Where Does Your Garden Grow?

Where does your garden grow?

June has finally arrived, and there is so much flora to take in. It is the month for many types of trees and flowers to really flourish. Some of the most popular blooms include irises, wisteria, roses, peonies, and hydrangea. In the Lehigh Valley, you can take trips to our public gardens to see the colors and fragrances that the season has offer. Here are some of the top gardens you can visit, along with a few special upcoming events.

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Bethlehem’s Rose Garden Park

The City of Bethlehem maintains this park, which offers a display of over 100 varieties of fragrant roses. The area includes a playground, bandshell for summer concerts, memorials, and the DAR House, a replica of the first home in Bethlehem. Rose Garden Park is located at 8th Avenue and Union Boulevard in Bethlehem. For more information, check out bethlehem-pa.gov/parks.

Emmaus Gardens

Visit the exclusive gardens of the members of the Emmaus Garden Club on September 10. This year marks the first garden tour for the club, which maintains the little public gardens in Emmaus, including the Remembrance Garden located on the east side of Emmaus near the Superior Restaurant at 164 East Main Street. For more on the Remembrance Garden, log onto emmausremembers.org. If you would like more on the garden tour, visit emmausgardenclub.org.

Gardens at Point Phillip Perennials

The public can go on free weekly Friday morning guided garden walks at Point Phillip Perennials. The hour-long tours begin at 9:30 a.m. and include discussions of what is in bloom and gardening tips. There is no need for advance registration. If you would like to bring a group, they can be scheduled in advance. Point Phillip Perennials is located at 2764 West Scenic Drive in Danielsville. For more information, go to
ppperennials.com.

Historic Bethlehem Gardens

When you visit the museums and sites of Historic Bethlehem, there are a few public gardens you should make a point to visit. At the Burnside Plantation, you’ll find a garden located close to the farmhouse and summer kitchen. It is in the shape of a butterfly and has three terraces – the Herb Garden, the Root Garden, and the Bean Garden. Beyond the farmhouse is an apple orchard.

In the Colonial Industrial Quarter, the Bethlehem Garden Club cares for the Miller’s House Garden. The Victorian Era garden has four raised beds with native and period varieties of plants: the Kitchen Garden, the Herb Garden, the Scented Garden, and the Cutting Garden. Behind the Moravian Book Shop is the Apothecary Garden. The upper and lower apothecary herb gardens contain flowers and herbs that would have been used to compound medicines in the 1752 Apothecary. Located next to the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts is the Decorative Arts Garden. It features two terraces and a pergola and is planted with native varieties. For even more gardens, you can purchase tickets for the Rooms to View House Tour on June 4. Tickets for the tour are $30.00 for members or $40.00 for non-members. To find out more about these historic gardens and the tour, you can log onto historicbethlehem.org.

Lower Macungie Township Butterfly Garden

In 2013, the Lower Macungie Garden Club designed, installed, and planted the Lower Macungie Township Butterfly Garden. The organic ecosystem for butterflies has host and nectar plants. It is a great place to introduce your kids to butterflies. You’ll find the garden at the Lower Macungie Township Campus, 3450 Brookside Road, in Macungie. For more information, you can send an email to lmgctoday@yahoo.com.

Malcolm W. Gross Memorial Rose Garden

You’ll discover an array of roses and other varieties of flowers at this popular rose garden in Allentown. The old-fashioned rose garden is a great place for walks, bicycling, and taking photos. The Allentown Garden Club maintains the Fragrance Garden, which features perennials and native plants most of which have a lovely scent. The club has their annual garden tour on June 25, with a rain date of June 26. There will be eight gardens on the tour, which, in fact, begins at the Fragrance Garden. Tickets are $12 before June 25, and $15 the day of the tour. The Rose Garden is located at 2700 Parkway Boulevard in Allentown. For more information, visit allentownpa.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks/Park-Inventory/Malcolm-Gross-Rose-Garden. If you would like more on the garden tour, check out allentowngardenclub.com.

Muhlenberg College’s Graver Arboretum

This 63-acre arboretum, donated to the college in 1994, features ponds, wetlands, wildflowers, ferns, native and rare trees, rhododendrons, and more than 150 species of conifers. It is open seven days a week during daylight hours. The arboretum is located at 1581 Bushkill Center Road in Bath. For more information, log onto facebook.com/Graver-Arboretum-116754215012320.

Parkland Gardens

The Parkland Garden Club maintains several public gardens, including the arboretum at the Lehigh Valley Zoo; the perennial garden at Lehigh Carbon Community College; and Wehr’s Dam Covered Bridge Park Butterfly Garden in South Whitehall Township. The Parkland Garden Club will have their garden tour, rain or shine, on July 16. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $18 the day of the tour. For more information on the garden tour, call Sylvia at 610.398.7182 or Barbara at 610.432.3313.

The Garden of Serenity

This public garden is a collaborative effort with the City of Bethlehem, the Sister City Commission, and the Bethlehem Garden Club. The authentic Japanese garden was a gift of Tondabayashi, Japan. It features trees, native plants, and a teahouse. The hill and pond garden is a place to rest and reflect. You’ll find it on a small plot of ground next to the Bethlehem Public Library on Church Street. For more information, see facebook.com/bethserenitygarden.

Tour de Fence

In this historic mansion district of Catasauqua you’ll find the Tour de Fence. The inspirational garden features bunches of vibrant marigolds surrounded by a fence constructed of old bicycles. It is a tribute to cancer survivors, fighters, and those who have lost the battle. You can make a donation of $10 to have your label on one of the bikes. Tour de Fence is in partnership with the Pennsylvania Perimeter Ride Against Cancer, a 500-mile bike ride that has been raising funds to fight cancer since 1983. There will be a dedication on July 23 at 1 p.m. Tour de Fence is located at 502 Pine Street in Catasauqua. For more information, visit facebook.com/groups/871486559628008.

William F. Curtis Arboretum

This arboretum at Cedar Crest College is a nationally registered with hundreds of tree species in individual plantings and gardens. Guided tours of the arboretum are free and provide a hands-on outdoors opportunity for students to learn about botany, tree identification, and ecology. The address of the arboretum is 100 College Drive in Allentown. Tours can be arranged by calling Curator Kelly Austin at 610.606.4666, ext. 3565. For more information on the arboretum, check out cedarcrest.edu/ca/arboretum/index.shtm.

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