Little Oak Spring

April 24 & 25

With magnificent views of the Blue Ridge and Bull Run Mountains, Little Oak Spring is part of the once much larger Rokeby Farm, the home of Paul Mellon and Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon, two of the greatest American art collectors and philanthropists of the late-20th century. The tour includes part of the main Mellon residence and all of its extensive garden, the formal greenhouse, the Little Oak Spring Gallery, and the Broodmare Barn, where Paul Mellon raised his most successful thoroughbreds, including Sea Hero, winner of the 1993 Kentucky Derby. The main residence is a complex of whitewashed stone buildings designed by the New York architect H. Page Cross. The walled garden, designed by Bunny Mellon, incorporates individually designed formal and informal spaces, separated by brick and gravel paths, and set on three terraces. Distinctive features include espaliered fruit trees, reflecting pools. and a bridge to a garden pavilion. Beyond the north wall, a crabapple arbor leads to the formal greenhouse with its magnificent trompe l’oeil decoration. *requires specific timed ticket for entrance.

Middleburg

April 27 & 28 

The Virginia Hunt Country, nestled in the rolling hills of the Piedmont, is the location of this tour featuring three properties near historic Middleburg. Two are next door properties with lovely gardens. Ellerslie is a recently renovated property included in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens in 2020. Benton is the home of a former Garden Club of Virginia President and included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Also on the tour is The Pond House, a charming property with low wet areas, shady woodlands and open sunny meadows. Visitors will be delighted by the variety of these grand estates and landscapes that celebrate the open spaces of this gorgeous part of Virginia.