Shepherd Village Permaculture Garden coordinator Gale Seiler, left, chats with Harpers Ferry residents Linda Layne, center, and Shari Kercheval at the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Crowds filled the streets in the Corporation of Shepherdstown over the weekend, eager to participate in the 26th annual Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea.

The event has featured well-maintained gardens in Shepherdstown and high tea in the War Memorial Building on the second weekend of May every year, since 1999. What made the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea a major draw for attendees this year, was the number of new gardens on this year’s tour.

“It’s become big event,” said James “Pug” Puglisi, who oversaw the organization of the tour. “This is the first time ever this year, that Shepherd Village and Sage Place were on the tour. Their gardens are spectacular.”

Also new to the tour was the garden at 4911 River Road, which required attendees to make a short drive outside of the town’s corporate limits to visit. Although the tour is intended to differ from other garden tours, by being totally walkable, the 1.5-acre garden at this location was too beautiful and close to the section of Shepherdstown featured in this year’s tour, to ignore.

“We do this new regional plan now, that we started three years ago, to regionalize the town into three sections: west, south and east. This way is more concentrated and gets more gardens involved in a smaller area, so smaller gardens can join in,” Puglisi said, noting this year’s tour featured the east section. “In the past, it was hard to include the smaller gardens on the tour, because they were competing for one of the tour stop positions with other, larger gardens in town.”

James “Pug” Puglisi, left, shows photographs demonstrating the extensive restoration done on his home, The Reynolds House, which served as tour stop 13 on the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

He said this has proven to be a more inclusive choice, for both the gardens in town and the tour attendees with mobility limitations.

“The main reason we do this, however, is because it gives a two-year break for the homeowners,” Puglisi said. “I’m on the garden tour this year, but next year it’s on the west side and the following year it’s on the south side. It will give me enough of a break, that I will be able to put more energy and effort into the garden when it’s time again to feature my garden on the tour.”

For Harpers Ferry residents Linda Layne and Shari Kercheval, the Permaculture Garden in Shepherd Village was of particular interest.

“This is so beautiful,” Layne said. “I’ve always wanted to come on the tour before, but this is my first time.”

For Gale Seiler, who serves as the Permaculture Garden’s team leader, being on the tour for the first year was a positive experience.

Girl Scout Troop 15006 member Lizzy Gorsuch, right, serves tea sandwiches to Lake Frederick, Va. residents Beth Jorgensen and Carrie Draper, in the War Memorial Building on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“It’s been great. It’s been fun to see so many interested people coming through,” Seiler said. “It’s been nice to share more about our community with people and, especially, what we’re doing here in this garden. So many people have been saying, ‘I wish I lived here.'”

When attendees were ready for nourishment, they made their way to the War Memorial Building, where tea organizer Errika Best led volunteers from the Shepherdstown Community Club, Girl Scout Troop 15006 and Saint James School in serving up hot and iced tea, water, scones, sweets and tea sandwiches.

“This is one of the core fundraisers for the Shepherdstown Community Club,” Best said. “The Shepherdstown Community Club manages both the War Memorial Building and Morgan’s Grove Park. It’s a yearlong commitment to manage both facilities.”

According to Best, a few changes were introduced to this year’s tea, to ensure it met the needs of all attendees. The number of tables was expanded, allowing the number of those being served at one time to be expanded. Tea to-go was also available, for those who wanted to enjoy their tea elsewhere. And, for those wanting to take home a memento from the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea, a tote bag was for sale, featuring a local artist’s rendering of tour stop six, the Thomas Shepherd Grist Mill.

Returning artistic elements to this year’s tour, included: plein air artists, painting many of the gardens on the tour; the art exhibit of The Friday Night Painters on the first floor of the War Memorial Building; and the musical performances of Shepherdstown-based band, Timothy’s Tea & Jam, at the high tea.

Shepherdstown resident Pheny Aldis, left, shares information about her garden, which was featured for the first time on this year’s Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea. Photo by Tabitha Johnston