up the floor for some Q and A trouble shooting and learn a thing or two. With any luck I will see you on the tour!
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