The Blandwood Gardeners Club is a voluntary group dedicated to reviving and enhancing Blandwood’s historic gardens and sharing best practices on horticulture and landscape. Blandwood is a privately owned historic house museum owned and operated by Preservation Greensboro Incorporated. The gardens, referenced in Andrew Jackson Downing’s landscape guide Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening Adapted to North America, date back to the late eighteenth century and are considered a key component of the visitor experience.
Preservation Greensboro is grateful to the regular gardeners who have kept this special place tended and well-kept through the years. The gardens received numerous references in letters and journals during the antebellum period. Letitia Morehead Walker wrote on 9 May 1846 “…our gardens are looking beautifully, bushes and trees in full foliage and roses to rival the vale of Cashmere (in numbers). We had flowers abundance on our pic-nic the 1 of May. Many of the ladies endeavored by care & industry to have a mess of peas on the 1st but I’ve hear of no such rarity yet! All other vegetables in abundance.”
To assist the care of Greensboro’s oldest garden, Preservation Greensboro is recruiting volunteers who are able to spend a morning helping in the garden at least once a month. All experience levels are welcome!
Typical Tasks would be:
• Pruning or replanting small trees or shrubs
• Tending to herbs, perennials, and annuals
• Weeding, watering, digging, transplanting
• Teaching adults and children about gardening and growing plants
This will suit anyone who enjoys working outdoors in all weather and has experience in growing herbs or flowers, or those who would like to gain experience. Volunteers will also enjoy meeting and engaging with members of the public on tour days and meeting others with similar interests.
Be part of the tradition! For those that are interested in this unique experience to volunteer at one of America’s most treasured historic homes, please contact Judi or Susan at 336 272-5003 ext 3, or email at jkastner@blandwood.org.
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