Jun. 18, 2014:  Was it the beautiful sunny day? Could it be that people were motivated to attend by a desire to see the Bronxville Post Office grounds get planted? Was it the lure of a trolley ride? Or was it simply the desire to spend a Sunday afternoon strolling through ten hidden gardens in Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe, followed by a wine-and-cheese social?

We can't be sure, but the stars were aligned, and more than 250 people attended the Bronxville Beautification Council (BBC) garden tour and purchased hundreds of raffle tickets. This year's record turnout generated more than sufficient funds to completely refurbish the grounds at the Bronxville Post Office and to cover the cost of the irrigation so that the property will be nearly self-sustaining.

As with all funds the BBC raises, the proceeds will also go toward the hanging baskets throughout the village and the plantings in the traffic circles and at the train station, just to mention a few of the ongoing BBC projects. A huge thank you goes to all who attended and to all of those who helped make it the most successful tour to date.

In case you missed the tour, included were a vegetable garden, a rock garden, a master rosarian's garden, and a garden reminiscent of a walk in the Adirondacks. There were highly manicured grounds and waterfalls. There was even a private playground that included a chef's garden. There were gardens that made you feel as if you had escaped to the country and those that demonstrated how to fully utilize every inch of your property to create a private sanctuary all your own.

The following families graciously opened their gardens to the public this year: the Colemans; the Foresters; the Jensens; the McBrides; the McVeys; the Reyes-Guerras; the Schaefers; the Seminaras; the Shah-Zions; and the Speropouloses.

The closing party was hosted at the home of Vicki and Si Ford, with food generously donated by the Odyssey Diner, wine by Topps Wine and Liquor, and flowers by Mrs. Morgan's.

Many of the local merchants donated raffle prizes, including Angelina's Restaurant, Annie Rose Nail Salon, Barbara Whitworth, Bronxville Jewelers, Bronxville Wellness Sanctuary, Haiku, Mano a Mano, Martine's Bakery, Provisions for Pets, Pure Barre, Slave to the Grind, and the Westchester Italian Cultural Center.

Other merchants sold tickets to the tour, including Antiques and Consignments, Kensington Paper, the Odyssey Diner, Mrs. Morgan's, Tryforos and Pernice, Savanna at Home, The Silk Road, and Womrath Bookshop.

Additional thanks go to the Village of Tuckahoe's Mayor Steve Ecklond and to Frank DiMarko for donating the use of Tuckahoe's trolley, to the trolley driver, Mr. Norman, for his wonderful sense of humor, and to Linda Doherty Laird, Eastchester town clerk, who helped to coordinate with organizers of Eastchester's 350th anniversary.

A huge thanks to the entire BBC for its support, most notably James Sutton, who does so many things it is impossible to enumerate and to Hershell George and his daughter Katie for designing the beautiful fliers, to Cathy Rodriguez for being my co-chair, and to the entire garden tour committee: Linda Cioffi, Marie Jensen, Anne Lemberger, Maggie Monahan, and Johanna Redpath. Very special thanks are due to Bob Persico, owner of Persico Landscaping and Irrigation, LLC, for his expertise and invaluable advice.

To see photos of the garden tour, click here: Bronxville Beautification Council Garden Tour 2014.

Pictured here (L to R):  Co-chair Meg Sunier, Maggie Monahan, and co-chair Cathy Rodriguez, organizers of this year's Bronxville Beautification Council garden tour. 

Photo by A. Warner