SNOW HILL – The third annual Pollinator Garden Tour, hosted by the Lower Shore Land Trust, will be held on June 23-24 at eight private gardens in Wicomico County.
Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the properties and the pollinator gardens and meadows and learn how the homeowners are helping combat pollinator decline while beautifying their yards with native plants. Tickets for the annual event cost $30 in advance or $35 the day of the event.
This annual event is held by the Lower Shore Land Trust in support of its mission, which is, in part, to aid in protecting and decreasing the loss of crucial habitat for pollinators across the region and providing the members of the community the opportunity to learn simple ways to make a big impact, even in their own back yards.
The Lower Shore Land Trust staff and its committee members Suzy Taylor, Tracy Causey-Jeffery and Barbara Dolan invite the public to tour these private pollinator gardens both days from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., one or both days, and learn how to turn a back yard into a pollinator paradise.
This year’s tour gardens range from an Urban Forest Garden, a Mt. Hermon Farm Garden, a converted lawn, a meadow garden, to two Salisbury gardens opposite each other that provide a “street crossing” for pollinators, a garden and a chicken paradise, all providing a community for pollinators.
As a visitor to these private pollinator paradises, attendees can participate in mini-workshops covering such topics as rain barrel installation, soil health and testing for the homeowner, spotting and handling invasive species, bird watching 101 and more.
In addition, garden guests may purchase raffle tickets for a complete rain barrel or a pollinator garden goodies basket. There will also be eight professional plein air painters at work in the gardens. Painting in this year’s gardens will be Lissa Abrams, Natalie Blanton, Rhonda Ford, Jill Glassman, Ann Schaeffer, John Schisler, Karen Winston Levin and Lori Yates.
Following the tour dates, Bishop’s Stock Fine Art, Craft & Wine in Snow Hill will host a reception on June 30 from 5-7 p.m. Plein air artists from the garden tour will be in attendance and their paintings created during the tours will be available for viewing and sale. The public is cordially invited to the artists’ reception and sale. Proceeds of the art sales will go to the artists and the Lower Shore Land Trust’s future pollinator garden projects.
Every ticket purchased benefits the Lower Shore Land Trust’s work to create or preserve more pollinator habitat for bees, birds, butterflies and bats. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.lowershorelandtrust.org/shop-beehive. For more information contact the Land Trust office at 443-234-5587 or [email protected].