Expert gardener and long-time Kestrel member Carol Pope will host a tour of her garden at 119 High Street in Amherst on May 13, from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Pope, whose garden has been a highlight of many spring garden tours over the years, is opening her garden to the community to help generate support for a special project that Kestrel has taken on.

Donations generated by the May 13 tour will help cover the cost of moving selected plants, shrubs, and small trees from the Kinsey Memorial Garden behind Amherst’s Jones Library to the grounds of Kestrel’s headquarters on Bay Road in South Amherst. Learn more about this project here.

Come explore Pope’s magical garden, meet and talk with Carol and members of the Amherst Garden Club. Local garden columnist and Kestrel member Mickey Rathbun has described Pope’s garden as “a verdant, shaded sanctuary with winding paths, a bridge over a swale lined with huge pieces of Ashfield stone, a Japanese-inspired gazebo and arbor, and a vast collection of unusual trees, shrubs, and other plants.” For more about Carol Pope’s garden, see Mickey Rathbun’s 2016 story for the Amherst Bulletin.

Donations for this project may be made at the garden tour with a check made payable to Kestrel Land Trust, or online through Kestrel’s Special Projects Donation page: Please select “Jones Library Garden Project” from the dropdown menu.

There is no registration for this free event. All are welcome. In case of inclement weather, check this page for the status of this event; the rain date is Sunday, May 14, 10am – 5pm.