New Hope Historical Society sets Garden Tour

   The garden tour committee of the New Hope Historical Society has been working since last summer to line up this year’s roster of gardens for the 18th annual New Hope Historical Society Garden Tour.
   Tickets may be purchased online at www.newhopehs.org or by calling 215-862-5652 at the early bird incentive price of $25 until May 1. Afterward, the general admission ticket price is $30. On tour day, tickets may be purchased at the Parry Mansion Museum, Main and Ferry streets, New Hope.
   The gardens may leave visitors breathless and perhaps a little envious. Imagine one 32-acre property that is in constant motion, being cultivated and developed under the eye of a local horticulturist. Or a contemporary home designed by architect James Polshek of Clinton Library and Rose Center for Earth & Space fame, whose owners are inviting visitors inside for a peek as well as into their one-year-old garden and greenhouse.
   The self-guided tour of six private Bucks County gardens will be held June 4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. rain or shine. A full color brochure with map, easy-to-follow directions, photos and descriptions of the gardens come with tickets in a matching envelope.
   Tour goers are invited to a mini-lecture on tropicals at the tiered-terrace garden of grower, Pamela Pyle, at the end of tour day. Ticket holders also receive a Garden Rewards Bag filled with gifts and offers from sponsors and national partners, including the American Horticultural Society, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, W. Atlee Burpee Seed Co., Country Gardens Magazine, and Espoma.
   The garden tour is a significant production and community event with over 1,000 garden enthusiasts in attendance and a multitude of volunteers. It is also the major fundraiser for the nonprofit organization. Proceeds are earmarked for pointing the Parry Mansion Museum in New Hope, which is owned by the society and open to the public.