The Sustainable Garden Tour is back for 2023 and we have a great schedule of gardens for you to visit! The FREE tours will be held on the third Sunday afternoon of the month starting in May until August (May 21, June 18, July 16, and August 20). All tours will last from 2:00-5:00 pm and visitors can drop in anytime during the tour timeframe. The tours are self-guided, but the hosts are present to answer questions. Light refreshments will be served.
The two gardens featured on Sunday, May 21, are bike-accessible for those participating in the Bikesburg 2023 bike festival and separate bike parking will be available.
Tour locations for May 21, 2:00-5:00 pm
Corl/Burger garden at 911 Draper Road, Blacksburg: Since moving onto the property, homeowners Benjamin Corl and Julie Burger have progressively reduced the proportion of the lot area dedicated to lawn in order to reduce maintenance in some areas while increasing food production in others. Their ornamental beds are a mix of both native and non-native plants. To support the vegetable garden, they compost and utilize soil testing to manage soil nutrients as well as mulch to conserve water.
Marsille garden at 509 Monte Vista Drive, Blacksburg: Homeowner Margaret Marsille describes her yard as a low-budget work in progress, with established and new plantings, which she is transitioning to native plants, food crops, and a “just have fun” garden. Marsille has incorporated a number of sustainable features, including two rainwater collection systems, native plant gardens, composting area, vegetable gardens, berry plants, upcycled garden art and two greenhouses created from reclaimed windows.
When considering gardens to feature, we sought gardens that would showcase practices from the list of sustainable gardening and landscaping practices we compiled during our 21 Actions for 2021 Campaign. You can find that list of practices here:
Highlights from the 2022 Sustainable Garden Tour
See more pictures from the May Pandapas Pollinator Garden tour here
See more pictures from the June Glaser and Paulson gardens here
See more pictures from the July Lambert and Hale Community Garden tour here
Leighton Reid shows a tour attendee the new native plant propagation station built using a Sustainable Blacksburg grant.
See more pictures from the August Shadowlake Village garden tour here
See more pictures from the September Griffiths garden tour here