Secret Gardens of West Chester Tour set Sept. 8

WEST CHESTER » Barclay Friends will host its 14th annual Secret Gardens of West Chester Tour and plant sale on Saturday, Sept. 8. The event held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature seventeen unique gardens in the borough of West Chester.

“Barclay Friends has set its sights on renewal, regrowth, and rebuilding. This event provides vital support for Barclay Friends’ horticultural therapy program and will help us as we plan new garden areas for our residents as part of the rebuilding effort,” said Executive Director, Linda Sterthous.

Since reopening April 2, Barclay Friends’ horticultural therapy program has continued to f lourish.

Over 343 pounds of vegetables were grown and donated to the Chester County Food Bank. Residents had the opportunity to enter floral arrangements in the Goshen Fair and took home prizes in various categories. According to Barclay Friends horticulture therapist, Cheryl Bjornson, “there is a need for various gardening supplies since the fire. The items we need the most are potting soil, flower pots, seeds, flowers and various craft supplies to assist us with our weekly flower arranging classes.”

“Gardening is naturally therapeutic,” said Bjornson. “Our horticultural therapy program provides a sense of purpose through the nourishment of plants and nature, improves the use of fine and gross motor skills through working in raised beds and awakening the sense of smell, color, texture taste and sound through spending time in our sensory gardens.”

According to Celia and Chris Lang, whose garden will be featured on the tour a second time, “We love living in the Borough but also enjoy the privacy and beauty of our garden. It is town and country living at the same time. We feel very grateful to have inherited our garden and have dedicated ourselves to honoring its past while making it our own. When the Langs bought their home, the owner asked them if they would like to be on the garden tour. The previous owner had committed to the tour but informed them that they were not obligated. “We agreed as we are Quakers and belong to Birmingham Friends Meeting and wanted to support Barclay Friends.”

“Community is a major component of our values and practices,” said Development Associate, Amanda Reynolds. The tour provides an opportunity to bring the greater community together while also raising awareness of the positive benefits our horticultural therapy program has on the residents we serve.”

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the tour. For more information, please visit http://bf.kendal.org/ events or call 610-9183429.