Historic Garden Week in Warrenton
Stay tuned for details about our next tour in 2021.
"Each spring visitors are welcomed to over 250 of Virginia's most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks during 'America's Largest Open House.' This 8-day statewide event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia's springtime color, as well as beautiful houses sparkling with over 2,300 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members."
- Historic Garden Week in Virginia
The Warrenton Garden Club biannually hosts tours of Fauquier County homes and gardens during Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Tour proceeds help fund the restoration of Virginia's historic gardens and provide graduate level research fellowships. In celebration of the Garden Club of Virginia 2020 Centennial, funds have also been pledged to support Virginia State Parks.
Conservation and preservation have been central to The Warrenton Garden Club and The Garden Club of Virginia from the beginning. Held on May 1 & 2, the 2019 driving and shuttle tour highlighted the benefits of protected lands and perpetual open easements, juxtaposed between rolling Piedmont hills and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and bustling urban and suburban centers to the east. Within this bucolic setting is a thriving equestrian community, which visitors experienced while touring the stable and sand-riding arena at Folly Hill Farm. The tour headquarters, located at the offices of the Piedmont Environmental Council in Old Town Warrenton, in contrast, showcased a native plant garden specifically designed for an urban setting and offered easy access to local restaurants and shopping.
Tickets included admission to Folly Hill Farm, Valhalla, and Merry Oak Farm, as well as the native plant garden at PEC. Regrettably, Wildcat Mountain Farm was removed from the tour because several boxwood bushes on the property were affected by boxwood blight, a highly contagious fungal disease that results in defoliation and decline of susceptible boxwood. Learn more about best management practices by clicking here.
Scroll down to see photos of and learn more about these properties.
Thank you to our 2019 property owners, volunteers, and sponsors!
Blue Ridge Bank, Claire's at the Depot, Gateau Bakery Café & Tea Room, Horse Country, JPN Antiquities, Latitudes Fair Trade Store, Old Town’s the Open Book, Red Truck Rural Bakery, and Wright Realty. Additional thanks goes out to the Fauquier Bank for purchasing recycled paper for tour brochures, Oak View Bank for funding ticket production, the Paint Shop and Carter & Spence for advertising in the Garden Club of Virginia state guidebook, and to Virginia Gold Cup and Great Meadow Foundation for providing Gate #8 for a shuttle stop location.
We couldn’t have done Historic Garden Week without the support of this wonderful community!
Piedmont Environmental Council Native Plant Garden
Tour Headquarters, 45 Horner Street
Located in Warrenton since 1972, the PEC office headquarters underwent a major renovation and expansion in 2014 that included the reuse of the existing structure, a high performance building envelope made of locally available and formaldehyde-free materials, recycled content materials, low-VOC paints, low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting and a geothermal heating system. Great care was taken to maintain the integrity and appearance of the historic section of the house, which was initially constructed in 1784 and once owned by Civil War cavalry commander John Mosby. Only the original 18th century structure is visible from the sidewalk directly in front of the building to complement the historic appearance of Old Town Warrenton. The renovation also includes native flowers, shrubs and trees planted around the office. The garden features dogwood and oak trees, boxwood and a pollinator garden. To reduce stormwater runoff, the gutters and drains feed to swales and rain gardens. The garden was specifically designed to demonstrate how native plants can be useful and attractive within an urban setting.
