In conjunction with the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Friends of the Library, the Blacksburg Library will host the New River Valley garden tour on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., rain or shine.
The garden tour welcomes artists that are invited to position themselves in various corners of the gardens, catching that perfect angle of the flowers, water feature, or other artistic structure in the garden on the day of the tour.
The self- guided tour has six private gardens to visit from the Catawba Valley to Ellett Valley into the town limits of Blacksburg. Musicians from the New River Valley will be performing to complement the beauty of the gardens. Along the route Bootleg BBQ food truck will set up at Gateway Baptist Church for those ready for a lunch between visiting gardens featured on the tour.
A longstanding tradition has the New River Valley Master Gardeners stationed in each garden throughout the day to assist the garden owners in answering questions related to the garden. Master gardeners also promote and highlight the sustainable features of each garden such as drought tolerant plants, mulching methods, and irrigation techniques.
The tour will welcome the New River Land Trust, which will set up in one of the gardens, demonstrating the educational backpacks that were provided to the local libraries through a national grant.
Points of Interest for the 2022 tour include the Alexander Black House and Cultural Center, the Artspace@The Artful Lawyer, the Blacksburg Farmers Market (until 2 p.m.), The Hahn Horticultural Garden, and Wong Park. Points of Interest are public spaces where no tour ticket is needed.
Tour sponsors are the Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club, Bonomo’s, Capone’s, Crow’s Nest Greenhouse, Old New River Books, Carolyn and Don Rude, Shelter Alternatives, and Vintage Cellar.
Tickets are $15 and will go on sale June 1 at the local libraries and online. The tickets include a map and a program and will be available for purchase at any of the gardens the day of the tour..
Anyone aware of a hidden gem of a garden located in the vicinity of Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Riner, or Shawsville can recommend it for a future tour by contacting Lynn Brammer lbrammer@vt.edu.
The tour is possible through the efforts of an all-volunteer committee of members of the Friends of the Library with assistance from the NRV Master Gardeners. All proceeds go to support various library programs.
