This was a 3-part tour organized by the Fairmount Park Conservancy. The plan was to meet at Woodford, walk to Ormiston and Strawberry Mansion and finish the day with wine and cheese at Woodford. Ah, but no one imagined there were going to be rogue cars doing wheelies along Reservoir Drive, surrounded by puffs of exhaust smoke. The police finally broke up the drag races and the resilient garden group continued on its way.
Amazingly, it turned out to be a grand day for Ormiston. We ended up being the last mansion on the tour. When the group arrived, everyone rested on the front wall. They got a little orientation to the mansion and then headed for a spin around the alphabet garden. Each person got a list of flowers to look for in the garden, A to Z.
The list of flower names is attached if you want to visit the garden yourself. To find the plants, look for the alphabet letters painted by children who took part in our spring garden events. Each alphabet letter has at least one plant that begins with the featured letter.
Since it was the end of the day, the host brought the wine and cheese to Ormiston’s front porch, and we were able to add an impromptu tour of the mansion. A good time was had by all.
Next we are looking forward to the Conservancy’s yearly Scavenger Hunt, where participants are given a list of items to find around the Park. The event will take place in September. Details will follow.