The Garden Tour

The Piedmont Gardeners have held an annual garden tour every year since 1992. For the first three years, the group helped the UGA Horticulture Club with the tour. Since then, they have conducted the tour on their own. Allan Armitage, UGA Professor of Horticulture, conceived the idea for the tour. In the brochure for the Tenth Anniversary Tour, he described how it all began:

“In 1992, there were house tours, Christmas tours, and Classic City Tours in Athens, but nobody was bragging on the great gardens under our very same noses. My students loved the idea of a garden tour, and having met many fine gardeners in the area, I approached the one person who I knew would not only be supportive of the idea but whose garden was one of the finest in Athens: Mrs. Laura Ann Segrest. Over many cookies and cups of tea, we decided to invite the Horticulture Club and five gardeners, including Laura Ann and myself, to Laura Ann’s house to give the idea a try. A local garden that was a must-see was that of Donna and Ed Lambert. Donna suggested that her garden club, the Piedmont Gardeners, would enjoy being a part of the tour and—away we went, with little knowledge but with high hopes. The first tour was an unqualified success. . . .”

Since 1996, The Piedmont Gardeners, using proceeds from the garden tour, have awarded scholarships of $1,000 each to UGA horticulture students. The number of scholarships awarded each year varies, depending on the funds available. The club president presents the check to the scholarship winner at the annual holiday party.

2012 Garden Tour will be on Saturday, April 21

check this site again for updates about the tour and tickets

2011 Gardens
Athens, GA

Garden 1
Ram and Tom Giberson
510 River Bottom Road

Garden 2
Tony Hughey and Jesse Reed
141 Woodberry Drive

Garden 3
Jena Johnson and Mike Strand
309 red Fox Run

Garden 4
Teddy and Ken Johnson
259 Sandstone Drive

Garden 5
Ann and Joe Frierson
520 University Drive