Historic Garden Week

December 16, 2021

2005 Tour Chairman Peggy Talman, Three Chopt Garden Club

2006 Tour Chairman Muff Nolde, The Boxwood Garden Club

2005 Historic Garden Week Preview and Business Report

2006 Historic Garden Week Preview and Business Report

Online ticket sales more than doubled in 2005, when tours included the weekend home of Virginia’s governor and his wife in King George County, the studio and home of popular folk artist Nancy Thomas in Yorktown, and the residence of Dr. Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia. Houses ranged from restored log cabins to modern mansions, and gardens included small city retreats, as well as grand estates designed by Charles Gillette.

Online tickets sales topped $10,000 and VDOT provided an early publicity boost when it issued the following press release before rolling out a newly designed Welcome to Virginia sign: The first signs with the new design will be unveiled before April 22, the start of Historic Garden Week, when many garden and history lovers visit Virginia.

In spite of an opening Saturday that brought torrential rain, wind and thunderstorms, the 73rd Historic Garden Week tours enjoyed good weather and attracted large crowds. Suzanne Munson told of a phone call she received that first morning from an exhausted and drenched tour chairman who claimed, “This is like being pregnant WAY too long.”