The Mothers Day weekend Swiss Avenue Historic District Tour of Homes is including five very beautiful and diverse gardens on the tour this year along with eleven houses. Below is a brief description of the gardens that will be on view. We hope that your garden club will find this an interesting opportunity to view fabulous gardens and to visit with some experts in their field. There will also be refreshment booths, local artisans and entertainment in the park. For ticket information and dates please consult the website at www.sahd.org and click on the home tour icon.
The Swiss Avenue Historic District Tour of Homes celebrating 100 years as a neighborhood will include eleven homes and five gardens. Each garden was chosen for beauty and diversity so Garden Lovers can see the link between the garden and the Historic neighborhood.
In the gardens during the weekend will be G.W. Winborn, who has raised chickens since he was a kid in Arkansas and will be appearing with some of his hens. G.W. will set up one of his custom-built architecturally styled coops from his ?Coops de Ville? collection in the Garden at 5412 Swiss Avenue. He will discuss how easy, fun and environmentally friendly it is to raise your own hens. Come early and you?ll be able to sink your teeth into some yummy baked goods made with fresh eggs from his backyard flock!
The Historic Rose Society will be in two gardens on Sunday, Mothers Day to share Historic Rose information.

6005 Swiss Avenue
The Howells English style garden complements their English designed home. There is a large herbaceous garden in front with old and earth kind roses, tulips, lilies, perennials and annuals. The iris bed borders the driveway. The back garden is shady and woodsy with hellebores, azaleas and many hydrangeas with a gold fishpond that is over 70 years old. The newest garden in the far back part of the property was established to celebrate the Howells? 30th wedding anniversary.

4929 Swiss Avenue
The backyard, cabana, and pool of Brice and Cathy Hill were designed with year round outdoor living and entertaining in mind - be it for 2 persons or 150. A remodel in 2002 included the addition of more than 280 landscape plants, while retaining an elm tree and crepe myrtle dating back to the construction of the home in 1916. The outdoor kitchen includes a limestone fireplace, and raised limestone planters throughout the yard providing additional seating. Little gem magnolia and Savannah holly trees provide privacy and serenity.

6049 Bryan Parkway
Elizabeth Rivera has always wanted a backyard that could be an outside room---for entertaining, reading, meditating, etc. About 5 years ago that dream was realized. She had the whole yard replaced with winding brick and flagstone paths, raised flower beds, raised platform for seating, deck----and the best of all, a pond, meandering stream, and waterfall. All this is in a small but very charming and freeform setting. She had a small area fenced in with wrought iron, which is her bird feeding area.

5714 Swiss Avenue
The garden at the home of Tom and Virginia Bonifield is in keeping with the simplicity of the home?s design and the green park like feel of the oversized back yard. Designed in 2000 by David Rolston the rectangular pool is edged with Pennsylvania blue stone and borders a perennial garden. A magnificent rose arbor provides shade and fragrant blossoms in the spring. A path through the garden allows visitors to enjoy the coolness of the pool?s fountains as well as the beautiful flowers. Shaded by several mature pecan trees the yard is a serene and peaceful space.

5412 Swiss Avenue
The Ramirez?s garden was designed for a young, growing family with spaces for family gatherings, lots of playtime, and of course relaxation. The back portion is dedicated to play with a sport court and swing set along with a bench and table for supervision and spectating. The open grassy area allows for impromptu games while the stone path serves as a beautiful border to the flowering areas. This is truly a garden people of all ages can enjoy.