One of the events I look most forward to each Spring is the Beacon Hill Hidden Gardens Tour, held in mid-May in the city of Boston. It marks the Spring season with a peek into private urban gardens in the neighborhood, adorning patios, terraces, small yards, and more. With any luck, it’s a glorious day weather-wise, with sights and smells of flowering plants punctuating the air. The informal socializing among neighbors and friends just adds to the ambiance. I’ve taken the Tour at least a dozen times in the decades I’ve lived in Beacon Hill, once with a newborn baby in tow (who’s now 27 years old).
The tour draws over 2,000 visitors, each of whom strolls the historic streets of Beacon Hill with a map and tour booklet in hand. The tour booklet offers a detailed description of the primary gardens and the “ribbon gardens”, including the history of each and the variety of flora found there. “Ribbon gardens” are viewed in passing on the tour route. The primary gardens are found by walking through or around private homes. As a real estate agent, this affirms the special quality of Beacon Hill properties, mixing an urban lifestyle with historic charm and natural beauty.
This year’s tour was the 91st year of a continuously running, rain-or-shine event held the third Thursday in May each year. A new addition to the tour is the garden Soiree on the evening before, a festive party and fundraiser for local civic projects led by the Beacon Hill Garden Club.
LandVest has been a proud sponsor of the Soiree for the past three years, along with our friends from Fiduciary Trust. Guests enjoy mingling in a local parish house garden with jazz music playing in the background.
We encourage our blog readers to mark their calendars for the event, which next year is on May 21, 2020. Be sure to bring a camera to photograph the gardens and the surrounding Beacon Hill neighborhood, and plan to have a refreshing lunch at one of the many Charles Street or Cambridge Street restaurants. In the meantime, please enjoy some of our photos! As always, if you need assistance with buying or selling a home, we serve as trusted advisors and stand ready to help.
