WESTMINSTER, Vt. – Gordon and Mary Hayward’s Westminster West gardens will once again highlight the Westminster Cares Garden Tour, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year. Gordon and Mary helped start the tour in 2003, after a successful garden tour for the Yellow Barn Music Festival.
The tour will be held July 6 and 7, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day. Tickets are good for both days of the tour, and include entry to special events. Children under age 16 get free admission to the garden tour.
In addition to the Haywards, the Adairs’ “Sanctuary” garden and the Kebbells’ “Mole End” garden will be on the tour.
Two special programs are planned. On Saturday, at 11:30 a.m., Bianca Fernandez will lead a workshop at “Hope Roots,” her cut-flower farm. Participants will learn how to grow and arrange cut flowers for color and inspiration 12 months a year. Also on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., furniture maker, artist, and teacher Mark Ragonese will lead a hands-on demonstration, “Saplings: Sculpting, Bending and Weaving.” Entry to these special events is included with your ticket.
Tickets are available online at www.westminstercares.org. They can also be purchased throughout the tour at the Haywards’ garden, or at the Westminster Institute.
The garden, begun in 1984, is based on the footprint and the remnants of the Ranney farm, including the milking parlor and a stone wall that ran to the silo. Their garden shed was originally a tobacco barn moved up from the Connecticut River Valley.
Mary, originally from the Cotswold region in England, and Gordon, from northwest Connecticut, were teachers who purchased the Ranney Farm, built in the late 1700s, in 1983. Both raised on farms, they treasure the long history of the property. “The house has been part of the life of the community for 200 years, so it’s also a celebration of the history,” Gordon says.
As part of the tour, visitors can learn about the first project in Windham County to establish a forested riparian buffer. The project, in conjunction with the Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District, is restoring a five-acre field to bird and wildlife habitat. The Haywards have been weeding out invasive species, and planting native species of trees and shrubs, alongside an existing wildflower garden.
Sincere appreciation goes out to our corporate sponsors for their tremendous support and community involvement: Chroma Technology Corp., Allen Bros. Farms, Savings Bank of Walpole, Silver Forest, 802 Credit Union, Cota & Cota, and C&S Wholesale Grocers for printing all promotional materials.
Lunch and cold beverages will be available for purchase in the garden cafe under tents at the Haywards’. Morning Star Perennials & Trees will again have an array of unique and Vermont-hardy plants for sale at the Hayward garden. For more information, visit our website, westminstercares.org, call the office at 802-722-3607, or email westminstercaresvt@gmail.com.