SECRET BLOOMS
Annual Secret Garden Tour wows local flower lovers
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.»
Event-goers got the opportunity to admire some of the areas best blossoms and greatest greenery on Sunday at the annual Secret Garden Tour, presented by the Soroptimist International of Saratoga County.
The self-guided tour included 10 area gardens at different locations throughout Saratoga County.
Rose bushes, vine-covered trellises, colorful flower beds and nourishing vegetable gardens were all part of the sightseeing experience on Sunday, which brought ideal warm and sunny weather.
Some of the gardens were in public places like Yaddo and the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center, but most exist on the properties of private local homes, like Tom and Charlotte Moody‘s house on St. Charles Place in Saratoga Springs.
This tour stop epitomizes the phrase “secret garden,” as it’s tucked away from the world in the cou-
“It’s awesome to see them enjoy it.” — Charlotte Moody, Saratoga Springs resident whose garden was on display for the Secret Garden Tour
ple’s backyard.
On Sunday, however, hundreds of visitors came through to check the garden out, exploring its every corner. Charlotte aimed to make an oasis for these guests, offering plenty of places to sit and relax, as she and her husband often do on summer evenings.
The Moodys have been asked to display their yard on the tour before, “but I didn’t feel like the garden was mature enough until this year,” said Charlotte, who moved into the home 11 years ago but started the garden a few years after.
Sculptures, fountains, furniture and, of course, flowers, help give the garden its beauty, which garnered countless compliments to the gardeners on Sunday. “It’s awesome to see them enjoy it,” Charlotte said, adding that she’s glad her garden could support a good cause too.
First-time attendee Ellen Sheehan of Saratoga Springs said the St. Charles Place garden was her favorite along the tour route. “This just has a very interesting layout. It’s very cozy,” she said. “This has a very good vibe.”
Other home gardens on the tour showed attendees what can be done in both small inner-city spaces and even a large 60-acre farm out in the countryside.
The Secret Garden Tour, now in its 24th year, is an all-volunteer fundraiser presented each summer by The Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, the local branch of an international nonprofit public service organization striving to improve the lives of women and girls locally and globally.
The local club grants thousands of dollars a year to organizations in keeping with its mission as well as assistance to women who are heads of household continuing their education in the face of adversity.
The Secret Garden Tour is one of the club’s two major annual fundraisers. The other is its Cabin Fever Luncheon in the winter.
Secret Garden Tour organizers like event co-chair Sharon Finch are always looking for a variety of gardens to feature on the tour.
Plans are already underway for the Secret Garden Tour’s big 25th anniversary in the summer of 2019. “We’re looking for gardens for next year,” Finch said. “It’s going to be very special.”
More information about The Soroptimist International of Saratoga County is available online at www. soroptimistsaratoga.org.