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Garden tour to benefit Habitat Women's Build
Mooresville resident Marie Arison’s gardens will be among those featured on the Lake Norman/Mooresville Garden Tour, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on April 25.
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Published: March 12, 2009
Since 1998, Joanna Falzone has been obsessed with garden tours.
"I took my first one in Buffalo, N.Y., my hometown, and I've been fascinated ever since," she said. "It was educating and delightful, and I was disappointed to find out that there really wasn't anything like that in Mooresville."
After lamenting this fact to her husband, he encouraged Falzone to start one.
"He said, if you love it that much, why don't you try to organize one?" she said. "It got me to start thinking that maybe I could, and I knew if I was going to do it, it would be for a cause."
Falzone said Habitat for Humanity immediately sprung to mind, and she contacted to see if the non-profit would be interested in the Lake Norman/Mooresville Garden Tour.
"As soon as (Habitat's) Christine Boone heard about the tour, she said yes right away," she said. "We decided to direct the funds towards Women's Build, as ladies are the majority of people taking the tour, and more specifically, it will go towards the landscaping of the houses."
The first tour was held in 2007, after a team of five planners, including Falzone, organized sponsors and found gardeners willing to participate. Gardeners were located by word of mouth and chosen for their hard work and dedication to the soil.
"My church, St. Therese, was instrumental that first year in getting the tour off the ground and was the host," she said. "We were delighted with the outcome of our first effort. We had about 110 visitors and raised almost $3,000, which made me ecstatic. This year, we're using Ahlara as our host and the starting point of the tour. Their landscaping is beautiful, which is part of the reason I chose them."
Ten homes are on the agenda for the 2009 tour on April 25, one of which is owned by a master gardener. The tour runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tickets are purchased the day of the tour at Ahlara Spa in Mooresville for $10.
"You'll receive a wristband from Habitat and pick up a map with directions and a description of the garden," Falzone said. "There will be volunteer staff members at Ahlara that are educated about the gardens and can tell you about each one, so if you're particularly interested in a kind of landscaping, like shade plants, you can skip certain parts of the tour and just see what you want."
Sitting in many of the gardens will be local artists who will sketch, paint and draw their surroundings.
"Tourists can watch them and their works will be sold at the next Habitat fundraiser in August in the silent auction, raising even more money for the organization," she said.
An added attraction on the tour is Grass Creek Nursery to help would-be gardners get a little extra inspiration.
Falzone also encourages participants in the tour to visit one of the main sponsors, Kerrigan's, which is located near many of the tour stops.
"They've been a big help funding this tour, and I always like to help small businesses, so stop by in between visiting the gardens to grab a scoop," she said.
Overall, the tour is "helping a worthwhile cause" and will be a "relaxing way to spend the day," Falzone said.
"It's hopefully going to be a beautiful and meaningful day, and I love how gardens lift my spirits," she said. "These days, who doesn't need that?"
For more information, contact Joanna Falzone at (704) 663-1844.
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