33rd Annual Spring Wildflower Garden Tour
Date/Time
Sunday, April 25, 2021
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Categories
The Prince William Wildflower Society welcomes the public to its Annual Spring Garden Tour, an educational event to highlight the use of native plants in the garden. All featured gardens use a mix of native and nonnative plants. Visit the gardens in any order on Sunday, April 25, between the hours of 12 noon and 5 pm, rain or shine.
To minimize Covid risks, please wear a mask and maintain distance.
Note special parking instructions for the Montgomery Garden.
For further information, please contact Nancy Vehrs at 703-368-2898, email nvehrs1@yahoo.com.
DAVIS GARDEN
10563 Crooked Branch Ct., Manassas, 20112
A large willow oak with a carpet of pussytoes is the focus of the front yard on this typical suburban corner lot. Beds encircle the trees and shrubs with native perennials including spiderwort, dwarf crested iris, Christmas fern, wild blue phlox, green and gold, and violets. Golden groundsel and spiderwort bring spring color to a rain garden anchored by a small black gum tree on the cul-de-sac side. Inside the fence, blue star, Jacob’s ladder, and summer phlox surround Carolina allspice, and pussytoes circle a dogwood. Canada violets bloom beneath a pin oak in the whimsical driftwood bed. A primrose garden by the house includes natives such as wild geranium, merrybells, and yellow violets. Bleeding heart blooms under azaleas surrounding the deck. A small vegetable garden grows in the southeast side of the house. Later-blooming natives are planted throughout the property to ensure color and support wildlife.
Driftwood Bed – Davis Garden
ENDRIKAT GARDEN
8419 Cabin Branch Court, Manassas 20112
A planting of bulbs, shrubs, and perennials, including native columbine, defines the entrance to this large, dry woodland garden. Mayapples, cardinal flower, closed gentian, Virginia bluebells, and sensitive ferns grow in a wetter area at the beginning of the driveway. Beds beside the driveway and in front of the house are planted with dwarf crested iris, phlox, violets, green and gold, spring beauty, lyreleaf sage, golden groundsel, wild geranium, yellow trout lily, wild ginger, pussytoes, bluets, and toothwort. Native shrubs such as pinxter azalea, winterberry holly, fothergilla, strawberry bush, witch hazel, spicebush, and several viburnum species are included in the beds. Green and gold, butterfly weed, native trumpet honeysuckle, purple coneflower, and black-eyed Susan grow in the front sunny bed. Foundation beds feature native sweet pepperbush, viburnums, and perennials such as wood poppies, twinleaf, wild bleeding heart, Jacob’s ladder, maidenhair fern, and bluebells. Woodland beds behind the house contain additional wildflowers, ferns, and shrubs. Near the street is a small, sunnier area maintained as a wildflower meadow.
Wild Azalea – Endrikat Garden
MONTGOMERY GARDEN
8330 Geller Circle, Lake Jackson, Manassas 20112
Nestled between woods, house, and the lake, this garden is an eclectic mix of native and nonnative plants, found objets d’art, and scavenged materials. Shade-loving ferns figure prominently with a wide variety of them scattered throughout this property. Early blooming nonnative hellebores in several colors begin the spring season, followed by flowering bulbs. A redbud in bush form sits at the corner of the parking area. Azaleas fill the area between the porch and the road, and a fall-blooming camellia anchors the corner of the walkway. Recently added stone-filled wooden steps lead down to the walled area which is filling in with king fern, wood poppy, and other perennials. Many native plants are planted along the new steps. Plant identification tags are provided on many plants. Trillium, yellow trout lily, Dutchman’s breeches, wild ginger, and pinxter azalea on the other side of the house represent the very first wildflowers planted here over 40 years ago. Please note: This garden is on uneven ground with loose stone pathways and stone, wooden, and concrete steps. Walking sticks are recommended, we will have a few to lend.
Maidenhair Fern – Montgomery Garden
Basic directions to the three gardens on Sunday, April 25, Noon – 5 p.m.
Use your favorite mapping program or the general directions on the reverse. Watch for small bright pink directional signs near the gardens. All three gardens are in the Lake Jackson area to the south of the City of Manassas. Use mapping software or the directions below and note special instructions for the Montgomery Garden. Start at any garden; they are listed in alphabetical order here.
Davis Garden: From Manassas, Take Rt. 234 Business/Dumfries Rd south. Turn right at Hastings Dr, drive .7 miles, then left onto Lucasville Rd. Drive .5 miles, turn left onto Hersh Farm Lane. Go .2 miles and garden is on the left corner at 10563 Crooked Branch Ct. (This neighborhood is on the back side of the Prince William County fairgrounds.) From points south, from Rt. 234 Business/Dumfries Rd, turn left at Hastings and follow above.
Endrikat Garden: From Dumfries Rd./Rt. 234, turn at the traffic signal at the Parkway/Rt. 294 intersection, go 1.5 miles, turn left onto Lake Jackson Dr, then immediate left onto Cabin Branch Ct. Drive .2 miles to 8419 Cabin Branch Ct. on the left. Park along the road. From Woodbridge, take the PW Parkway north, turn left to remain on the Parkway at the traffic signal with Liberia Ave. Drive .6 miles and turn right onto Lake Jackson Dr, then immediate left onto Cabin Branch Ct. Continue .2 miles to 8419 Cabin Branch Ct. on the left.
Montgomery Garden: From Manassas, go south on Dumfries Rd./Rt. 234. Turn right onto Coles Drive (past Meadows Farms Nursery) and drive .2 miles. (Coles is a horseshoe so if you miss it you can take the second turn and follow directions from the south.) Just before the fire station, turn right onto McGrath Rd.* and drive .4 miles. Turn left onto North Point Rd and go .2 miles. Turn left onto Geller immediately after Cecil Rd. Geller Circle is a horseshoe-shaped narrow gravel road on a steep grade. At the bottom of the hill, turn right and park as close to the green house with purple shutters as you can. Garden is 8330 Geller Circle. Each successive car should park behind the previous car going one-way only. Neighbors have been informed. When you are ready to leave, head out on Geller in the direction you are pointed then turn right. From Dumfries Rd/Rt 234 from the south, turn left at the traffic signal at Coles Dr. just after crossing the Occoquan River at Lake Jackson. Drive .2 miles and turn left onto McGrath Rd. Follow instructions above from McGrath