The 2010 garden tour includes 3 engaging gardens along the bluff on Gudger Road, and one additional home on nearby Snakepond Road. The first three gardens, which overlook Champion/Lost Cove, belong to Kate and Robert Gooch, Rea Mingeva, and Lee Stapleton. Each of these gardens has unique features ranging from a creek flowing over the bluff, sweeping views of the cove, stonework, and a wide variety of native plants. Lee Stapleton’s garden is the product of decades of work while the other two are relatively new installations. Garden tour participants will be able to walk on a beautiful bluff trail that joins these three homes (approximately 10 minutes’ walking time from the Gooches to the Stapleton home.)

The final garden, Red Oak Hollow, is a 30-acre estate belonging to Mesha and Tim Provo. It includes natural springs which flow into a series of lakes, a winding meadow trail with two patches of elusive Pink Lady Slippers, and flower beds that emphasize native plants including Catesby’s Trillium, White Crested Dwarf Lilies, Yellow Native Azalea, Flowering Almond, Sweet Bush, Hearts a Bustin, Fire Pink, Blue Star and Cumberland Rosemary.

Space on the tour is limited and pre-registration is advised. The cost of the tour is $30.00 per person, which includes the Trails and Trilliums registration, providing admission to all other events (workshops, talks and hikes).

The gardens are located about 4 miles from St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School. A bus will provide transportation to and from SAS, with vans to shuttle you between gardens. The buses will leave every 20 minutes from 9:00 until 11:30. This is a selfguided tour so you can travel at your own pace. The estimated length of the tour is 2 hours. Moderate walking along hilly woodland trails will be required at all sites.