Countdown to the 2nd Annual South Philly Garden Tour!

[SP Food Coop]

We can't tell you how excited we are for this year’s Garden Tour coming up at 1pm on Saturday, September 8 (rain date: 9/9). Our Garden Tour Committee has done an absolutely amazing job finding and recruiting over 20 urban oases to be a part of this year’s tour, most of which were not on the tour last year. We listened to the feedback that participants gave us last year and put the focus of the 2012 tour on home and private gardens at homes and businesses.

Anna Maria and Carmen Vona have owned and operated Carmana Designs, Ltd., a high-end cabinetmaking and mill shop for 31 years. They have been at their McKean Street location for the past 12 years and after extensively renovating the 30,000 sq. ft. facility, they had little funds left for landscaping the quaint cobblestone courtyard. A low loading dock in the courtyard provided a haven for loiterers who left trash behind.

They creatively solved both issues with salvaged concrete flower planters from the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, free compost from the City and lots of shrubs, plants and flowers. Today the cobblestone courtyard cascades with sweet potato vine, black-eyed susans azaleas, lilies, petunias, geraniums, mums, clematis, salvia, vinca, ornamental grasses and herbs. The unsavory characters who used to frequent the space have been displaced by Monarch butterflies and even praying mantises.

So don’t wait. Get your tickets today. Save yourself $5 by buying in advance. Tickets are $20 and available at Urban Jungle, (1526 E. Passyunk Avenue), Ultimo Coffee (1900 South 15th St.), Grindcore House (1515 S. 4th St.), and online.

[SP Food Coop]

No one will likely confuse South Philadelphia for the rolling hills of Oxfordshire, but that didn’t stop Historic City Gardens, a decade-old organization that creates unique “concept gardens” in order to help make Philly more green, from planting an English-style garden a stone’s throw from the Mummers’ golden-slippered stomping grounds. In fact, it was the Joker’s Mummers Club, along with other volunteers and neighbors that helped with creating the garden, after an earlier one deteriorated. This English style garden’s design was inspired by frilly women’s fashions, which is suggested by the tiered nearly symmetrical layout and the use of red, yellow and lavender pink flowers, as well as woody plants.

See this and other neighborhood gardens on the Second Annual South Philly Food Co-op Garden Tour, on Sat., Sept. 8, 2012 (raindate Sun., Sept. 9, 2012) from 1-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at 2nd Annual South Philly Garden Tour - Eventbrite or at these locations:

Urban Jungle, 1526 E. Passyunk Avenue
Ultimo Coffee, 1900 South 15th St.,
Grindcore House, 1515 S. 4th St.

The Garden Tour will be a self-guided ticketed event, and will feature over 20 public and private gardens throughout South Philadelphia. Participating gardens will have their doors/gates open for the duration of the event, and will have someone available to greet visitors, show them around and answer questions.

This is one of many fundraisers that will help us raise the funds for a site analysis of potential store locations. Help us make it a success – buy tickets for yourself, your friends and your family! And, if you haven’t yet joined, meet some of our member-owners and please consider joining now!

[lastmonthsrent]

Excited for my neighbors garden being showcased!