In this episode of Down the Garden Path, Joanne Shaw speaks with Barbara Pratt about the 29th annual Gardens of Uxbridge Tour, taking place this Saturday, June 21st, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm.

The Gardens of Uxbridge Tour

On this self-guided driving tour around the Uxbridge countryside, participants view eight private residential gardens in both town and country settings. The gardens featured change every year and offer a variety of sizes, designs, unique plantings, and inspiration for your own garden. A charitable fundraiser, produced in partnership with The Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario, this tour benefits the local National Historic Site commemorating this Canadian author of Anne of Green Gables fame.

Here are some of the topics discussed in this episode:

Lucy Maud Montgomery Society 

• Barbara Pratt is one of the founding members of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society
• Montgomery lived near Uxbridge for 15 years, and her journals were published in five volumes by Oxford University Press

Gardens of Uxbridge Tour

• The annual Gardens of Uxbridge Tour is a major fundraiser for the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario
• Barbara explained how the society restored the Leaskdale Manse, where Montgomery lived as a minister's wife, using her historical photographs to guide the restoration
• The tour, now in its 29th year, was originally run by Community Care in Uxbridge before being taken over by the society, which continues to maintain both the house and gardens to attract international visitors interested in Montgomery's life and work
• The tour focuses on showcasing personal and unique garden styles, overcoming obstacles, and providing inspiration for gardeners
• This year’s tour will take place on June 21st, featuring eight gardens (4 in town and 4 in the countryside) that can be visited in a single day
• Participants receive a passport with a map and descriptions of the gardens, along with a list of interesting side trips, such as Richters Herbs in Goodwood
• Tickets must be purchased online at gardensofuxbridge.org, with all proceeds supporting local community projects
• This year, due to road construction, the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society will serve refreshments at Showbrook Gardens instead of the manse, where they will offer their signature tea and scones along with displays
• The tour will highlight various artists, including Linda Virio for encaustic painting, Daniella Boerhof for metal sculptures, and Anja Kooistra for fabric sculptures.
• Barbara discussed the upcoming two-day conference in Leaskdale dedicated to Lucy Maud Montgomery, which will attract attendees from around the world, including South Africa, the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Lucy Maud Montgomery Summer Events

• Barbara discussed the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society's summer activities, including weekly Wednesday teas at the historic Leaskdale Church
• Learn more at LucyMaudMontgomery.ca.

Get your tickets for this weekend’s Gardens of Uxbridge Tour at www.gardensofuxbridge.org.

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Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible.

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide.

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