Highland Park visitors can stop and smell the flowers during a tour showcasing 10 unique gardens.
The Highland Park Garden Club, which supports community gardening and promotes gardening education, will host its first Highland Park Secret Garden Tour July 11. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m.
The tour features 10 gardens, each offering its own charms. Some feature ponds and “she-sheds,” while others display outdoor living rooms and multi-level decks. There’s even a compact urban vegetable garden and a pool.
The first stop on the self-guided tour will be the Highland Park Entrance Gardens and Fountain. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy staff will be there to answer questions about the fountain, reflecting pool and gardens.
At subsequent stops, local homeowners will be available to answer questions and share gardening tips.
Among the gardens highlighted in the Highland Park Secret Garden Tour is Choderwood, a garden along the Allegheny River. Complete with stone pathways, a stream and a koi pond, Choderwood is a green oasis within the city. Choderwood also boasts a greenhouse-enclosed swimming pool, a mediation hut and chicken and duck coops.
The Highland Park Secret Garden Tour is sponsored by the Highland Park Garden Club and the Highland Park Community Council. Sponsors include Howard Hanna Real Estate and Huntingdon Bank.
Guests can purchase tickets online for $15. Tickets will be sold the day of the event for $20.
The Highland Park Garden Club is also looking for volunteers to assist before, during and after the event.
