The Parkland Garden Club usually has an annual garden tour for the public, but due to the pandemic, the tour was canceled.

Many members said the one thing they had during the pandemic was time to work in their gardens. The gardens were the one bright spot in the months they were shuttered in their homes. They provided solace, inspiration and joy.

Members of the club said their gardens were the best ever - so a seed was planted.

The club decided to have an informal, low-key pandemic garden tour just for members in July. The tour followed the protocol of safe distancing and mask wearing.

There were 12 members’ gardens on the tour.

This gave members an opportunity to visit the gardens and share plants and ideas with each other.

Instead of visiting all the gardens on the same day, the club decided to have pop-up gardens, which worked very well by offering flexibility to everyone’s schedule.

The following members opened their gardens: Millie Mosella, Robin Kostolsky, Barbara and Tom Campbell, Brenda Aubert, Donna Wagner, John Copley, Jean Hopes, Jeanne Partel, Marsha Chowdhury, Deb Gault, Claire Kukielka and Patti Molitoris.

A quote from an unknown author in last year’s garden tour book read, “Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness, know that, like life, things sometimes must fade before they can bloom again.”

This is a good way to think of the pandemic and the garden tour as a sign of hope.