Properties featured on the tour this year:

1) Teagan Home & Garden • 375 Maple Avenue

This charming lot on the corner of Maple Avenue & Cottage Street was purchased by William Cramp of Philadelphia from General W. W. H. Davis on January 8, 1874 for $800. The Teagans purchased the home in 2008. The kitchen was updated with granite and wood counter tops, tile back splash, 5 burner cook top, and a double oven. New slate walkways were added to enhance the pathways to the front porch of this stately home.

A miniature split leaf red maple is showcased at the end of the walkway centrally positioned in front of the porch. Soft lighting was added to highlight both architectural and landscape designs. The stone wall in the front of the home compliments the blooming gardens.

2) Stookey Home & Garden • 424 Linden Avenue

Built in 1870, this beautiful Victorian has undergone some major transformations both inside and out. The original pine floors have all been restored and two thirds of the home was gutted and renovated as well as a welcomed two story addition. The gourmet kitchen features granite countertops, beautiful cabinetry, pine floors and state of the art appliances.

The backyard features an in-ground swimming pool which is surrounded by a landscaped oasis which offers beauty, privacy and tranquility. The beautiful containers interspersed throughout the gardens have been planted by us. We even installed the fence ourselves, creating the gate door from the original window shutters from the house.

3) Ranspot–Wolf Home & Garden • 9 School Hill Drive

A quaint cottage tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac, the original home was built in the early to mid 60's and an addition in the late 1990's. Almost every blade of grass has been replaced with rambling foot paths & water features which include a large Koi pond.

The garden has had over 350 perennials installed that have been hand picked and brought in from Maryland to Minnesota and over a dozen or so designer chosen trees that were added to compliment the grounds.

4) Stratton Garden • 186 E. Ashland Street

This home has been in the Stratton family since the mid-1890s. The property sits lower than the street, creating a challenge for gardens. The grounds were originally all grass with a few trees and low shrubs. The front of the property is bordered with a drystack stone retaining wall. Over the next 100 years it experienced numerous landscape renovations.

Early in the spring of 2001 our property was sub-divided and the first major garden renovations began with removing the turf from the front lawn and creating a curved stone garden path bordered with cobblestones. The narrow beds at the bottom of the stone wall and the two beds next to the house’s front wall were shaped outward into graceful half circles on either side of our front walk.

Large stones and rocks salvaged from the front wall were used to construct new walls and paved areas within the property.

5) Gilmore Home & Garden • 230 Hillendale Drive

The Hillendale Drive subdivision was created in the 1960’s. Most of the homes were built by A. Luther Nash a well respected contractor in the area. Having purchased the property in the fall of 2000, we recognized the need to perform major renovations the existing interior was gutted, adding a second floor, a large great room, a master bedroom suite and a lower level which contains a playroom for our grandkids, an office and a train room. An entirely new kitchen was created featuring three side-by-side cherry cabinets that nearly reach the ceiling. The eight foot long “blue-eye” granite center-island required a group of six to lift into place. Additional cherry wood cabinets and countertops of the same marble flank the six-burner, stainless-steel Viking stove.

6) Lishman Garden • 203 Decatur Street

Located in this quaint turn of the century neighborhood, the back yard of this home is a hidden oasis with a peaceful and calming allure. The array of specimen plant material and their thoughtful arrangement of form and texture amidst the perennial flowers make this a garden for all seasons. As you make your way through the garden, little surprises can be found at every turn.