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Tour Historic Montford Gardens June 3

Catmandu. Garden of Brian and Gail Astle

The Montford Neighborhood Association presents the Historic Montford Garden Tour on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $25 each and funds from this year’s tour will help pay for upgrades to Montford Garden, located at the intersection of Montford Avenue and East Wanetta Street. The tour will feature a variety of gardens and yard landscapes in the Montford Historic District. “Montford gardens are as eclectic as the architecture of the homes they complement,” says Lynn Raker, chair of the tour. “To immerse oneself into these varied gardens is to experience the texture and vitality of the neighborhood itself.” Docents will be on-site at each garden to answer questions and there will also be live music at select locations.

Banana Tree

Brian and Gail Astle are participating in the tour for the first time this year. Their garden has an interesting variety of plants, including the Autumn Minaret daylily, which can grow to six feet or more; banana trees that grow up to 20 feet; and Dragon’s Eye pine trees with bi-colored needles. The Astle’s garden also includes a number of rock features, such as a balanced rock tower that has withstood several years of storms and a construction of standing stones that friends call the “Mini Stonehenge.”
Carol Stangler, who is also new to the tour this year, says her quarter-acre property has evolved significantly over the 20-plus years she’s lived there. “My love of all things natural, and my creative urge, has led me to create many outdoor projects on my property,” she says.

“Among them, a small, enchanting pond with goldfish and water plants nestled under a strong, century-old white oak tree; paths made with scavenged, dumped, discarded bricks from old Asheville city streets; and dry-stacked garden retaining walls, made with leftover rocks from my home’s original construction.” Stangler’s two on-site art studios for working with bamboo and basketry will be open during the garden tour.

Montford resident and sculptor Harry McDaniel is creating a piece of garden art for a silent auction held during the tour. A commemorative poster of the piece will also be available for purchase.

Tickets are available online at MontfordGardenTour.org, or in person with cash or check at the Asheville Visitors Center gift shop, 36 Montford Avenue.

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