The first Open Gardens Weekend in 2019 was a success with more than 600 people visiting 30-plus gardens in Iowa City, according to event coordinator Beth Cody.
Project GREEN was founded in 1968 to help beautify Iowa City and “promote high standards of design in architecture, landscape architecture and community planning,” as its site explains.
But about 10 years ago, Cody read about the Buffalo Garden Walk, a free event that attracts thousands of people annually to the gardens in Buffalo, the largest city in western New York.
“Iowa City is clearly not an urban metropolis of more than a million people like Buffalo is,” Cody said.
“Garden centers all over the country – and right here in Iowa, too – reported record sales of plants and gardening supplies last year.
Admission is free, and visitors will pick up a map at sponsor locations the week before the event.
“The end result of our event, on so many levels, is a more beautiful community, with more gardens and more people gardening,” Cody said.
Little Village is an independent media company based in Iowa City.