FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 1, 2009
Contact:
Wendy Scott, Communications Manager
(302) 658-6262, ext. 104
wscott@dehort.org

Beautiful private water gardens

to be open for a public tour
WILMINGTON – The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) is pleased to announce a Water
Garden Tour on Saturday, July 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is organized and
sponsored by Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin. Proceeds will benefit DCH.

The Water Garden Tour showcases 13 private gardens in northern Delaware and southeastern
Pennsylvania. Ponds, fountains and water features of all kinds are included on the circuit, some
small and intimate and other large and formal. One of the gardens on this year’s tour was
featured in Delaware Today magazine – a Japanese-inspired retreat that includes a winding
stream with river stones overlooking a cliff-side rock garden.

The tour highlights ponds that are easy to maintain and demonstrates how to create entertaining
outdoor spaces with water features. The event provides an opportunity to enjoy outstanding
gardens that incorporate aquatic plants, waterfalls and stonework into the landscape. Visitors will
also meet the proud gardeners who have produced these oases.

Tickets cost $15 for DCH members and $20 for non-members. Proceeds will benefit DCH.

The tour is self-guided. A map, guide book with directions, and garden descriptions are included
in the ticket price. Pre-register before July 15 to receive the guidebook by mail. After July 20
tickets can be purchased at DCH on North Dupont Street in Wilmington or at Gateway Garden
Center on Lancaster Pike in Hockessin (www.gatewaygardens.com).

On the day of the tour, tickets and guidebooks will be available at the Center for Horticulture
offices in Trolley Square from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon and at Gateway Garden Center from 9:00
a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Free tickets are available to reporters who are interested in writing an advance story about
the event. Professional-quality photographs of the gardens are available upon request.

To purchase tickets or for more information about the Water Garden Tour, please call Marcia
Stephenson at 302-658-6262, ext. 105 or email her at mstephenson@dehort.org.
1810 North Dupont Street – Wilmington, DE 19806
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Delaware Center for Horticulture
2009 Water Garden Tour
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The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) cultivates greener communities by inspiring
appreciation and improvement of the environment through horticulture, education and
conservation. Founded in 1977, the Center’s site in Wilmington, Delaware includes a 1.5 acre
educational demonstration garden, a 3,000 volume lending library, an art gallery, a lecture hall
and a greenhouse. DCH supports 16 active community gardens throughout the city of
Wilmington; organizes park improvement projects, beautifies Delaware’s roadsides with native
vegetation; maintains the landscaping of many urban gateways, corridors, and streetscapes; leads
regional conservation projects to enhance Delaware’s urban forest; and provides educational
programs for children, teens, and adults. For more information, visit www.dehort.org

1810 North Dupont Street – Wilmington, DE 19806

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