Garden Week exceeds expectations

Attendance at this spring's Historic Garden Week in Virginia events exceeded expectations, with ticket sales surpassing $726,000.

The statewide garden-club tours held each April have raised almost $15 million during the past 76 years. Proceeds benefit the restoration of historic public gardens throughout Virginia.

At the 89th annual meeting of The Garden Club of Virginia last week, the Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement - the club's oldest and most prestigious award - was presented to Margaret Page Bemiss, author of "Historic Virginia Gardens: Preservation Work of The Garden Club of Virginia, 1975-2007." Bemiss is a member of the James River Garden Club.

While serving on the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, Bemiss was instrumental in the restoration and preservation of historic properties around VCU. She worked to preserve Monroe Park, a 7.3-acre city park in the center of downtown Richmond, restoring it to a citizen-friendly landscape. She also helped oversee the creation of a master plan for maintaining the landscape and architectural treasures of historic Hollywood Cemetery.

The DeLacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation was awarded to Suzanne Wescoat, a member of The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore since 1974. Wescoat has dedicated herself to preserving and protecting the Eastern Shore's natural landscape. Her campaign to address concerns about Northampton County, the southern half of the Eastern Shore, led to the formation of a nonprofit organization titled Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES). In 1996, The Nature Conservancy presented her with its highest conservation honor, the Oak Leaf Award.

The Garden Club of Virginia includes 47 clubs and more than 3,000 members from around the state. -Julie Young