[BCMA] Press Release: Heritage Vancouver Garden Tour

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Heritage Vancouver Society
News Release
June  13,  2012
Unique eclectic private gardens to feature in Heritage Vancouver’s inaugural Garden Tour June 23/24
Self-guided tour of 13 gardens a fundraiser to support the future of heritage in Vancouver
 
It is a first for Heritage Vancouver Society. 13 hand-picked eclectic private gardens and one boulevard garden, in Vancouver’s west and eastside neighborhoods will be open for touring by ticket holders on the weekend of June 23 and 24th. “Preserving our heritage is an important cause that is often overlooked,” says Donald Luxton, Board President, Vancouver Heritage Society, “so we came up with the idea of a self-guided garden tour as a unique way to create awareness and raise funds. We urge people to purchase tickets soon,  as there are a limited number, and visit a selection of lovely gardens at their leisure over one or two days.”
 
Many of the homes and gardens on the tour have a tale to tell. Some of the gardens surround 100 year old heritage houses, though the gardens may be newly created by their owners. Others have modern or renovated houses with established gardens. From creative ways with fruits and vegetables, to an impressive First Shaughnessy garden with an outdoor fireplace and spa, to award winning perennial gardens, to an intimate Kitsilano courtyard showcasing what you can do with a small space, there is something to inspire all tastes. A creative east Vancouver boulevard garden shows what you can do to make a delightful streetscape enjoyed by all who pass by. One street near Commercial Drive features a row of three heritage houses with charming adjacent tiny back gardens linked to each other by gates.
 
This has created a unique sense of community. “The owners tell us they go “gating” from garden to garden in the summer,” says Luxton. Each of these gardens is unique in their own way with one created to be family friendly and others with more room for creative plantings and entertaining. The gardens in this area are situated on a street of majestic historic 70 year old elm trees which stretch for seven blocks and were saved from being destroyed by neighbours banding together in an attention-getting “Save the Elms” campaign, and with assistance from Heritage Vancouver Society.
 
The tour runs 10-4 both days June 23 and 24. Tickets are $30.00, limited number available, and must be purchased in advance online or at various garden centre. For info and online tickets visit: www.heritagevancouver.org  (online sales end June 15 midnight to allow for mailing) or purchase tickets any time including tour days if still available, from Southlands Nursery, KJM Country Garden, The Natural Gardener, David Hunter Garden Centre on W. Broadway or in East Vancouver at Figaro’s Garden.
 
Heritage Vancouver is a nonprofit organization that educates and advocates for heritage conservation and facilitates lectures, historical events and tours, working closely with local and provincial organizations. Recently Heritage Vancouver published its top ten list of the most endangered heritage sites in Vancouver.

For media information or to book garden photos or interviews:
Penny Noble, volunteer garden tour organizer:  604 805 5637 or pbnoble at telus.net





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