WILMINGTON – The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) is pleased to announce a Water Garden Tour on Saturday, August 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is organized and sponsored by Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin. Proceeds will benefit DCH.

This annual Water Garden Tour showcases 12 private gardens in Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Ponds and water features of all sizes are included on the circuit, some small and intimate and others large and formal. For instance, one of the gardens incorporates a distinctively southern style with manicured box hedge, pollarded trees and an outdoor room adjacent to a shade pond engulfed by a carpet of moss. Many of these lovely gardens have never before been open to the general public.

The purpose of the tour is to inspire visitors about how to build ponds that are easy to maintain and demonstrate how to create entertaining outdoor spaces with water. The event provides an opportunity to enjoy outstanding gardens that incorporate aquatic plants, waterfalls and stonework into the landscape. Visitors will also meet the proud gardeners who have created these oases. Last year more than 100 people attended the tour. Each beautiful location represents the pride of hard work and a commitment to making our region a greener place to live.

Tickets cost $15 for DCH members and $20 for non-members.

The tour is self-guided. A map and guidebook with directions and garden descriptions are included in the ticket price. Pre-register before July 24th to receive the guidebook by mail. After July 24th (including on the day of the tour) tickets can be purchased at DCH on North Dupont Street in Trolley Square, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., or at Gateway Garden Center on Lancaster Pike in Hockessin from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (www.gatewaygardens.com).

Free tickets are available to reporters who are interested in writing an advance story about the event. Names and addresses of the gardeners can also be provided for advance interviews and photography.

To purchase tickets or for more information about the Water Garden Tour, please call Marcia Stephenson at 302-658-6262, ext. 105.

Anyone interested in having their water garden be considered for the 2009 tour next summer should contact Peg Castorani at Gateway Garden Center, peg@gatewaygardens.com or 302-239-2727.

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The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) cultivates greener communities by inspiring appreciation and improvement of the environment through horticulture, education and conservation. Founded in 1977, the Center’s site in the Trolley Square neighborhood of Wilmington, Delaware includes a 1.5 acre educational demonstration garden, a 3,000 volume lending library, an art gallery, a lecture hall and a greenhouse. DCH supports 15 active community gardens throughout the city of Wilmington; beautifies Delaware’s roadsides with native vegetation; maintains the landscaping of many urban gateways, corridors, and streetscapes; leads regional conservation projects to enhance Delaware’s urban forest; and provides educational programs for children, teens, and adults.  For more information, visit www.dehort.org

Contact:
Wendy Scott
Delaware Center for Horticulture
302-658-6262, ext. 104