Salem Virginia Garden Tour Home Description

For many Decembers locals have looked forward to the Holiday Homes Tour in Salem, which opens up festive homes, all decked out for Christmas, to eager visitors.  To see the spectacular interiors, the visitors usually bundle up and rush through frosty front yards, over the brown grass and through the dead leaves, impatient for the warm indoors.  How often have they wondered what these wintry lawns look like at their peak?

            This May the Salem Museum, City of Salem, and six local garden clubs will answer this question.  The first ever Historic Salem Garden Tour will give guests the chance to spend some time in the tranquil gardens of open-air Salem.

            “We are very happy to be able to offer this unique tour to the community,” said Carol Buriak, member of the Salem Garden Club steering committee for the tour.  “There’s something about a garden in the spring that soothes the soul.”  In addition to the lovingly tended lawns and gardens, three of the stops on the tour will also open the interiors of their homes to eager visitors, added Buriak.

            The Historic Salem Garden Tour is one of several events planned for the Salem community to commemorate Virginia’s 400th anniversary.  Salem is one of the designated 2007 communities for the state of Virginia.

            The Garden tour is a cooperative venture between the Salem Museum, the City of Salem Special Events office, and six local garden clubs: Forest Lawn, Friendship, Lake Spring, Salem Garden Club, Salem Men’s Garden Club, and Twined Hearts.  Proceeds benefit the educational and preservation efforts of the Museum.

            Here are the delightful stops on the tour:

Bobbi Woods’ Gardens

500 Tennessee Street

            Spectacular hardly begins to describe the garden of Bobbie Woods on Tennessee Street. An expert gardener whose preferences and plantings change every year, Bobbie is especially proud of her magnificent roses.  When Bobbie and her late husband James acquired the house and yard, there was only a plain lawn with little landscaping and lots of gravel. “All that gravel is why my roses grow so well," Bobbie jokes.  Years of work have paid wonderful dividends. 

            Guests will delight at the antique German Veilchenblau roses climbing the fence, her immaculate vegetable plots, and the revitalizing scent of her lavender.  Bobbie’s state-of-the-art greenhouse, with its redwood base and misting system for aeroponic plants, will also garner wide-eyed attention.  Behind you’ll see her innovative Earthboxes—a high-tech organic growing method.  But Bobbie’s favorite part is her "secret garden" complete with privacy fence, deck, Koi pond, and more antique roses. "No one can come in unless I let them."  On May 20, you’ll have that rare privilege.

The Newsom Home and Gardens

316 James Street

            The enchanting home of Sam and Damon Newsom and their two sons is one of three open to visitors on the tour in addition to the exteriors.  They have lived in their WWII-era home on James Street since 1999.   Prior to that they had already launched a major renovation which doubled the size of the house.  “We wanted the addition to appear in the neighborhood as though it had always been there,” said the Newsoms.  “We utilized the ‘borrowed scenery’ of the neighborhood to complement our new home.” 

            It was a strategy taught them by Samuel’s father, Sam’l Newsom, an internationally-known landscape architect.  Sam’l was also a prolific painter, and many of his works will be on display in the home for the tour.  Guests will love the renovated dining room, seating 19, the enlarged kitchen, and eclectic design elements—a combination of what the family inherited and collected on their own.

            Another unusual feature for a garden tour is that some of the Newsom’s gardens are in containers, including rare bonsai hemlocks started by Sam’s father, who was an expert on Japanese culture.  A Japanese maple stands in the yard in his honor as well.  An immense fiddlehead ficus nearby will surely catch the eye.

            Outside, visitors will be greeted with two impressive posts of New Hampshire granite. From there they will explore Damon’s three-season perennial garden, and a back garden surrounding a stone pond with a whimsical whale sculpture—placed there by a friend as a practical joke.  Another unusual feature is the two-story treehouse Sam built for his sons, complete with running water and air conditioning.  Your visit to Newsom home is not one you’ll soon forget.

Pam Odgen’s Gardens

615 Academy Street

            Pam Odgen is a wonder: a certified Master Gardener, avid birder, and accomplished artist who delights all who know her.  For Pam, gardening, like art, is a refuge.  “When I cannot go to the studio, I garden.  When I have a problem, I garden. That is what I do, since I was a little girl.  I’ve always had my hands in dirt.” 

            Pam and her late husband Bruce bought their house five years ago.  The lower part of the property was wild, overrun with honeysuckle, poison ivy, and groundhogs. Years of work have paid dividends.  “I am a plant collector instead of a person who thinks about design,” notes Pam.  “But because I am an artist, I know where I can plant and where not to plant because I understand design.”  Her original intention was to fill the garden with native plants, and she still plans to be certified by the state as a wildlife habitat. 

            A wildflower bed off her elegant brick patio features whimsical garden sculptures and a flowering crabapple tree.  A corkscrew willow, cheerful dogwoods, and exquisite redbud trees in memory of family members add to the tranquility.  But Pam’s favorite element is her “mulberry garden” beneath a spreading white mulberry, complete with day lilies, an heirloom yucca plant, and a bench to enjoy the view of the nearby golf course and mountains.  Visitors will indeed feel “nearer God’s heart” amidst Pam’s handiwork than anywhere else on earth.

Paul and Kelly Curran’s Home and Gardens

606 High Street

            The enchanting Cape Cod of Paul and Kelly Curran has already been featured on the museum’s Holiday Homes Tour, but visitors who enjoyed the Christmas splendor will now love to see the exterior in its glory as well.  The Currans will open their house in and out for the tour.

            The house was built in the 1950s by Bank of Salem president D. Robley Wood.  Paul and Kelly were drawn to their charming home not just by the beautiful house, but for the amiable and family-friendly neighborhood.  The visitor will see such treasures as leaded glass windows, a spectacular curved staircase with hand pieced banister (“It is the reason I wanted this house!” raves Kelly), an antique Heriz oriental rug, a beautiful Herend China collection, and a stunning collection of lead glass crystal which belonged to Kelly’s mother.   The kitchen is a cook’s dream come true, with its antique pine sideboard and corner fireplace (which is backed by an identical corner fireplace in the den), and granite countertops. The home also features a chandelier once owned by local millionaire S.H. McVitty.

            Outside, visitors will immediately be drawn to the inviting crescent shaped, in-ground pool built in 2002.  It’s been called “the prettiest pool in Salem” by a neighbor and “a total delight” by Kelly.  In addition, guests will love the one-of-a-kind pool house, complete with a cleverly designed bathroom, seating area, refrigerator and sink.  The nearby slate patio shaded by a white pergola, original English boxwood garden, and two tiered bubbling fountain will invoke oohs and ahhs.  “Our lilies will pop, and our gardenias are to die for," promises Kelly.

Myrtle Plybon’s Gardens

1107 Forest Lawn Drive

            On Myrtle Plybon’s sofa, there is a pillow embroidered with the legend, “You come from the earth, you return to the earth, and in between you garden.”  That sums up Myrtle’s philosophy.  A charter member of the Forest Lawn Garden Club, even her name is floral.  Her estate is even more so.  

            Surprisingly nestled among the suburban neighborhood of Forest Lawn lies Myrtle’s “seven-acre wooded garden.”  It has obviously been the recipient of much love.  Myrtle and her husband purchased the land in 1953, and the garden has been evolving ever since.  Garden tour guests will begin the tour strolling along the antique pathway of bricks salvaged from an old house on the property.  Along the way they will be charmed by the forty-year-old stone fern-shaded pond.  Aficionados will want to inspect Myrtle’s rooting bed and efficient miniature greenhouse.   “Big old trees” original to the property, the delightful bluebird houses, lovely butterfly bushes, lavender plants, a New Dawn rose, and divine antique roses will add to the ambience of one of Salem’s best-kept secrets.

Charlotte Pendleton’s House and Gardens

1141 Forest Lawn Drive

            The home of Charlotte and Steve Pendleton might easily be mistaken for a museum.  But for the owner of Charlotte’s Web Antiques in Salem, that may not be surprising.  What visitors will find surprising are the homey touches that mark the Pendleton home and gardens. 

            Built by a German Baptist craftsman in 1942 and expanded twice since then, the Colonial house fits into the neighborhood like a comfortable friend.  Complete with a “Lee-Jackson” room of Civil War memorabilia and a delightful array of primitive collectibles, Charlotte’s clever decorating touches shine through in every room.  In keeping with our theme, there is even a collection of objects d'art from the world of gardening.

            Outside, visitors will find Charlotte’s gardens equally charming.  Surrounding her homey slate patio is a rock wall crafted by the Francisco family of stonemasons.   Container gardening is a forte of the couple and a necessity, given the surprising population of wildlife so close to the city.  Elsewhere, Charlotte is proud that she does not employ conventional garden accessories.  Instead, visitors will be enchanted by the Pendletons use of primitive artifacts to create unique garden spaces.  For instance, look for a set of antique laundry tubs converted to an attractive planter. 

The Salem Museum

801 East Main Street

            Located in the 1845 Williams-Brown House, the Salem Museum is informative on the inside and eye-catching from without.  With flower beds lovingly nourished by the Salem Garden Club and an historic herb garden, the old house has never looked better.  Notice the red, white and blue motif in keeping with the 2007 themes.  Guests will have a chance to enjoy delicious refreshments and to take advantage of the special sales in the Museum Shop, as well as partake of the fascinating historical exhibits in the upstairs galleries.

St. Paul’s Episcopal and Salem Presbyterian Churches

Corner of Main and Market

            As a special bonus, visitors to the Garden Tour will have a special opportunity to tour two of Salem’s most historic churches: Salem Presbyterian and St. Paul’s Episcopal.  Both churches will open their sanctuaries and columbaria, and the Post House, the oldest structure in downtown, will be opened by St. Paul’s.

            The first ever Historic Salem Garden Tour will be a rare opportunity to see Salem at her best.  If you love the scent of lavender; thrill at the sight of climbing roses; feel at home in a greenhouse; or just like to experience the artistry of experienced gardeners—May 20 is the day for you.

            Maps of the tour will be available at the museum or at any of the homes. The tour is self-guided, and the homes and gardens may be approached in any order. Tour hours are 1 until 6 PM. Parking is available on area streets, but some walking will be involved.  Carpooling is suggested, if possible. 

            Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 on tour day, and go on sale April 14.  Tickets are on sale in Salem at the Salem Museum, Countryside Classics, Charlotte’s Web Antique Mall, Salem Times-Register, Riverside Nursery, Pine Ridge Nursery and in Roanoke at Obenchain’s Nursery.  They are also available from members of the six local garden clubs involved.  Tickets can be ordered by Mastercard or Visa by calling the Salem Museum at 389-6760.