Charles Village Festival Garden Walk 2011

This year's garden walk covered 38 spots. When it was over I felt like I should get a medal for having visited every one. You get five hours to do this and it can be a challenge finding some of the stops - especially if you don't know what side of the street odd numbers or the even numbers are on. For example, which alleyway will get you to the back of 2633 N. Calvert Street where Phyllis Jaslow has her rooftop garden?

The garden walk covers a lot of territory, too  -  from 29th down to 25th between and from Howard over to Guilford this year. Next year it will all be north of 29th. For each stop there is a tee-shirt serving as the sign to direct you that is decorated with a scene and a number corresponding to the handout you get after you buy your ticket. The booklet  shows stop #11 as being at 19 & 21 W. 27th St. belonging to Evalyn Tyson with a very brief description of her gardens. She (Evalyn) has adopted a nearby dumpsite turning it into green space.

I found Sandy Sparks at the garden of Jacques Kelly and shot her picture sitting in his backyard. My favorite things were whimsical touches like the collection of mirrors on a fence, two blue plates between a tree, the painted screens of cats, a bird house.

I love flowers, plants and trees and seeing them arranged in urban spaces; but I am not a gardener and can't name most of the pretty things from nature that I see. That is why I have not provided English, Greek or Latin to describe the scenes in the photos I took.  I do know they include flowering cactus, hollyhock, lilies and roses and I learned that there are American hornbeam tree at Village Learning Place.

Walking through the festival I spotted Quinn and Erika and took their picture and also the very nice guy from Video Americana who was selling CDs.

Working my way home I noticed my neighbor Phyllis on E. 33rd Street had created this sign to show the world where butterflies feast, so I added that though it is wasn't technically on the tour or in Charles Village.

Seeing all the work that folks put into growing things and creating beautiful natural spaces makes me grateful and happy and helps to counter the anger I get at seeing all the litter and trash left about.

I hope you will scroll through the photos and consider taking their walking tour sometime.

You don't have to actually visit every spot on the list. There's no test at the end and no one expects you to know the difference between an annual and a perennial or whether a flower is an aster or a daisy. It is also enjoyable meeting and talking to all the nice folks who not only open up their spaces but usually serve iced tea or lemonade.