Explore history and horticulture in the suburban scene

The spring promises many things in Macon and an annual delight that marks the beginning of the season is upon us. The 24th annual Hay House Spring Stroll of Macon Houses and Gardens blooms before our very eyes this weekend.

“Spring Stroll has a diverse collection of large and small gardens and houses that will inspire every tour goer with new ideas,” said Hay House director Jonathan Poston.

Private north Macon gardens will be viewable during the celebrated Garden Tour, happening Friday to Sunday. In contrast to last year’s downtown setting, visitors can expect a different character and larger anchorage. Planting areas are a bit more vast and unrestrained.

When the sun goes down, on Friday and Saturday evenings, private Historic Interiors Tours will take place in the Ingleside neighborhood. Eyes will feast on architectural splendors including a Tudor Revival-style house belonging to a musician whose furnishings are reminiscent of wily world travels, a cottage filled with charm and collectibles from times gone by, fine English Regency-styled houses full of lively antiques, and a perfectly manicured neoclassical cottage with elegance and allure.

In addition to garden and home tours, “the Garden Market will have a record number of vendors and Florabrilliance, in its fourth year, will once again offer amazing floral interpretations inside Hay House,” said Poston.

The free Garden Market, located on the grounds of the Hay House, features both local and out-of-town vendors offering unique plants and garden gifts. The Garden Market is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

In addition to the tours and market, there will be two guest speakers.

“Our speakers Walter Reeves and Tim Lake, two of Georgia’s greatest minds in horticulture, will provide participants with their expertise and solutions for garden problems, large and small,” Poston said.

Reeves, hailed as one of the most respected garden gurus in the Southeast, will be presenting “How to Be a Sherlock Holmes in Your Garden” at 2:30 p.m. Friday. An author, journalist and radio personality, Reeves has spent more than two decades refining and perfecting his knowledge of cultivating gardens.

A registered landscape architect by trade, Lake brings a robust and sprightly take on the revitalization of college and downtown areas. Lake plans to share his vast knowledge on the importance of regional gardening in respect to specific concepts and vegetation at 11 a.m. Saturday.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Explore history and horticulture in the suburban scene."