SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. – Enjoy delicious Alice in Wonderland-themed tea picnics, magnificent gardens, and enjoy the arts at Main Street Arts’ (MSA) GardenFest 2024. The event will be held on Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16, with activities planned from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The event takes place at MSA and four nearby gardens in Saxtons River.
Tickets are discounted in advance. Your ticket provides admission to all four gardens on both days. The Alice Tea Picnic packages are an additional fee. Reservations should be received by Monday, June 10, but a limited number of picnic packages will be available during the event. Go to www.mainstreetarts.org to buy tickets and make tea reservations.
Included in the entrance ticket price is one raffle ticket, with a chance to win gift certificates generously donated by local nurseries. Additional raffle tickets will be available for purchase.
At GardenFest 2024, you’ll begin your journey at MSA to pick up your tickets and a map. Tea picnics can be picked up from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. each day. While at MSA, you can stop by the garden-related gallery exhibit by local artist Stephanie Sullivan, and experience a botanical printing demonstration. Convenient parking for people with limited mobility will be reserved at each site.
From MSA, there will be four gardens to explore nearby, which are cultivated by Susan Still, Jeanne Korstange, Cass Morgan, and Christine Hume.
Still said, “I like to create garden rooms of different sizes, shapes, and styles so that each one has its own character. In 11 years, we’ve turned a field of turfgrass into a place that is interesting for humans. It provides habitats for birds and pollinators as we add more native plants. There is a fire circle, a moss-covered labyrinth, and places to stroll, meditate, or gather.
“Shrubs and small trees provide structure, and perennials provide foliage and blooms for this increasingly complex design. Maintaining this is arduous, so we allow some messiness as we wait for the garden to find what it wants to be. I am a partner with the garden, and sometimes it shows me its own desires,” she continued.
Of her garden Korstange said, “My border garden history begins with the plants I inherited from Averill Larson, the previous homeowner – beautiful peonies, phlox, beebalm, balloon flower, roses, and a very special double pink baby’s breath.”
“The swimming pool, which was here when we moved in, determines the landscape. Since there is standing, sitting, and walking meditation, I knew there must be floating meditation, which I now do. I focus on flowers and enjoy their qualities as I float, walk, sit, or listen to music in my garden,” she continued.
“I am also trying to camouflage my fence – required for the pool – with roses, or distract from it with beautiful daylilies from Olally in Newfane, and climbers like wisteria, hydrangea, and morning glory,” Korstange said. “My aspiration is that the beds will unfold like a raga, and include all the improvisations that find their way into one of the beds.”
Morgan says, “In the 19 plus years that I have owned my home, I have split my time between Saxtons River and New York City, where I’ve had a career as a professional actress. My garden is my solace, my exercise, my creative outlet, and my joy.”
“I love the give and take between the gardener and the land, the challenge and the discovery of what plants want to be where, what plants thrive in a certain spot and fail in another,” she said. “I love the exchange of energy: I put in so many hours of toil and sweat, and the garden gives back edible fruits and vegetables, and beautiful vistas both vast and intimate. My garden provides a balance in my life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
Hume said, “The Hume/Bourne garden has a unique setting within a gorgeous stone foundation rising 6-8 feet above a brick and stone patio. These tall stone walls were the foundation for a huge, multilevel barn built around the turn of the last century.
“This majestic barn, with its towering silo, stood for over 50 years before a massive fire claimed the barn, the silo, and an adjacent barn. All that was left standing were the fortress-like foundations. The barn foundations provide an impressive backdrop for the perennial gardens, and the silo foundation houses a sunken, wood-fired cedar hot tub. We look forward to your visit to this unique garden setting,” she continued.
MSA is grateful to our generous sponsors Allen Brothers Farms, Walker Farm, Gardener’s Supply Company, Morning Star Perennials, and Harlow Farm. Proceeds from this special event will support MSA’s efforts to make programs affordable, and to pay teachers as professionals.
Main Street Arts’ mission is to strengthen personal and community wellbeing through diverse arts experiences and social connection. For more information about the event or accessibility, please visit www.mainstreetarts.org, or email info@mainstreetarts.org.