Published: July 08, 2009 10:50 am      

Brownsburg gears up for Garden Tour

BROWNSBURG — Just the facts

WHAT: Brownsburg Garden Tour

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 11 and noon to 4 p.m. July 12

WHERE: Brownsburg



Most proud gardeners only get to share in their green thumb mastery with close friends and family.

But for seven gardeners here, hundreds of people will view their greenery masterpieces during the 2009 Brownsburg Garden Tour July 11-12.

Garden tour organizer Carole Scott said it was her daughter, Monica, who came up with the idea for the tour and the foundation that benefits from it. The Tia Foundation raises money to aid and rescue abandoned animals.

“This is the fifth year for the tour and 00 percent of the money goes to supporting the Hendricks County Animal Shelter,” she said. “The Tia Foundation is named after a dog my daughter had and she’s the one that really started the Tia Foundation. She had rescued it from the shelter, she was a really great dog and after Tia died (Monica) came up with the idea to help other animals.”

Scott said there’s more of a need to help animals now that people are losing their homes and income.

“(The foundation) has worked,” she said. “Everything is donated, and paid for by people, and every bit of money raised (from the tour) goes to charity.”

Scott said her daughter came up with the idea of the garden tour because her mother has a large perennial garden.

“She asked my friends if she started this foundation and then raised money with a garden tour, would they be on it,” she said. “The first year was all our friends and after that, volunteers. It varies. This year we have seven (gardens). We try to have a variety of type of gardens.”

She said construction was a factor this year, and that she tries to get most of the stops on the tour within a short driving distance. This year, she said there are a few gardens in town and three west on U.S. 136 leading out of Brownsburg.

“One of the houses is really neat,” she said. “When you get in the back, it’s like being in Brown County. It’s awesome. And we have a place that’s a real cute cottage, with a white picket fence around it, and we have two on lakes. They’re all different and very interesting.”

Scott said a garden tour is something that is unique to the town.

“I think it’s important to the Town of Brownsburg,” she said. “It’s a rare and special thing that we don’t have much of here. It’s a cultural thing, girlfriends can get together and have lunch and take a tour.”

Local businesses have been involved as well, including Country Harmony, Wicker Works, and Frazee Gardens. It is Frazee Gardens’ first time being a part of the tour, Scott said.

Each of the businesses has donated raffle items, such as planters of flowers and yard work baskets. Raffle tickets are offered for sale at each location on the tour.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the days of the tour and are available at Frazee Gardens, Wicker Works, and Country Harmony locations. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 11 and noon to 4 p.m. July 12. It is a self-guided tour and Scott said each ticket has a map and description of the gardens.

For more information, call Carole Scott at 431-1948.

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com