The Garden Day Tour of Homes in Roanoke on Saturday, April 24 will highlight the local celebration of the 77th anniversary of Garden Week in Virginia, which runs from April 17-25.
Sponsored by the Mill Mountain and Roanoke Valley Garden Clubs, “Garden Day” will feature self-guided tours of six south Roanoke homes and gardens from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. One such home, located at 2817 Avenham Ave., is owned by Webb and Molly Burns. A center-hall colonial built in 1958, the home was recently remodeled by a previous owner. To accommodate their young family, the Burns added a family room, deck, and ground-level enclosed patio onto the rear of the house, as well as a master bedroom.
The Burns have owned the home since 2002. Molly Burns says the new family room is her favorite, while the home’s “beautiful oak floors” attracted her to the house. Webb Burns works for a local medical lab and Molly is a former teacher and currently a full-time mom.
The Burns’ home also features something for history buffs—a display dedicated to General George C. Marshall, for whom the United States’ post-World War II reconstruction plan for Europe was named. Marshall was Molly Burns’ great-grandfather. The exhibit features a portrait of Marshall, memorabilia from Madame Chiang Kai-shek, and a photograph of the General and his wife with Lady Astor, a Danville native who was the first female member of the British parliament. Porcelain china presented to the Marshalls as a wedding present from Lady Astor is also on display.
The Marshall items “might draw some men to the tour,” jokes Molly Burns.
The theme for Garden Day in Roanoke is “The Art of Flowers.” Event chairman Kay Strickland said, “What is so special about Garden Week is that we have flower arrangements that interpret the rooms” in the homes on the tour.
She adds, “We wanted this year to be about our Taubman Art Museum. They’ve chosen a wonderful piece (out of their current exhibit from the Colonel Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC) that one of our arrangers will interpret” at the museum. The Taubman Museum is offering half-price admissions the day of the tour for all guests who present their tour tickets.
Strickland is pleased that the Burns’ home is on this year’s tour. “They’re a young couple who have young children. People think Garden Week is about homes that people have had for a long time. They’ve chosen to add on and make it livable and elegant.”
Other homes on the tour include Cherry Hill at 301 23rd St., the Fairfax, Unit 108 at 2125 Yellow Mountain Rd., 2833 Avenham Ave., and the gardens at 2901 Avenham Ave. and 218 23rd St. In addition to the home and garden tour, a box lunch is available for an additional fee, as well as refreshments in the Moore garden at 2901 Avenham Ave.
Advance tickets for Garden Day in Roanoke may be purchased until April 19 by sending checks payable to “Historic Garden Week” to Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, 3640 Colonial Ave., Roanoke, VA 24018, or in person with cash or check at the same address Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – noon. They can also be purchased at Chocolatepaper at the City Market or Electric Rd. locations, Lipes Pharmacy on Crystal Spring Ave., or Townside Gardens on Franklin Rd.
Tickets may also be purchased online at www.virginiagardenweek.org. Day-of tickets may be purchased at South Roanoke Methodist Church. All adult tickets are $20 for the entire tour, while children ages 6-12 are half-price and children 5 and under are free.
By Dave Perry [email protected]