Only 12 of the club’s 60 member gardens pass muster to be included in the tour each year. Rules are strict — gardens must be cared for and maintained by the owners. Bring your cameras, notebooks and gardening questions, because you will be among experts.
Beacon Hill is one of Boston’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Many of the gardens are tucked away behind elegant homes; the only way to get to view them is by going through the houses, making this not only a garden tour but also a house tour.
You’ll be amazed at what these gardeners do with their postage-stamp-sized yards. Everything is a feast for the eyes and senses — azaleas in brilliant colors, lilies and tulips of every imaginable size, bougainvillea draped walls, aromatic quince trees, majestic Japanese dogwoods, lacy jasmine and ivy climbing over arched doorways and brick facades, statues in grottos and niches, stone patios brimming with pots of tree roses and topiaries in animal shapes, and burbling fountains. Each is a serene urban oasis in the middle of Boston.
Coffee, tea and water will be available throughout the day at the Church of the Advent on Brimmer Street.
Catered box lunches are for sale at the historic Prescott House on Beacon Street, with reservations required. If weather permits you can enjoy lunch sitting on a bench in the Public Garden watching the swan boats paddle by in the lagoon. Or, stroll down Newbury Street. Lined with upscale shops and bistros it’s an easy place to while away a few hours on a beautiful spring day.
— Frances Folsom