Beverly/Morgan Park's 'Premier' Garden Walk Welcomes All Sunday

The 3rd Annual Beverly/Morgan Park Garden Walk Sunday, July 10 steps off from the Edna White Community Garden, 1850 W. Monterey Ave., announced Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA).

Check in begins at noon with booklet pickup of multiple homes chosen for this year’s walk, which ends at 5 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, July 17.

“Enthusiasm has been more robust than ever,” said Mary Jo Viero, BAPA Executive Director. “Edna White Garden was a welcome surprise last year for garden enthusiasts and proved to be a wonderful port of entry to our historic community and dramatic gardens. We are so proud of this year's hosts and their gardens.”

Featured gardens are located throughout the neighborhood.

Each stop is distinctive for its style, variety of plantings and unique beauty. Each location will host an experience including food and beverage tastings, music, and garden specialties.

Visitors will see solutions to gardens that flourish engulfed in sun, those in shady yards, and those with both extremes. Visitors take note of mature gardens and freshly mounted flower beds, drawing inspiration from the hard work, creative vision and benefits of local gardeners’ efforts.

“We love the concept that visitors leave with visions for their own yards inspired by our chosen gardens,” said Viero.

The Garden Walk will begin with check-in at Edna White Community Garden (with an emphasis on community) where visitors are welcome to walk among the beautiful plantings, observe butterflies and bees from the new observatory and engage with vendors.

"Last year was our first at Edna White serving as the stepping off point for the garden walk and we thank BAPA for thinking of us and running a very organized sign up," said Kathy Figel, executive director at Edna White Garden. "Until visitors see the inside of the garden, they don't know what a community treasure we have. They will see some creative changes from last year."

Featured gardens are located throughout the neighborhood. Each stop is distinctive for its style, variety of plantings and unique beauty. Each garden will present an experience such as food and beverage tastings and music.

Whether going home to a sunny or shady yard, a mature garden or a freshly dug flower bed, visitors come away inspired by the hard work, creative vision and shared enthusiasm by local gardeners, beekeepers and those who create ponds and waterfalls.

The private spots being showcased are:

· A dazzling, multi-level yard with a striking, yet practical, rain garden

· A true urban farm that supplies organic produce to a food pantry, and where beauty and bounty collide with veggies and herbs mixed among the flowers.

· An enchanting understory woodland garden that combines a wide variety of unusual conifers and deciduous trees with fanciful statuary.

· A delightfully artful yard with colorful eclectic decorative pieces including an homage to the Art Institute of Chicago, and a wide variety of plants and flowers.

· A hilltop garden with a brilliant display of red roses, a variety of ornamental trees, plus areas dedicated to shade loving plants and the sunny family vegetable garden.

· A “fresh start” garden where homeowners with a keen eye for beauty and detail create all new landscapes for their front, side and back yards using unusual annual and perennial plants, distinctive pots, and common space patio areas.

· A party-perfect garden where exceptional mature plants and sophisticated planters create a ample space for entertaining a few friends, relaxing with the family, or hosting a big bash.

Tickets to the Beverly/Morgan Park Garden Walk are $30 in advance at bapa.org or $35 at Edna White Garden on the day of the tour. Gardens are open 12 to 5 p.m. For information, contact BAPA, 773-233-3100 or bapa@bapa.org.

Special thanks to Garden Walk sponsors Mike Haggerty Buick GMC, OSF Health Care Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Beverly Bank & Trust, PRS Associates Real Estate, Smith Village, Keir Foot & Ankle Specialists, Blue Door Neighborhood Center, Uhlmann Home Improvement, Always Ready Repair, First In Realty Executives, The Beverly Review, The Mortgage Exchange, Molly Real Estate, Franconello’s, Live and Believe Nutrition, The Bloom Bar, Steuber Florist & Greenhouses, Steering Cocktails and Horse Thief Hollow.