The annual Marietta Garden Tour will be happening again Sunday, providing inspiration for area gardeners and a sneak peek into beautiful gardens for all.
Sponsored by the First Unitarian Universalist Church, this is the 17th year for this tour, which features stops at four Marietta homes.
The tour was initially started by Marietta resident Nancy Novak.
"There was a Parkersburg garden tour and nothing in Marietta," she said.
She and a few other women decided to begin the tour and since they were all members of the Unitarian Church, the tour became a church-sponsored event.
Novak says that people usually come year after year simply because they like looking at the flowers and greenery. Also, thanks to the wide variety of kinds of gardens on the tour, people on the tour are able to get ideas for their own gardens.
Fact Box
If you go
What: 17th annual Marietta Garden Tour
When: 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Tickets are available the day of the tour at the First Unitarian Universalist Church or at the sites, which include 716 Fifth St., 101 Riverside Lane, 426 Fifth St. and 604 Sixth St.
Cost: $8
Whether they have a very small space or a large yard to work with and whether they want a formal garden or more relaxed landscaping, there are plenty of ideas to be had, she said.
Sharon and Bill Farnsworth's garden, at 716 Fifth St., is just one of the lovely locations that will be on display during the tour.
Sharon Farnsworth said she began the garden when she and her husband moved to Marietta in 1989.
"The garden was actually a wedding present," she said. "A friend came out here and dug the garden as a gift."
Her garden has grown quite a bit since then and now includes a rose bush from her mother, which is more than 50 years old, as well as a few more exotic plants, like hibiscus flowers.
Despite the beauty, Farnsworth says it really doesn't require a lot of upkeep.
"The perennials really don't take much time at all and the longer you have them the less time they take," she said.
The other stops on Sunday's tour are at the homes of Diane and Jim Mitchell, 101 Riverside Lane; Peggy and John Forbes, 426 Fifth St.; and Jan and Don Rary, 604 Sixth St.
The tour will be held rain or shine from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets may be bought in advance at Twisted Sisters Boutique, Greenleaf Landscaping or Thomson's Landscapes for $5. Tickets will also be available the day of the tour for $8 at the churchyard or at any of the gardens in the tour.
There will also be a plant sale with refreshments available from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, on the corner of Third and Putnam streets.
