On Saturday I took my parents (who were in town from Miami, FL) to the South End for the 19th annual South End Garden Tour. I feel like I have been waiting for this event since it ended last year!
When we arrived in the neighborhood and started walking toward the check in tent, as soon as I saw the big white canopy I felt my mouth turn upward into a big smile. I can't explain it, I just love this event.
The tent is at the corner of Tremont and Clarendon and it's where you purchase your tickets and pick up your guide book for the tour. All of the volunteers working in the tent were so friendly and I overheard many of them say, "Thank you so much for supporting us." You can really tell how much this event means to them.
Last year's tour book was a peach color and this year's guide was hot pink! It was so fun to spot people all over the South End carrying the book, pointing to things and deciding which way to go.
The first house on the tour (which was actually the 2nd stop) belonged to an art collector. Before we even entered her yard, you could see two pieces hanging high on the wall above the fence.
In the garden there was an Asian theme, including a Buddha statue. This was no ordinary Buddha! He was rocking gold Mardi Gras beads! He was zen with a touch of NOLA!
As you walked through the garden toward the house you made your way down a cherry red flight of stairs. The transition area from the garden to the steps had a beautiful water feature.
The owner of this home was kind enough to let us into her house and take a look at her extensive art collection. The art work was three stories high! How cool is that?
We were about to enter the garden at the next stop on the tour when my dad said, "Look up." The second level of this building had a stunning iron balcony that reminded me of the houses I'd seen in Savannah, GA.
Once inside the fence, I noticed a mermaid hanging over a row of plants. She seemed to be watching over the garden.
This garden was quite full and very lush and green. Every single inch of space was covered with plants, flowers and stones.
The home owners used some very creative containers for their plants, including this ceramic cereal canister:
At stop number four we spotted our first artist! Part of the Garden Tour is artists stationed in several of the gardens, painting works inspired by their surroundings. At the closing ceremony for the event, the works are displayed and you can purchase them.
In this garden, the artist was standing beneath a gorgeous iron balcony.
The artist was painting this garden's babbling brook. The photo really doesn't do it justice, but the stream runs from the entrance of the garden all the way back to the house, ending in a large pool.
Stop five on the tour was Union Park. What's cool about the Garden Tour is that it doesn't just take you into private homes (which don't get me wrong, are amazing), but it showcases the beauty of the South End neighborhood. It's nice to tour the public spaces that you can go back and visit any time.
After Union Park we weaved our way down a shady, stone path to find stop number six. I love the gardens with these types of entrances because it feels like you are in on something top secret.
All of the visitors to this garden were giddy about climbing the spiral staircase and taking in the view from the second floor.
Beneath the spiral staircase were a pair of welcome signs. Clearly these home owners are dog lovers!
The next stop brought us to a garden shared by multiple families. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the ivy growing all the way up the building!
How is this for a grill set up?
In this garden, there were two painters and one was particularly focused. You could tell he was genuinely inspired by this space.
As we walked down the street and around the corner to the next stop, this unusual, blue, farm style front door caught my attention. You just don't see a blue front door every day.
As we continued walking, I spotted this roof top garden which looked absolutely gorgeous against the blue sky and puffy white clouds. What I love about the Garden Tour is that it really heightens your senses and you notice more of your surroundings.
Stop number eight was Ringgold Park. We didn't go in, but we did stop to admire this majestic gate and the fountain bubbling behind it.
The next stop on the tour was the back patio of the Wholy Grain Cafe. I'd never even heard of this place! How nice would it be to sit back here on a weekend morning with a cup of coffee and read?
The Wholy Grain Cafe has a sustainable garden complete with a water and waste system! The Garden Tour volunteer that was stationed in this garden was so excited to tell people about the self-sustaining ecosystem.
The next garden was shaded by a tall, skinny tree.
On the patio table in the center of the garden there were three terrariums in large glass containers. I love terrariums! I have been reading DIY articles about these for months, but I have yet to bite the bullet. I am definitely going to make these for my own place!
In this same garden there were two Adirondack chairs against the fence. My parents have these same chairs, which are very inexpensive. Here they spiced them up with patterned pillows and brightly colored flowers.
The Garden Tour takes you all over the South End which encourages you to really explore the neighborhood. For example, I have always wondered where Formaggio was in the South End and after the terrarium garden, I found it! Naturally, we had to go in.
Formaggio smells strongly of cheese as soon as you set foot inside (go figure). There are shelves and shelves and shelves of goodies!
About half way back into the store, there is a counter with samples of cheese and crackers. Yum!
Against the back wall is the good stuff, the fancy cheese. Oh so many cheeses!
What I didn't know was that Formaggio also had prepared food. If you wanted to grab a few items for a picnic, this would be the ideal spot.
Before leaving, my parents each poured a cup of coffee from the self-serve pots, above which were these fun colored containers housing different blends of coffee beans. I love these!
Back on the tour, the next stop brought us to a garden that had cool patio furniture including this avocado colored bench.
At night this garden is illuminated by candles set against the ivy, which is climbing up a brick wall. This is urban chic at its finest!
On our way out I noticed the garden also has silver orbs dotting the mulch.
In the next garden I had fun watching the artist painting the large tree in the corner opposite where she was sitting. From that seat, she could also see every visitor who entered the garden.
The next garden's style is one I would describe as "simple serenity." It felt sparse in comparison to many of the others, but if you really looked closely, everything was strategically placed.
This same garden had brightly colored plants potted all along the stairway into the house.
These gorgeous flowers (below) were potted in planters at the base of the stairs. I just wanted to stick my nose right into them and breathe in.
The half way point of the tour was stop fourteen, the Berkeley Community Garden. This was one of my favorite parts of the tour. The community garden may not have been as fancy as the private homes, but the gardeners here give their plots as much attention as the professional landscapers.
Here is a shot of people on the tour making their way into the community garden:
As we walked down the path in the center of the community garden, we spotted a beautiful plot. As we got closer, we saw the gardener was actually in there, had at work! He was incredibly kind and answered many of our questions about the community garden.
Here is a closer look at his stunning plot:
I love the way his gardening gloves are watching over the garden like a scarecrow.
As we walked on down the community garden's path, we continued to be impressed by its beauty. These fuchsia roses growing around this iron gate were positively stunning.
At the center of the community garden two artists were working away on their paintings.
One of them chose to stand right over the fence of a very brightly colored garden. Notice the vibrancy of her painting:
As we continued walking I spotted a swirling, cream colored bench. I had to get closer!
Plot after plot of gardens, we continued to be amazed by the creativity of each space.
Toward the end of the path we were admiring these tall orange and red flowers when we spied this little guy, a garden gnome shaped watering can!
When we popped out at the other side of the garden (which was actually the front) we saw this Asian inspired gate:
As we turned the corner to walk to the next stop on the tour, I noticed a familiar face poking up into the sky line above the community garden:
Throughout the tour there were many signs that read "Watch your step" as we headed down narrow, slanted or tight staircases, but none as narrow or tight as the entrance to stops sixteen, seventeen and eighteen. I had to completely bend over to a ninety degree angle to ensure I didn't bump my head! My poor dad who is 6' 4" was practically crawling!
Many of the plants in the first garden were potted and topped with sea colored stones.
This garden also had bronze colored art hanging from the shed, adding nice texture to the space.
This was the entrance to the next garden, which was connected:
In that garden, I looked up and noticed another garden on the fourth floor!
The third of the connected gardens had stone statues guarding the climbing wall of ivy.
Stop nineteen on the tour was Bradford Street Park. Again, the tour highlights many public spaces which in my case, only increased my envy of people living in this neighborhood!
The artist stationed in this park was painting with such detail. He was literally painting brick by brick. I was sad I wouldn't get to see the finished product!
Stops twenty, twenty one and twenty two were all together. Twenty and twenty one were underwhelming, but twenty two was gorgeous! Everyone was admiring the large, blue, felt envelopes that were hanging behind the lounge chair.
The next three stops were all at a building called Wilkes Passage. The first garden we saw was the shared outdoor space for the building. I had no idea courtyards this big existed in the South End!
Up on fifth floor of the building we were greeted by Betty Boop!
We walked out onto the balcony of the fifth floor unit and I was amazed. This space was magnificent!
From the end of this balcony, you could see the entire city!
On the other side of the deck was a beautiful table, chairs and a large brightly colored umbrella. I would happily spend every day on this balcony.
Next we headed up the sixth floor and entered the most enormous apartment with a wrap around deck. When you stepped out onto the deck there was an incredible view straight ahead.
Around the corner was a dining table and a white L shaped couch. I imagine it's a blast to host a group of friends out here.
There were white and red flowers climbing the walls opposite a hot tub on the other side of the deck. Now this is city living!
Before leaving this balcony I had to take one final shot of the view of the city. Sigh.
With that, we headed down the elevator and back out onto the street. We had finished the tour!
I could not have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was flawless and the tour was so well organized. Each stop had a brightly colored marker, yellow arrows pointed the way to follow the route and narrow spaces were clearly marked with "Watch your step."
What impressed me even more was that there were no repeat houses from last year to this year. The organizers were very smart to end the tour with the best location, the roof deck with the killer view of the city!
I can't say enough about the volunteers that plan, organize and staff the Garden Tour. They are so helpful, kind and gracious. Throughout the tour, they kept saying, "Thank you for your support." You could tell how much this event means to them.
After a glorious tour around all of these gardens, we ended our afternoon with a delicious lunch at the South End Buttery. I had only been there for brunch in the past, but this time I ordered the veggie burger which was outstanding! For all your veggies out there, add this to your list!
Thank you to the South End Garden Tour committee for a perfect Boston day!
