The Hillsborough Garden Club, founded in 1925, is celebrating with a centennial garden tour showcasing 10 private gardens. Six of the gardens are attached to 100-year-old or older homes. The other gardens evoke a sense of history with their plants and garden designs. There are three public gardens on the tour that are maintained with the help of garden club members.  

Here is a preview of what awaits you on the tour:

• In the backyard, a serene water feature is surrounded by a diverse collection of perennials...

• Remnants of the original beds along the 180 foot flagstone walkway in the front yard, making some of the flowering peonies over 130 years old...

• A haven for family heirlooms, native and nativar perennials, self seeded annuals, thousands of bulbs, woody shrubs and trees...

• Mixture of perennial, woodland and cottage garden plantings along with a kitchen garden, pergola and arbor...

• The garden is alive with birds, bees, butterflies, the occasional rabbit, shy lizards and noisy frogs (plus some surprising nocturnal visitors)...

• Look for the wattle fence, aged storage shed and the Taj mahal chicken coop...

• The greenhouse, made with old windows, is a working space to house citrus in the winter and seed starting which supports the cutting garden. 

Eleven of the properties are within a 3 mile radius in Downtown Hillsborough. The remaining two properties are a short drive from downtown just off of St. Marys Rd.