Local garden tours allow visitors a chance to stroll through otherwise secret and private gardens while enjoying the creativity and hard work of others. The Little Gardens Club of Atlantic City will hold their 26th summer garden tour on Sunday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Whether you are a fellow gardener seeking new ideas or just enjoy seeing pretty displays of flowers, garden tours always impress and inspire.
The Little Gardens Club of Atlantic City has been in existence since 1922. Organizers named it the “Little Gardens” Club because these South Jersey summer gardens were considered small compared to their larger estate gardens on the Main Line. As they celebrate their 103rd anniversary, the garden club will feature gardens located in Northfield, Linwood, Egg Harbor Township, and Mays Landing. Local gardeners will share their experiences growing plants that thrive in South Jersey and how native plants will attract pollinators and provide host plants for their larvae.
While a few of the gardens will live up to their “little gardens” name, others, like the 30 acres of David Parker in Mays Landing, will show how to provide a native habitat for wildlife through restoration. Be prepared to walk through wildflower meadows as well as a moss-covered trail in a forest. This event will feature the Linwood Arboretum which will showcase the latest project of using drone technology to map plant species and monitor plant growth and health. The tour will also include the garden of yours truly, the Shore Local Gardener.
The garden club continues to use proceeds from ticket sales to benefit civic and environmental organizations. During World War II when soldiers were in make-shift hospitals, the group provided flowers and magazines for recovering soldiers. Currently, the club follows a tradition of holding the summer garden tour the weekend after the Fourth of July. Tickets for the event can be found at Joe’s Garden Center in Absecon, Lang’s Garden Market in Linwood, Bob’s Garden Center in Egg Harbor Township, and Ronnie’s Garden Center in Northfield.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
