Roof decks, patio spaces, backyards, neighborhood parks and community gardens will be part of the 17th annual South End Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Saturday, June 19. Proceeds benefit the South End/Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust, which owns and maintains 16 community gardens. The 2010 tour will showcase forty two gardens in the neighborhood bordered by Tremont Street, West Newton Street, Harrison Avenue, and Northampton Street. It will include roof top gardens (including the Menino Pavilion roof garden food project), terraces and courtyard gardens, and South End Burying Ground (not open to the public). It’s a special treat to get access to these cherished spaces, which are seldom if ever open to the public. All of the gardens show the creativity of the owners and the joy received from developing and caring for a city garden.
Tickets, $20, will be sold at the South End Branch of the Boston Public Library, 685 Tremont Street (Rutland Square – where the tour begins). Advance tickets, $17, and information at (617) 437-0999 and www.southendgardentour.org. This year, there is a special ticket price to members of area garden clubs. If you purchase 5 tickets or more, the price drops to $15 per person. This is called the “carpool discount” – just mention your affiliation with the Garden Club of the Back Bay when you call to reserve.
