Expert gardeners open their gates for weekend tours

Members of the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County are opening their garden gates to the public this weekend for MGHC’s 30th annual Spring Garden Tour on Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11.

Suzanne Ford says the tour features seven gardens in Chattanooga, East Brainerd and Hixson.

“A highlight will be the award-winning gardens at the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee headquarters, which are rarely seen by the general public. But all of the gardens on the tour are special and unique and reflect the vision of their creators,” she says.

Patsy Boles, tour chairwoman and longtime Master Gardener, says the private and public gardens reflect their owners’ inspiration, love and hard work put into creating these personal landscapes.

“We welcome everyone to celebrate the spring season with a leisurely stroll among trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs and native wildflowers. These gardens demonstrate how sculpture and artifacts, water features and stonework can be combined with various plantings to create beautiful and relaxing landscapes,” Boles says.

She adds that in keeping with MGHC’s mission to promote education, the Master Gardeners are pleased to have Chattanooga School for Liberal Arts on the tour, which is a Master Gardener-sponsored program.

Proceeds from the tour will benefit educational programs sponsored by Master Gardeners and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

Tickets are $15 and are good for both days. They may be purchased at any of the seven gardens during the self-guided tour.

For more information: mghc.org/30th-annual-spring-garden-tour/.