KIFA Gardens By the Sea Tour June 12 and 13

The Kent Island Federation of Arts (KIFA) is presenting a unique opportunity for lovers of the outdoors, gardens, gardening, our beautiful waterways and art, all in one.  On Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the public is invited to enjoy a self-guided tour of fifteen beautiful private waterfront gardens on Kent Island and surrounding areas, including Queenstown.  Docents or guides will greet visitors at each garden and present special features that make our seaside gardens unique.

With fourteen homes on the tour, there is a great variety of features to enjoy as you make your way throughout Stevensville, Chester, and Queenstown.  From homes right on Eastern Bay and Thompson Creek where you enter through a garden gate, you will enjoy many treasures that lead you literally down the garden path through crepe myrtles and boxwoods and back to the creek.  Your reward will be seeing not only the gardens but artists painting the beautiful scenes before them.  Beautifully and lovingly tended gardens throughout Prospect Bay and Little Greenwood Creek will amaze you with their intricacy.  Two of the homes on the tour are directly on an inlet from the Chester River in the town of Queenstown.  One home is called “Little Greenvale” and was established in 1890.  There are many pear, mulberry and tulip magnolia trees, in addition to all kinds of nut trees as well as plants and flowering bushes.  Immediately next door is the home of a master gardener.  There you will find a mix of bulbs, perennials, annuals, flowering shrubs and trees, containers and hollies.  In back is a woodland garden with hollies, laurels, rhododendrons and native and landscape azaleas.  Another home on the Chester River has its own beachfront sparkled with brightly colored Adirondack chairs and a lifeguard stand.  The garden features a swimming pool surrounded by a variety of massive rock formations interspersed with carefully selected plants such as red maples, perennials, herbs and wildflowers.  A pergola with young wisteria is an inviting place to enjoy your bag lunch.

Order early and your tickets will be mailed to you.  (Cash, personal check and credit card will be accepted).  Tickets in advance are $20.00, good for both days.  The day of the tour, tickets will be $25.00.  Visitors will also be able to pre-order a bag lunch for the day of the tour for $6.00, although many wonderful restaurants are available in the area.   Purchase your ticket from KIFA by calling 410-643-7424.

The day of the event, go to KIFA, 405 Main St, Stevensville, MD, turn in your ticket and you will be given a program with a map and directions to each of the gardens.  While at KIFA enjoy many interesting activities such as plant sales of irises, day lilies, English mums and a selection of native plants, paintings and garden art for sale, door prizes and raffles.  Public facilities will be indicated on the maps.  Money raised from this event will be used to help KIFA achieve its mission of bringing art to the community by teaching and providing outlets for the appreciation and expression of the arts.  In addition to helping support KIFA in its programs, you will also receive a discount coupon to Wildflowers’ and Lowe’s Nurseries in Stevensville for 10% off the price of regularly priced items during the weekend of the tour.  KIFA thanks these local businesses for supporting this event.