2009 Azalea Garden Tour Preview

The 56th Annual Azalea Garden Tour
April 3-5, 2009 in Wilmington, NC

Garden Announcement & Special Preview

Click here for a revised map of all the gardens on the tour!

Click on any photo thumbnail to see a larger photo.

(1) Rick & Myrna Willetts
1110 Windsor Drive

Built in 1939 by the current owner’s grandfather, this lovely antebellum style home has many of the original plantings. Lining the street is an alee of crape myrtles. Framing the front of the home are magnificent Yoshino cherries with a podocarpus hedge completing the picture. Throughout the grounds of this large estate, camellias, azaleas, Japanese maples, and magnolias show their age in breathtaking ways. The Carolina Bay located by the fish pond on the side is an evergreen tree of the Coastal Plain from Virginia to Louisiana. A recent addition of white Encore azaleas adds even more beauty to this mature landscape. The walled garden will be the perfect backdrop for the Queen’s Garden Party and it will be an elegant setting to showcase the Belles, the Summerall Guards and the celebrities.

Beautiful Mediterranean architecture greets visitors to this garden with the startling sight of an Italian cypress reaching the top of the chimney. The other plants in the front; fatsia, azaleas, Acuba japonica (Gold Dust), Chinese elm, and a most unusual Cherokee rose growing on a giant pine, finish the look. Continuing through a lovely courtyard, enhanced by Encore azaleas, the rear garden opens into three beautiful garden rooms. The first room proudly displays the Certified Backyard Habitat sign and a delightful vegetable garden. The second room showcases shade loving plants such as tea camellias and hellebores. A charming garden shed and greenhouse can be found in the third garden room. This classic Forest Hills garden is lush with fountains, mature azaleas, and a grafted Tabitha McEachern camellia located near the garage. Be sure to view the “worm farm” before exiting this intriguing garden.

(2) Pamela & Gill Minor
2510 Guilford Avenue

(3) Sonja & Jim McFarland
103 Forest Hills Drive

White crape myrtles ending with a giant camellia line this stately property on Forest Hills Drive. The front walkway is lined with mature boxwoods leading past Encore azaleas to a stone patio. Large arborvitae screen an antique fountain with a shell base and a child riding a dolphin. A pierced brick wall surrounding the rear garden features a small fish pond in the corner and encloses the expansive and well manicured lawn. Creative touches make this a delightful place to enjoy the outdoors. This Forest Hills garden was originally planted in 1936. A complete home and garden renovation took place in 2007 with garden enhancements ongoing.

“The Project,” as the owners affectionately call this garden, begins with a beautifully curved walk to the front door of this recently renovated cottage. The side garden becomes a whimsical wonderland of plants of many varieties in containers of bicycles, garden angels, and metal fence pieces to name a few. The back deck is an outdoor sitting/dining room, complete with a brick fireplace, perfect for entertaining. Nearby, is a small pond next to an old bird bath planted with succulents. The pergola with candle chandelier, pot people, a barrel fountain, and a unique potting shed made out of recycled windows, complete the overall picture of this true cottage garden.

(4) Waylon & Dianne Lynch
115 Borden Avenue

(5) John & Karen Strawn
14 Borden Avenue

A large wrap around porch, decked out for a garden party welcomes visitors to this 1920’s home. Azalea pink pillows, hanging baskets, and a gorgeous wreath set an enchanting scene. A charming drop leaf table under a chandelier is another addition to this great space for entertaining. The front beds are lined with liriope framing a mass of azaleas. The back of the home has tiered decks with a lower porch that continues with festive azalea pink décor. The upper decks hold container gardens brimming with spring vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Also, in the back, the owner has made creative use of a swing set no longer needed for children, by adding plants and an inviting hammock. Old camellias surrounding a fountain complete this tranquil scene.

This parterre garden in both the front and back of the home starts with manicured beds outlined with boxwood, liriope, and filled with mondo grass, azaleas, hydrangeas, and hollies. Surrounding a stone patio in the back is another beautifully manicured bed that adds crape myrtles as a tall element. Pots of plants and a fireplace complete this stunning area. The exquisite view toward the guesthouse shows a unique formal fountain with cascading spouts. This formal theme continues with the walkways and an alee lined with Live Oak, boxwood, hydrangeas, and Japanese maples. A more recent addition of Encore azaleas adds lovely contrast.

(6) Frank Hobart &
Elizabeth von Biberstein
2805 Oleander Drive

(7) Ken & Roberta Danford
4005 Chapra Drive

This large front lawn shows the charming home framed with tall pines underplanted with azaleas and cherries. The fountain, birdbath, and formal seating area are planted with mature cycad and decorated with statuary. The deck on the back of the home features a pondless water feature and looks out on raised beds with many garden ornaments. A formal garden room in the rear of the garden is surrounded by hedge and has an arch surrounded with pots of plants as a focal point. This was the perfect setting for a family wedding a few years ago.

The front of this newer home and garden in the Georgetown subdivision has beds of beautiful azaleas, pittisporum, and holly. Entering the rear garden through an expansive wooden gate, the view reveals the owners’ talents at developing a long, but narrow space into one of great charm and character. There are many exciting focal points in this space including a gazebo with a chandelier perfect for a romantic dinner, multiple fountains, wall art, and statuary. This garden offers visitors inspiration to create relaxing outdoor living space.

(8) Harvey & Kathie Wheeler
4300 Winforde Road

(9) Anne Z. Sloan
8907 West Telfair Circle

The Garden Tour visits The Cape for the first time and reveals a delightful surprise. With a sloping front lawn of river birch, pampas grass, dusty miller, and azaleas, this homeowner also incorporates a riot of blooming bulbs. Visitors enter the back garden after strolling through a charming walkway. A hillside provides the perfect setting for terracing which surrounds a magnificent 2,000 gallon Koi pond stocked with mature Koi, and featuring a flowing stream as the center of attraction. Formosa azaleas and Japanese maples add color to this exotic setting. A beautiful deck perfect for entertaining completes this lovely scene.

The true front of this beautiful garden in the Old Chimney neighborhood faces the Intracoastal Waterway. Entering the garden from the street, one encounters majestic ancient oaks dripping with lacey Spanish moss shading a raised bed planted with traditional southern hydrangeas and azaleas. A beautiful tiered fountain graces the entry to the home. The breathtaking view of the water down a long expansive lawn has beautiful flower beds filled with palms, grasses, cycads, and oleander. These plants are arranged in curvilinear fashion, edged by an exquisite stacked stone wall. Azalea Belles will add the perfect touch to this gorgeous setting.

(10) Keith & Pam Lane
248 Chimney Lane

(11) Kenneth & Lisa Lovitt
5900 Turnstone Court

The homeowners were first drawn to this property by the grandness of the Live Oaks which provide shade for the many azaleas. There are many whimsical touches in the front that showcase the owner’s flair for decorating. Beginning with the children’s fountain, the back garden is enclosed with a brick wall lined with Bradford pears. A collection of old wagon wheels, a large wagon, fountains, twig chairs, and a claw-footed tub complete with trellis, add true country charm to this large space. A children’s play area blends in to a landscape that is defined by lush color.

An expansive front lawn cascading down a hill is the backdrop for elegant formal plantings with many beautiful focal points. An antique bench with a lovely old crape myrtle is one to be noticed. A gazebo covered with vines housing a formal seating area on top of stones and outlined with mondo grass, is another. Here, also, is a tribute to the owner’s mother and garden creator, Rachel Cameron Camp. On the back of the home is a gorgeous covered veranda which steps down onto an armillary shaped stone patio that overlooks a formal garden and fountain. The clever edging of boxwood and brick frame the floral displays like works of art.

(11) MacRae
6332 Greenville Sound Road

Airlie Gardens
300 Airlie Road

Filled with over 100,000 azaleas, statuary, and camellias, this magnificent 67-acre quintessential southern garden includes the 460-year-old Airlie Oak and ten acres of fresh water lakes. This historic garden offers a valuable cultural and ecological component to the area and has delighted visitors for over 100 years. Originally developed as a private estate under the ownership of Sarah Green Jones, the gardens have been owned and operated by New Hanover County since 1999. Visit www.airliegardens.org for more information.