100 Years of Virginia Gardens

One of the first projects the GCV took on in the 1920s was helping to establish the Virginia State Park System. By 1929, after completion of Shenandoah National Park, the women of the Garden Club of Virginia presented resolutions to the governor to allocate that more land should be preserved for state parks. This effort marked a huge milestone in conservation. To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the women of the GCV will continue their commitment to Virginia’s state parks by donating $500,000 in grants to support enrichment of the park’s projects and programs.

“In the early 19th century, there weren’t outlets for educated women to become politically active. They couldn’t vote yet,” says Garden Club of Virginia President Missy Buckingham. “Some worked for suffrage. For others, the formation of garden clubs was a way to be impactful in their own backyards and communities. These women changed the landscape of our country.” The impact of the Garden Club of Virginia on our landscape is certainly significant. From our state parks to the historic preservation work done on the grounds of Monticello, the women of the GCV have made a lasting impact on the state’s landscape.

Early Restorations of the Garden Club of Virginia

After helping establish our state parks, the GCV didn’t miss a beat. In 1929, the women restored Kenmore in Fredericksburg, the home of George Washington’s sister that has served as many things over the years. It has served as not only the final resting place for George Washington’s mother but also a plantation home and even a makeshift hospital for Union soldiers in the Civil War. Since this first restoration, the Garden Club has used proceeds from its annual Historic Garden Week event to fund restoration and preservation of over 50 completed projects. Some of these projects include the Mary Washington House, Poplar Forest, Washington & Lee University and even the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, to name a few.

If you’ve ever admired the flowers at Monticello, the terraced gardens of Montpelier, the shrubbery of Mount Vernon, the gardens bordering UVA’s Lawn residences, or the Anne Spencer Home & Garden Museum, you can thank the Garden Club of Virginia. Using historic sketches, plans, and letters written by the original owners, the women help to restore the gardens to their original intended vision. This allows us to enjoy each in its original beauty just as visitors would have in the 18th century. Each project is unique in size, scope and goal, showing the true adaptability and commitment to preservation of the GCV women.

2020 Tour Highlights

Each year, these restoration projects are made possible by funds raised during Historic Garden Week. The only statewide home and garden tour in the nation, Virginia Historic Garden Week allows garden enthusiasts to enjoy the natural beauty of some of the state’s oldest and most beautiful gardens. Although the 2020 schedule had to be cancelled, the 2021 line up will include 30 unique tours organized and hosted by 48 member clubs located from the foothills of the Shenandoah Valley all the way to the beaches of Tidewater. Throughout Central Virginia and almost to North Carolina, the full range of Virginia’s landscape is showcased through the tours hosted by member clubs.

Below, you’ll find highlights that you can enjoy comfortably from home. Some of these amazing properties may be on next year’s tour, but not all, so this may be your best chance to enjoy their beautiful grounds.

One of the more exciting additions to the 2020 schedule, that will unfortunately not return on the 2021 schedule, is Upper Bundoran. This home is just outside of Charlottesville, was built in 1951 and is surrounded by beautiful flowering gardens. Originally built by Elizabeth and Fred Scott, the home’s gardens and surrounding farmland are noticeably impacted by Elizabeth’s passion for plants, particularly trees and shrubbery. The gardens are surrounded by huge sugar maples, cork elms, chestnut oaks and American sycamores that the couple planted in the 50s.

In 2006, the Scotts sold the home. Since its original construction, gardens have been added to Upper Bundoran by subsequent owners. A new European-style courtyard, walled in on three sides and closed by a boxwood hedge, complete with a raised pond and fountain has been added where the garage used to reside. The current owner has planted a plethora of white flowering roses, heightening the already lovely gardens.

Middleburg’s 2020 Garden Tour Highlights

Among the exciting tours offered throughout the state is the lovely tour in Middleburg, which includes four unique historical homes with beautiful gardens. White Hall, a Greek-revival house built in 1903, is surrounded by trees, hydrangeas, boxwood, and crepe myrtles. Elysian Fields Farm offers a property featuring six separate structures connected through a series of gardens, paths and a reflecting pool. And, Ashleigh, a country home built in 1840, features wood panelling removed from the White House in the Hoover administration.

Oak Spring, the former home of noted art collector and philanthropist Bunny Mellon, was a new addition to this year’s Middleburg tour offerings, earning its own separate ticket due to the wide collection of art and the extensive gardens and allowing guests to see parts of the home usually closed to the public. Along with the home, this year’s tour was to include the gardens, formal greenhouse, Oak Spring Gallery and Broodmore Barn. The gardens, designed by Mellon herself, include both formal and informal spaces, interwoven with stone walls and brick paths, and features two reflecting pools along with a garden pavilion.

209 Carters Grove Lane, also known as “Creekside,” is a two-acre property with gardens focusing on the natural plants and beauty of the Blue Ridge. The homes at 4941 Locksview Road and 4113 Peakland Place are both older with renovations completed in the last 10 years. Both homes also have extensive antique collections.

To round out the tour, guests visit can 3125 Rivermont Avenue, a home built in 1941 that centers around a three-foot by six-foot detailed replica of the U.S. Capitol Building. Along with the homes, the Lynchburg tour includes free admission to six gardens in the area, including the Sweet Briar Gardens and the Anne Spencer House and Garden.