Camden Urban Gardens Tour

For those who garden and those who just enjoy looking at gardens:

The online magazine DIG IT! and the Camden City Garden Club, Inc. are co-hosting an autumn garden tour with a twist on Saturday, October 4.

‘The Garden People of Camden’ will showcase stories of urban horticulture by the people who live it – and love it. The self-guided tour starts at 11 a.m. from the Camden Children’s Garden, 3 Riverside Drive on the downtown Waterfront.

“When we started talking about this tour, someone in a suburban garden club told me ‘there are no gardens in Camden,’” says Mary Jasch, the magazine’s editor. “We want people to know that not only are there some great gardens in Camden - there are great gardeners, too. This is a chance for them to share their stories.”

The stops on the tour will include the home of Josephine, a container gardener who’s created a gracious oasis in her East Camden backyard; a once-vacant lot where Paulito and fellow high-rise tenants grow a truly global variety of fresh edibles; and a South Camden garden whose proprietor, Sam, epitomizes the old-fashioned values of hard work, neighborliness and civic pride.

Adding a dash of seasoning to the tour: A garden of aesthetic delights. The guide, Bernie, will usher visitors through a sculpture park that’s a showcase for the work of four well-known artists – and the backdrop for a fascinating story about restoring public space.

“This is a storytelling tour, a horticultural heritage tour and a historical tour all in one,” Jasch says. “Some of these gardeners bring with them the knowledge their families gained over generations.”

Tickets are $8 for Camden City Garden Club members and $15 for non-members and can be purchased at the Children’s Garden on the day of the tour, or in advance at www.dig-itmag.com. Participants are welcome to bring lunch to the picnic pavilion at the Children’s Garden, which will offer reduced-price admission for tour-goers. In addition, Triple Oaks Nursery, in Franklinville, will offer tour-goers a 20 percent discount on all nursery plants Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5.

“The notion there are no gardens in the city - or that nothing grows – is just plain wrong,” says Mike Devlin, executive director of the Children’s Garden. “Across the country, more and more people are gardening, because they’re worried about the economy and the environment, and are interested in healthy eating and enjoying the outdoors with their children. This is happening in Camden, too.”