For the fifth year in a row, on Sunday March 10, Friends of the Commodore Trail (FCT) sponsored a tour of private gardens in Coconut Grove as a major fundraising activity.
Each year, the tour has sold out. To respect the neighborhoods and homes that offer their gardens for visitors and because of limited parking, FCT encourages ticket holders to walk, bike, or scooter during the afternoon. This year, only 10 car/handicap tickets were made available.
All six gardens were in close proximity to each other in the South Grove. The locations of the gardens were not publicly announced until the day of the tour.
“Our mission,” says tour organizer and FCT board member Carrie Jackson, “is to promote the preservation of our tree canopy and to encourage continued cultivation of Coconut Grove’s lush gardens.”
Two of the gardens this year were located in Ye Little Wood, one of the first subdivisions in Coconut Grove. The tour raised $23,000 in ticket sales. All the proceeds go to Friends of the Commodore Trail, a charitable nonprofit.
Jackson, who proposed the original idea for the Secret Garden Tour, encourages Grovites to offer their special gardens for next year’s tour. To learn more about the organization click here
Local photojournalist Chiara Manton, a regular contributor to the Spotlight, participated in the Secret Garden Tour this year. To view her gallery of photos online, click here, double-click on the first photo, and arrow through the rest. Viewing the photos is free of charge. Individual photos can be purchased from the website.
Spotlight editor Hank Sanchez-Resnik is a co-founder of Friends of the Commodore Trail.
