The Talbot County Garden Club recently kicked off planning for its 2026 Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage / Talbot County Tour. The Tour, which invites visitors to explore notable private properties in the area, will take place the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend – May 9, 2026. Camille Massie and Louise Peterson co-chair the event. 

“This Tour is being designed to deliver an extraordinary experience in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, showcasing the many significant historic sites in our county,” says Peterson. “We’ll feature an array of houses, gardens and grounds that are rarely open to the public. At each property, visitors can expect to see incredible floral displays creatively fashioned by the club’s talented designers – a hallmark of this biennial event.”

“To add to the day’s experience, we will also direct visitors to drive by and discover the many historic landmarks in Oxford and St. Michaels (towns that were influential during the Revolutionary War) that tie together the day’s route of discovery,” says Massie. “Ultimately, the Club will be honored to use the proceeds generated by the Tour to help preserve the Talbot Historical Society’s Neall House (ca 1804) in Easton.”

“There is truly something for everyone on this tour,” adds Peterson.

Waterfront homes open to tour include Wye House (where Frederick Douglas lived in his youth) and Plimhimmon (where Anna Maria Tilghman, widow of Revolutionary War hero Lt. Col. Tench Tilghman, entertained the Marquis de Lafayette), plus Emerson Point (on the Miles River). The spectacular grounds of Harleigh Farm (on Trippe Creek) will also welcome visitors. 

Tours and lunch will be available at Third Haven Friends (Quaker) Meeting House (1684) in Easton

Chairs of Tour Sub-committees include:
MHGP Senior Consultant to the Co-Chairs: Caroline Benson
House Selection: Caroline Benson, Bob Shannahan
Advertising: Marjory Sheldon, Hatsie Long
Flowers: Ingrid Blanton
Homeowners’ Party: Kim Eckert
Hostesses: Paige Connelly, Jan Cullen
Lunch: Nancy Thompson, Laura Cassidy
Parking: Alden Firth, Cherie Carroll
Patron & Benefactor Outreach: Pat Lewers 
Photography: Laura Carney, Marjory Sheldon
Publicity: Rita Mhley
Publicity Design: Rebecca Gaffney, Margaret Benghauser
Road Marking: Juliette Fry, Carol Harrison
Scripts: Madeleine Cohen, Dana Vlk
Site Leaders: Myra Gons, Joyce Doehler, Sara Walker, Mary Helen Cobb
Tour Bells: Chloe Pitard, Tracy Garrett
Treasurer & Cashier: Colleen Doremus, Fran Jenkins, Virginia Sappington, Maxine Millar  

Tour details as well as ticket information will be available soon.

“Mark your calendar for this highly anticipated event,” says Eleanor Denegre, club president. “Talbot County is home to some of the most exquisite estates and historic properties in Maryland and is always a popular part of the statewide Pilgrimage. We feel truly grateful to the generous property owners who open their gates and enable us to share our rich history and beautiful landscapes with the many visitors who are sure to come and ‘tour’.”

 

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About the Talbot County Garden Club

The Talbot County Garden Club is known for its “good and green works” that benefit the Talbot County community. The club was established in 1917 to enhance the natural beauty of the local environment by sharing knowledge of gardening, maintaining civic gardens, supporting civic greening projects, encouraging the conservation of natural resources, and fostering the art of flower arranging. Noteworthy projects include grounds maintenance at the Talbot Historical Society, Talbot County Free Library (Easton), and the Fountain and Children’s Gardens in Idlewild Park; greenery installations for Easton’s Rail Trail, U.S. Post Office and Christ Church (Easton); plus an ever-growing number of outreach activities serving youths, seniors and persons living with disabilities. There are currently 112 active, associate and honorary members. 

The Tour is well-supported by the local community, with well over 300 volunteer docents on hand to guide visitors throughout the Tour day.

Talbot County Garden Club invites you to a free public lecture by Christopher Barrett Sheridan, “The Flower Sommelier.” Sheridan who is a retired lawyer and graduate of Longwood Gardens programs, calls himself a specialist in scent and color, proponent of wild and romantic gardens, and advocate for heirloom plants. His talk is titled “Embracing the Spirit of the Night: Designing Vespertine Gardens.” His presentation takes place at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton on Tuesday, October 28 at 11 am as part of the garden club’s complimentary 2025 Lecture Series, open to the public.

Sheridan champions 24-hour gardens that offer refuge from urban heat and intense sun, and vespertine/daybreak gardens that are plant-focused to maximize serenity, intimacy and connection to nature.

Come to this lecture to…

• Learn design strategies for a range of garden spaces.
• Discover the charm of containers for existing spaces.
• Explore native and introduced plant palettes reflecting their locality and the creativity of their owner.
• Appreciate the wellness benefits of “Magic Hour Gardening,” always open and delightfully alive.

Questions about this event should be directed to Camille Massie: [email protected] or [email protected].  

About the Talbot County Garden Club

The Talbot County Garden Club is known for its “good and green works” that benefit the Talbot County community. The club was established in 1917 to enhance the natural beauty of the local environment by sharing knowledge of gardening, maintaining civic gardens, supporting civic greening projects, encouraging the conservation of natural resources, and fostering the art of flower arranging. Noteworthy projects include grounds maintenance at the Talbot Historical Society, Talbot County Free Library (Easton), and the Fountain and Children’s Gardens in Idlewild Park; greenery installations for Easton’s Rail Trail and U.S. Post Office; plus an ever-growing number of outreach activities. There are currently 120 active, associate and honorary members.   

 Floral Fête, Talbot County Garden Club’s April 22 Symposium, lived up to expectations. It was a glorious day filled with flowers galore, three insightful and inspirational speakers, luxe luncheon delicacies, a dozen quality vendors, and an exciting silent auction, all set in a welcoming environment at The Oaks Waterfront Hotel. Accolades continue to roll in to co-chairs Paige Connelly and Tracy Garrett and their committees from the event’s 250 attendees.

According to garden club president Maribeth Lane, “We are pleased to report that the event netted more than $40,000 that will return to the local community over the next 2 years via the club’s ‘green’ programs. The programs that benefit from these funds include plants and maintenance for four parks in Easton, annual Project Grants, complimentary public garden lectures, hands-on workshops for Young Gardeners and for Adults Living with Disabilities, holiday arrangements for Meals on Wheels participants, and regular floral donations to Talbot Hospice and Talbot Interfaith Shelter.”

Talbot County Garden Club’s recent Project Grants provided trees and vegetation for the town’s Rail Trail and for the US Post Office grounds. This fall, the garden club will hold a flower show that will be open to the public.

Further according to Lane, “We have so many people to thank for supporting this event, beginning with our local business sponsors and all those who purchased tickets to attend.” Tickets were offered online on the club’s website (Talbotcountygc.org) and were sold out within two weeks of their release in January.

The garden club’s Symposium is a biennial event. It will be offered again in April 2027. Next year on May 9, the garden club will present the biennial Talbot County Tour. As part of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage, the Tour showcases the inimitable style of Talbot County, with the talents of the club’s floral designers again in full view. Profits from the Tour are designated for historical restoration in the county; this being the case, the Symposium proceeds are vital to fund the club’s own ongoing programs. 2026 Tour proceeds are already targeted to support repointing the brick on the Talbot Historical Society’s Neall House in Easton.

Flowers, Flowers and More Beautiful Flowers in every innovative form imaginable will star at the “FLORAL FÊTE” – the Talbot County Garden Club’s 2025 Spring Symposium and Luncheon. This celebration of floral inspiration is designed to captivate you and your friends from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm on Tuesday, April 22 at The Oaks Waterfront Hotel in Easton.

In addition to spectacular floral displays, the day’s delights will include a délicieux plated luncheon, excellent refreshments, exciting onsite vendor boutiques, and three stellar speakers offering a range of demonstrations on floral and related horticultural topics:

• Author Linda Jane Holden: “The Art of the Possible: Stories and Lessons from a Self-taught Gardener”
  Prolific garden design author, self-taught garden historian and White House & Bunny Mellon gardens expert. Her book Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style will be released in March 2025.

• Floral Designer Sandra Sigman: “French Blooms: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Paris and Beyond”
  Second-generation floral designer, author of French Blooms, founder and operator of Andover, Massachusetts’s Les Fleurs, and curator of all things French.

• Artist Anne Thompson Blackwell: “Pressing Botanicals: Harvesting Nature’s Bounty”
  A trained artist and plantswoman who employs centuries-old traditions, Anne collects foliage and flowers for preservation from some of the most picturesque regions of the eastern US.

Tickets are available online at https://talbotcountygc.org. Tickets are $175 per person. A limited number of premium tickets at $200 per person may be available if tables are reserved for 8 or 10 persons. Tickets to this biennial event traditionally sell out well in advance.

As the club’s major fund-raiser for the year, proceeds will help support the Club’s good works and green projects for the Talbot County Community. These include beautification and maintenance of four parks in the Town of Easton; holiday decorations for public buildings; free gardening lectures open to the public; involvement with Young Gardeners, Meals on Wheels, Talbot Hospice, Talbot Interfaith Shelter, and The ARC and Benedictine Adult Services; and partnership programs supporting the Town’s Rail Trail Extension and U.S. Post Office grounds landscaping.

Paige Connelly and Tracy Garrett co-chair this year’s event.

For questions, contact [email protected]. 

Speakers on the menu for Talbot County Garden Club’s
April 22 Biennial Spring Symposium are:

Author Linda Jane Holden	Floral designer Sandra Sigman	Artist Anne Thompson Blackwell

Talbot County Garden Club invites you to a practical lecture by Native Bee, Bumblebee and Wildlife Advocate SAM DROEGE of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Droege’s talk is titled “Helping Native Bees in Talbot County: It’s Easier Than You Think!” His presentation takes place at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton on Tuesday, January 28 beginning at 11 am as part of the garden club’s complimentary 2025 Winter Lecture Series.

According to Droege, the bee list for Talbot County includes 187 different species of bees. New ones are discovered each year. Some are found in Easton, others in areas like the Conservation Park in Oxford, on Poplar Island, along roadsides, and on private properties. What ties these sites together are healthy populations of native flowers. Some are planted; others are simply allowed to grow. Droege will discuss how property owners, groups and municipalities can support these bees and tell some fascinating stories about collecting bees in Talbot County.

Having spent his career at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Ecological Science Center, Droege has become expert in developing, designing and evaluating wildlife inventory programs. His team is currently inventorying and monitoring native bees, and developing tools, techniques and manuals, plus a bumblebee floral survey for citizens with online identification guides at www.discoverlife.org

The garden club’s 2025 Winter Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, February 25 with a presentation by SAMANTHA NESTORY, engagement manager at Stoneleigh, a natural garden in Villanova, Pa. Nestory will offer insights and tips for creating a modern garden that supports wildlife through native plants and sustainable landscape practices.

Questions about these programs should be directed to: [email protected]

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About the Talbot County Garden Club

The Talbot County Garden Club is known for its “good and green works” that benefit the Talbot County community. The club was established in 1917 to enhance the natural beauty of the local environment by sharing knowledge of gardening, maintaining civic gardens, supporting civic greening projects, encouraging the conservation of natural resources, and fostering the art of flower arranging. Noteworthy projects include grounds maintenance at the Talbot Historical Society, Talbot County Free Library (Easton), and the Fountain and Children’s Gardens in Idlewild Park; greenery installations for Easton’s Rail Trail and U.S. Post Office; plus an ever-growing number of outreach activities. There are currently 120 active, associate and honorary members.   

Talbot County Garden Club welcomes guest speaker, Jessica Bonilla, director of Horticulture at Washington D.C.’s Hillwood’s gardens, on October 22nd  at 11 AM at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton.  The event is free and open to the public. 

Bonilla tends to thirteen acres of formal gardens at the grand estate rebuilt by Marjorie Post in the 1950s. The garden is sectioned into outdoor rooms that are designed to extend the home’s porches and terraces.  Each room is meant to complement the mansion’s interior space and offers both privacy and a connection to adjacent gardens through subtle transitional features, encouraging an intuitive flow from the French parterre to the rose garden and onto the Friendship Walk. 

Join Bonilla as she shares an insider’s view on Hillwood’s garden design, sculpture, and the plants that fill these spaces, plus the ever-evolving management of the grounds, including a deeper dive into the maturing Native Garden. For more details, visit https://talbotcountygc.org.

Talbot County Garden Club hosted a lemonade social at Scotts United Methodist Church in Trappe on June 16 to celebrate the success of the 2024 Talbot County Tour of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage. Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic properties, the May 11 Tour drew more than 2,000 “pilgrims” to seven outstanding private properties. Tour proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships – greatly amplified by service providers’ discounts and donations – will cover major infrastructure projects at two historic churches in Trappe: Scotts and St. Paul’s Episcopal on Main Street and brick ruins from the related old White Marsh Church on Almshouse Road and Route 50.

Scotts had an extensive stormwater drainage issue that threatened the church’s 225-year-old foundation. Lane Engineering, civil engineers, donated survey and mitigation planning services to address the issue. McHale Landscape Design Inc., completed the mitigation work at a huge discount. 

At St. Paul’s, the 1858 brick façade of the church and ruins of the older parish church needed repair. Tour funds covered extensive brick repair and repointing at a sizeable discount, thanks to Marth Masonry.

According to St. Paul’s Vestry representative George H. Meyer, Jr., “The Tour funds have sparked a new energy for the church. Not only do we have ‘new’ bricks, we are tackling deferred maintenance ourselves – painting inside, installing a handicap ramp and more.”

In acknowledging the donation, Scotts pastor Charles A. Bell, Jr., said, “Tour funds will help preserve our church for future generations. Without a strong foundation, this church would not stand.” 

In addition to representatives of both churches and members of the garden club, principals of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage and several owners of the 2024 Talbot County Tour properties attended the celebration. 

 

The Talbot Historical Society Garden and Five Corners Fountain Garden, both historic sites in Easton, will share in Tour proceeds through the garden club’s ongoing maintenance programs there.

As a biennial event, the Tour will return with a different roster of distinctive properties in May 2026. 

May 11’s Talbot County Tour Links Garden Club, Homeowners, Businesses, Pilgrims, Benefiters

The Talbot County Tour of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage, which takes place Saturday, May 11, is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of historic properties. When you and other “pilgrims” purchase tickets for this year’s event, you are helping Tour organizers – namely, the Talbot County Garden Club – to restore and preserve two local landmarks. One is Scotts United Methodist Church; the other, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (White Marsh Parish). Both are located in Trappe. 

Scotts was originally a Quaker meeting house, built on the site about 225 years ago. When the Quakers consolidated and moved to Easton, they gifted the property to the African-American congregation in Trappe. The church became Scotts United Methodist, named after Bishop Levi Scott. “Til now, Levi Scott’s donation has been the tie that binds us to the (Talbot County) community,” says Scotts Trustees chair Donald Baker. He goes on to detail the church’s eminent role in history, as the first church in the nation to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation, with Nathaniel Hopkins, “Uncle Nace,” in the lead. That event continues to be memorialized annually in Trappe. This year, the celebration will take place on November 2.

While organizing the garden club’s county-wide benefit, Tour co-chair Kim Eckert learned that Scotts had vexing water drainage issues. Eckert and co-chair Zandi Nammack along with the Scotts Church Council decided to make stormwater management a priority project. In Scotts’ behalf, Eckert sourced local engineering and restoration companies that might utilize the garden club’s anticipated Tour revenues to address the church’s need. 

In response, Lane Engineering, LLC agreed to conduct a survey and develop a mitigation plan. Lane sweetened the deal by donating its services, worth several thousand dollars.

Sean Callahan, Lane’s president, explains: “When Kim called and asked for help, I told her we would be happy to assist with our time and effort, and expertise to provide land surveying and civil engineering services. From a historical perspective, there was a significant civil engineering and surveying company headquarters in Trappe years ago and many of our employees have had Trappe zip codes, so we feel compelled to lend a hand. If it is important to Talbot County Garden Club and Scotts United Methodist Church as a project, as neighbors, Lane Engineering would help.”

Next, McHale Landscape Design, Inc., stepped forward and offered to jump into the project, then agreed to go one better. Not only would they provide timely professional services, they would also accept the garden club’s assigned Tour benefits to complete the exterior stormwater management mitigation. 

By mid-summer, the church should have its stormwater issues fully addressed with new downspouts, trenching to prevent water from pounding in the parking lot and intruding into the church foundation, and underground piping to allow proper tie-in to the state’s drainage system with permits secured from the town.

Colin McHale, account manager for McHale in Easton, proudly sums up his company’s involvement in the project as “using our expertise to improve the community in partnership with the garden club.”

For this venture, TCGC’s Tour proceeds coupled with the generous donations of Lane and McHale will result in a greatly amplified project. 

“The garden club’s arrival has brought the church full circle, with the community coming together, one of the things the church is all about, ‘shining the light by the light’” says Tanula Baker, Scotts SPRC chair.

According to Eckert, herself a garden designer whose son, Austin Eckert, a water resources engineer, offered counsel, “It’s very special that we are able to provide the church with a project that would have cost close to $20,000 for a lot less with the help of local businesses. 

“The seven homeowners who believe in our mission and open their private properties to ‘pilgrims’ on May 11 should take satisfaction in being part of this heart-warming community effort that has also drawn considerable support from local patrons, businesses and the media. In addition, the many ‘pilgrims’ who come to tour Talbot County’s unique and beautiful private properties that day can take satisfaction in knowing the good that will result at Scotts … and in like manner, post-Tour, down the road at St. Paul’s, where Tour proceeds will help to repoint the church’s 166-year-old brick facade and repair a crumbling cemetery wall, the remaining ruins at White Marsh Cemetery.”

Tickets to the Talbot County Tour at $40 are currently available at Bountiful and Garden Treasures in Easton. Day-of tickets will be sold at all Tour sites and at Momma Maria’s in Trappe for $45.

For Tour details, check MHGP.org. For questions, call 410-703-6592 or 973-476-6211. 

 

An array of exciting Eastern Shore properties await your visit during the Talbot County portion of the 2024 Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage, Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. The Talbot County Tour is exceptional and not to be missed!

The Tour gives you rare access to some of Maryland’s most iconic homes and gardens, reflecting the unique beauty of Talbot County: Canterbury Manor, Ellenborough and a lovely home on Hanson Street (all in Easton) plus Chloras Point Farm, Ferry Farm House, Lloyd’s Landing, and Trappe Landing Farm (all in Trappe). 

The Talbot County Garden Club, which organizes the Tour, has participated in the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage since its inception in 1939. As a fundraiser, this year’s Tour will support facilities preservation and restoration at two significant historic sites – Scotts United Methodist Church and Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church (White Marsh Parish) in Trappe.  Tour proceeds will also help support TCGC’s maintenance of the Talbot Historical Society Garden and Idlewild Park’s Five Corners Garden in Easton.

For Tour and Pilgrimage details, check MHGP.org / 410-821-6933.

To purchase advance-sale tickets at $40 by May 1, go to buy.stripe.com/cN2eWcc7RexN5207sO. Advance tickets are also available in Easton at Bountiful and Garden Treasures and by mail to TCGC, PO Box 1524, Easton, MD 21601 with checks payable to MHGP. Day-of tickets at $45 may be purchased at all Tour sites and at Momma Maria’s in Trappe. 

For an optional $17 box lunch menu with full ordering, payment and pickup instructions, visit talbotcountygc.org. (Advance lunch reservations are required and must be received by May 1.) For lunch questions, contact Madeleine Cohen ([email protected] / 917-434-1886).

For questions about the Talbot County Tour, contact co-chairs Kim Eckert ([email protected] / 410-703-6592) or Zandi Nammack ([email protected] / 973-476-6211).