DALLAS — Mary Lou Grant, of Dallas Township, and Marianne Matysczak, of Wyoming, are serving as co-chairs for the “Tour of Back Mountain Gardens” being hosted by the Back Mountain Bloomers Garden Club from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24.
The event will offer tours of seven private gardens, all located within a five-mile radius of the Borough of Dallas. Just in time for Mother’s Day, tickets go on sale May 1 at Back Mountain Memorial Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas; Wild Birds Unlimited in the Dallas Shopping Center, Dallas; and at Perennial Point Garden Center, 1158 River Road, Plains.
Grant and Matysczak began planning for the tour in 2016 with the support of Jean Kolojejchick, of Shavertown, sponsor co-chair, Carol Sober, of Harveys Lake, garden club president, and the organization’s 80 members who assist with the details and work as volunteers throughout the day. The event will be held in memory of the late Nancy S. Brown, of Dallas, a passionate gardener, long-time member of the Bloomers organization and former garden tour chair, who passed away in September 2016.
Matysczak, who retired in 2013 from a 26-year career teaching in the Wyoming Valley West School District, has been a member of the Bloomers for three years. She says for her gardening is relaxing and working in her garden brings her peace.
“My favorite part of the Garden Tour is bringing the community together to see the beautiful work of our local gardeners and supporting the very worthy cause of ASTA at the same time,” she said. “It is with heartfelt love and respect that we honor Nancy Brown, who was one of the original members of the Back Mountain Bloomers Garden Club. It was her vision that started the spring garden tour. She also was chair of this biennial event several times and provided inspiration and enthusiasm for many of our club’s activities.”
A resident of the Back Mountain for 31 years, Grant is a registered dietician who worked for 15 years at the Veterans Administration Medical Center Nursing Home in Wilkes-Barre. She and her husband were co-owners of Hildebrandt Learning Centers until 2015. A flower and garden aficionado, Grant also has been a member of the Bloomers for three years.
“My favorite part of the tour is meeting the homeowners and hearing the story of their gardens,” Grant said. “I have been a Friend of the Back Mountain Library for years and that is where I met Nancy Brown, a strong supporter of both the Library Friends and the Bloomers. She was such a wealth of information. Whenever she spoke, people listened to what she had to say.”
In addition to offering a close-up look at a variety of garden styles, the tour will include a Horticulture Do It Yourself (DIY) display, and a Floral Design Exhibit with a Downton Abbey theme. A full slate of garden, nature, container and landscaping presentations by a variety of local experts also is planned.
All proceeds from the Bloomers Garden Tour will benefit the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association (ASTA), an organization which develops and maintains the Back Mountain Trail.
Tickets for the “Tour of Back Mountain Gardens” are $20 per person if purchased on or before June 17 and $25 after June 17. Tour information is available online at www.backmountainbloomers.org.
For additional information, or to request a brochure and registration form, contact Angela Vitkoski by email at avitkoski@pecpa.org, or by phone at 570-718-6507.
