The Shenandoah-Potomac Garden Council is presenting its 65th House and Garden Tour at the end of April. The Council had suspended its signature event for the past three years and the members are eager to decorate and show off the seven houses on the 2023 tour. The Garden Council is an affiliate of the West Virginia Garden Club and comprises nine local clubs in the Eastern Panhandle: Berk-Mar, Dolley Madison, Gateway, Norborne, Olde Berkeley, Perennial, Shenandoah, Windflower, and Wizard Clip. The proceeds from this annual event are used to fund beautification projects organized by these clubs in the local community.
Visit WVGardenClub.com to learn more about the federated garden clubs in West Virginia. If you are interested in getting involved, you can complete the “join a garden club” form on the website to be connected to a local club.
The 2023 House and Garden tour takes place on April 29 & 30 and features seven houses decorated by members of the participating clubs. Details and directions are online at Shenandoah-PotomacGardenCouncil.org. Advance tickets for the entire tour are $20 ($10 for children under 12); walk-up tickets are $25 ($10 for children). Single admission tickets are $8.
The houses on the tour are decorated with floral arrangements created by club members. Some, such as this birdcage arrangement (above) in the Potts House (2019 tour), are quite elaborate. 
The Shenandoah Garden Club decorated the Potts House in Shepherdstown for the 2019 tour. Shown above working on the preparations in 2019 are Mary O’Hara (Club president), Jewell Hellems (Past President), and Norma Akers (Corresponding Secretary). 
The 2023 House and Garden Tour features seven houses: Greywind, Burkhart-Palmer House, and Apple B&B in Martinsburg; the Christian Clise House in Shepherdstown; Seven Magnolias (shown above) in Harpers Ferry; Porterfield House (garden detail shown far left) in Charles Town; and the Elizabeth Smith House in Middleway. 
The Shenandoah Garden Club approached the City of Charles Town in 2014 with ideas for beautification projects in the City. Mayor Peggy Smith was quick to encourage the club and, with financial support from the Shenandoah-Potomac Garden Council, the native planting garden in Evitts Run Park was installed. Local botanist and landscape architect Paul Guay assisted with the selection of the plantings. The Shenandoah Garden Club, assisted by the Dolley Madison and Windflower Garden clubs, has provided ongoing maintenance too.