THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9605310079
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: 85 lines
NEXT SUNDAY, take a drive up the Eastern Shore and visit some of this area's most beautiful and unusual gardens. Nine gardens will be open, ranging from intimate hideaways to a grand garden with rows of ancient boxwood.
``A Sunday Afternoon of Gardens on Virginia's Eastern Shore'' benefits the Eastern Shore Habitat for Humanity and is sponsored by Farmers & Merchant's Bank.
Eastern Shore Habitat for Humanity is an all-volunteer organization, dependent on donations. It has helped build or renovate homes for nine families. Habitat volunteers handle construction, and the recipients must contribute 300 hours of labor and agree to pay interest-free mortgages and taxes.
Brief descriptions and directions for the gardens on for the sixth annual tour follow: ACCOMACK COUNTY
The Rev. Marcus Bloodworth, Accomac, has a 1776 cottage that stands guard over a picket-fenced garden of roses, perennials and boxwood. Directions: At Accomac traffic light on Route 13, turn toward Accomac; go .9 mile and turn right on Drummondtown Road (Route 605); house is just past the church.
Barbara Lowe's Accomac home is tucked behind a beauty parlor with a wooden archway that welcomes you to a gem of a garden. Manicured perennial borders surround a center fountain. There are raised beds for vegetables. From Bloodworth cottage: Go left on Back Street to Business Route 13; turn left and go to No. 23404, on left.
Jenette Sample, near Pungoteague, is the caretaker for a garden of roses, roses and more roses - more than 200 of them. From the Lowe garden: Return to the main Route 13 and turn left; go south about 8 miles to Keller; turn right on Route 180, at the Ford dealer, and go to Route 178 in Pungoteague; turn left and it's the second house past Route 609.
Rikki and Rich Sterrett, Craddockville, operate a daylily nursery and also grow many perennials and annuals. A country garden surrounds their country home. From the Samples: Turn right (south) on Route 178 and go to Island Neck Road, Route 724; garden is on left. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
All locations in Northampton County are west of Route 13, on the bayside. If heading south, turn right off of Route 13; if going north, turn left.
Susan and N. Potter Henderson's creekside garden is at the end of a long dirt road in Machipongo. There's a twig archway, azaleas, dogwood, lilacs, a rose fence and plenty of annuals and daylilies. Directions: On Route 13 go 1.4 miles south of the Nassawadox light; turn west on Bayford Road, Route 617; go about 1.5 miles to Bayside Road (Route 618) and turn left; go 2.4 miles and turn right at Henderson Road (a dirt road); follow the road left around the house for half a mile to the dirt drive; turn right and go to the creekside garden.
Claiborne and Charles Dickinson's Machipongo garden is built on a grand scale, with large old trees in a formal boxwood setting. There also is a 10-foot espaliered yew fence, azaleas, rhododendron and a large rose garden, including many climbers. An ancient mulberry and hawthorn tree stand over the garden. From the Hendersons: Turn right on Bayside Road and go 2.3 miles to Sylvan Scene Road; turn left and go .2 to No. 7223.
Cora Stitt cleared out a jungle for her Eastville garden. Neat rows of vegetables are surrounded by daylilies and other perennials. Naturalized areas include wineberry, columbine and lineria. From the Dickinsons: Turn left on Sylvan Scene and go .7 to Route 13; turn right and go 4 miles to Court House Road; turn right and go .5 mile to Old Town Neck Road; turn right and go 2.8 miles; turn right on Hungars Beach Road; go .5 mile past horse farm and turn right, No. 14293.
Shelia and Renato Cardano and Clelia and John Sheppard, their daughter and son-in-law, have neighboring gardens at Butler's Bluff that are like nothing else on the Eastern Shore. The gardens provide a bit of Italy, with statues, a musical brook and potted specimen plants, many pruned as topiaries. It's on a 30-foot cliff overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. From the Stitt garden: Go 5.4 miles south of the Cape Charles light on Route 13 and turn right on Route 646 (west toward the bay); turn left on Arlington Road, then right on Butler's Bluff Road. The last two houses are the ones to see. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JOHN McCORKLE
Claiborne and Charles Dickinson's Machipongo garden has many old
trees and boxwoods.
Graphic
THE FACTS
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm] by CNB