BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE
April 5, 6, 7, 2024
Click here for ticket purchase information.
The last day to purchase tickets online is March 28th, tickets will be available in the Gardens and at the shuttle stop.
Gardens will be open from 10am – 5pm except Airlie Gardens as noted in the description below.
IMPORTANT….Secret Gardens #1 – 4 Are accessible via shuttle ONLY!
Parking for shuttle service to Gardens #1-4 is located at Harbor Way Gardens in Wrightsville Beach on Causeway Drive and W. Salisbury Streets
Secret Garden #1
The city of Charleston comes to mind with this gorgeous Charleston single house with emblematic two-story piazzas. Entering from the street one can sit in the swing hanging in the native oak tree to view the Intracoastal Waterway. The starting point for the design was the three large existing oak trees with mature shrubs underneath. The garden style that the homeowners desired is loose and informal with the goal of eliminating a portion of the turf and its maintenance. Along the winding path made of a combination of brick, bluestone and decorative pebbles, hardy ground cover was installed to frame smaller interesting trees as well as shrubs and perennials cascading over a low stone wall. Native red maples and several river birch as well as palm trees were added to create the privacy and shade that the homeowners desired.
Secret Garden #2
Although they grew up in the Northeast and in California, these homeowners decided to create a southern style garden by using plants that 
do well here in Zone 8. They loved researching native plants including the correct requirements for soil, light and heat. They were especially looking for climbing plants, and the final palate includes a rose espalier on the wall at the front entrance, wisteria overhanging the doorway and creeping fig to create the feeling of an established landscape. These garden enthusiasts have created a wonderful space that feels private and inviting with a leafy atmosphere of softness. For relaxation, the pool area offers a covered seating arrangement with TV, fireplace and grill. A few unique shaped lounge chairs lend interesting accents. A fire pit on the opposite side of the pool invites one to enjoy a total view of the garden in the evening.
Secret Garden #3
This beautiful French Country home feels like you are indeed vacationing in Europe and enjoying that fabulous ambiance. The drive is surrounded by native live oaks and laurel oaks underplanted with colorful azaleas. The front entrance is flanked by two stately Italian cypress trees and a hedge of dome-shaped native yaupon hollies. Enter through the iron gate to the garden behind the home. A classical shape pool with raised jacuzzi, nearby fireplace and cooler for beverages awaits the guests. Lounge furniture has cushions in black and cream stripes coordinating with the stonework and black iron fence and accented with striking cardinal red pillows and umbrella. A European parterre garden, created with over 400 boxwoods, features a fountain with lions spouting water into a quatrefoil basin surrounded with a bed of flowers. A path with a few steps down leads to a secluded seating area. Flowering cherry trees, palm trees as well as an array of towering native trees add privacy all around. The landscape was designed by the homeowners in two stages over 13 years of dedication to perfection. They now enjoy sitting back, listening to the sounds of the breeze through the palms and trees and the tranquil splash of water from the fountain. Certified Wildlife Habitat.
Secret Garden #4
A wonderful contemporary home that was built in 2021. The homeowners love coastal living and wanted an informal, easy-to-maintain home and garden that encourages year-round entertaining. 
In the front at the circular drive is a native live oak draped with Spanish moss. The surrounding large zoysia lawn encourages cartwheels and many other outdoor activities. Through the gate, the garden beyond features roses and camellias. The rectangular pool, with floating balls and curved lounge chairs at the shallow end, is a beautiful extension of the home. It is surrounded by synthetic turf for a no-maintenance landscape and dog friendly area. Two native live oak trees enhance the back corners with a row of palm trees connecting them and underplanted with tussocks of Miscanthus grasses. An all-season Lanai has distinctive black screening coordinating with the trim color of the white brick home. In an adjacent lot the homeowners enjoy a greenhouse and productive vegetable garden.
Garden #5
Frank Potter-Gainey
213 Cavalier Drive
The homeowners describe their garden as a postage stamp that is always transitional. At the front the open porch is enhanced with a bi-level boxwood hedge, accented with a pair of native yaupon holly vertical spirals. The boxwood hedge continues around the side of the home and frames a native Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ emphasizing the gable end of the roof. Inside the courtyard the privacy enclosure fence of oyster gray becomes a foil for the colorful flowers in black containers. It is designed by the owners as a relaxation area with English accents. Large gray square stepping stones imbedded in contrasting green synthetic turf visually enlarge and add a pattern to a small space. An additional eating area and grill complete this charming setting. A well thought out desire for plants that are always in bloom is a part of this design aesthetic. Working within a small defined garden allows easy changes, fresh expression and creativity season after season.
Secret Garden #6
The courtyard of this traditional brick home has been turned into a fabulous Southern English Garden by the homeowners. Perfection in a compact area is the best description. The first design choice was to install the privacy fence stained in a warm sienna brown to provide a foil for the mostly green trees, variegated shrubs and colorful flowers. Over a ten-year period, all the components were planted with a keen eye for space, color and shade as well as seasonal displays. One seating area for dining is accented with chartreuse green cushions and umbrella. Continuing along the bluestone pathway passing several bird houses and around the corner is a smaller bistro table and chairs. A bench sits near the grill. Both areas provide a view of the different activities from songbirds, butterflies and bees. A delightful place to savor a glass of wine or a cup of coffee any time of the day. This labor of love brings joy to the homeowners every day.
Secret Garden #7
This lovely villa style home features a large, delightful courtyard that provides relaxation for the homeowners, their children and five active grandchildren. Their desire was to design a tranquil 
green scape with many floral enhancements. They love a mixture of evergreen shrubs, azaleas and flowering plants including a very large Lady Banks Rose. The original design retained only three existing plants, and the rest were carefully chosen to provide the tranquil space that exists today. The gateway leads into a large patio area edged with a series of raised beds in convex and concave arcs. The open back porch has an attractive seating area with black furniture, green cushions. A limbed-up, multi-trunked pittosporum modulates the space between the seating area and the grill area providing scale and foreground to the view. Any time of day, a chaise lounge chair offers shade under a large palm tree providing a pleasant sound in the slightest breeze. A paradise island!
Garden #8
Airlie Gardens
300 Airlie Road
Open Saturday and Sunday Only
Airlie Gardens dates back to 1884, when Pembroke and Sarah Jones purchased the property. They transformed it into a picturesque garden and named it after Pembroke’s ancestral home in Scotland.
In 1999 with the support of residents, a commitment from the New Hanover County Commissioners and a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, it was possible for New Hanover County to purchase and restore the 67 acres.
Located two miles west of Wrightsville Beach, here you will find hundreds of heritage landscape plants and trees and thousands of azaleas with something always in bloom. Over time these magnificent acres have become the quintessential southern garden, including the 465-year-old Airlie Oak (the North Carolina State Champion Live Oak) and ten acres of freshwater lakes.
A member of the North Carolina Birding Trail, as a coastal Region site, Airlie offers some of the best birding in New Hanover County. Check out Airlie’s Hot Spot on eBird.com, a website which lists the over 200 birds that have been viewed there and what is being seen on a daily basis. The lakes attract a wealth of winter waterfowl, including Hooded Merganser and Green-winged Teal. In addition to breeding birds, such as Painted Buntings and Northern Parula, the gardens have become home to a variety of year-round birds.
Not to be missed is the centerpiece of the Minnie Evans Sculpture Garden, a unique Bottle Chapel, made from over 2,800 bottles and a seasonal butterfly house.
See if you can find the Mystery Grave, burial spot of an 18th century man, and the Lebanon Chapel, built in 1835 as a “chapel for the ease” for summer residents on Wrightsville Sound. It is the oldest religious structure in New Hanover County.
The lovely scenery and ideal film locations in Airlie Gardens have also attracted many films and television shows over the years. One Tree Hill and Dawson’s Creek both feature scenes in the Pergola Garden and the ABC Family movie, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song was filmed at the Stable’s creek-side lawns.
Special events include monthly Self-Guided Bird Hikes, a Summer Concert Series and winter’s Enchanted Airlie which features thousands of holiday lights. History, art and nature come together in this lovely garden, by the sea, to create an inviting location for time spent leisurely.
Garden #9
Mike Huckman & John Klekamp
1802 Hawthorne Road
Inspired by the opportunity to be on the Azalea Garden Tour again, the homeowners made many new structural and horticultural changes. Fortunately, when they bought this house with its beautiful existing gardens, they were also able to keep the existing creative and energetic gardener. Putting their own spin on the garden, they added water features and boulders in many areas. Especially striking are the native eastern redbud trees. This cultivar, Flame Thrower™ features 
colorful foliage and light pink spring blooms adored by pollinators. Each part of the garden has its own unique story and color features. A high canopy of native trees including southern magnolia and red maple provide dappled shade over several stone-edged island beds planted with an array of Encore azaleas and colorful flowers. The homeowners’ favorite part of the garden is the courtyard next to the garage as it is in constant use entertaining neighbors and friends.
On Sunday, from 10-5 is the Art Show. Works of various plein air artists, featuring scenes from all of the gardens on the tour, will be on display at Garden #9. Their artwork is available for purchase. The entry fee is $5 if you do not have an Azalea Garden Tour Ticket.
Sunset Park has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003.It began as a neighborhood of spacious high-end homes nestled between the Cape Fear River and Greenfield Lake in 1912. Most of the homes were built between 1912 and 1950s and are located along Northern Boulevard and Central Boulevard with plazas planted with trees. The cross streets, named for US presidents, are lined with trees and sidewalks. WWI brought the Liberty Shipyard to Wilmington in 1918 and WWII brought the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in 1944. Victory Homes began building smaller homes here to meet the demand of thousands of defense workers looking for housing. It then became a vibrant neighborhood with homes of many different architectural styles and remains that today. We are so pleased to feature two gardens in historic Sunset Park for the first time this year.
Garden #10
Thurston Dawson & Graham Brown
2076 Harrison Street
This home has been redesigned top to bottom with the concept of livable luxury. The style blends farmhouse with edgy transitional. The front garden has a beautiful foundation planting edged in boxwood featuring a native eastern redbud tree, Encore azaleas, hydrangeas, a Bloodgood Japanese maple, podocarpus, camellias, and 
Sunshine Ligustrum. A pair of arborvitae frame the steps to the open porch and front door. Around the back, a beautiful native bald cypress overhangs the deck, its lacy spring green foliage gently swaying in the breeze. The backyard originally presented an overgrown jungle of bamboo and trees. Many trailer-loads of concrete had to be removed before the design could begin. A 24 by 25-foot deck with diagonal board design outlined with horizontal fencing was added along with beautiful artful outdoor lighting. From the deck, visitors have a view of the fire pit — set in gravel and surrounded by a traditional cottage landscape — exactly what the homeowners desired. The abundance of flowers and trees provides the perfect ambiance for the homeowners and their guests.
Garden #11
Dustin Ricks
242 Northern Boulevard
Entering through the first gate, enjoy the magnificent native live oaks, encircled with stone and with low-spreading limbs preserving the resurrection fern typically seen afte
r rain. On the front porch, with buckets of ferns swinging in the breeze, note the perspective the low arched live oak limbs add to the view of the garden. Through the next gate awaits a world of unexpected unique garden elements. The outbuildings, some preserved, some new, are all enhanced to delight the eye. Included are a Quonset hut, a barn-door garage, and a greenhouse next to a stilt house used as a shady potting place. An extensive collection of vintage artifacts is dotted throughout – decorating fences, walls and more. Within this area are many features such as a stock tank jacuzzi, a fire pit, and a nearby open porch. Unique containers lift plants to eye-level. Additional plantings include a solitary blueberry bush, fig tree and Lady Banks rose.
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