By Tara Mae
The Northport Historical Society and Museum’s annual garden tour fundraiser is a celebration of friendship and flora, an acknowledgement that both require care and attention to flourish.
This year’s event, titled the Remembrance Garden Tour: In Memory of Arlene Handel, will be held on Sunday, July 13, from noon to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to take a self-guided tour of gardens from six private homes including an English-style parterre with David Austin roses and foxgloves; a formal garden influenced by Charleston design with cast iron furniture and boxwood-lined paths; a tranquil woodland garden with family-heirloom elements like “Grandpa’s Rock;” and an apiary and organic pollinator landscape kept by a professional designer.
Additionally, there are serene gardens ensconcing historic homes; naturalistic beds; native plantings, ponds; and, even a chicken coop guarded by “Bella the Guard Goose.” One of the locations will provide refreshments and more than 20 raffle baskets featuring a variety of lifestyle items and recreational experiences on which to bid.
“What makes this experience special is not only the diversity of garden styles — from historic backdrops to whimsical pollinator havens — but also the stories behind them. Visitors can expect personal touches, deep-rooted family histories, and meaningful tributes woven into the landscapes,” said Northport Historical Society Director of Marketing and Membership Cary Bianculli.
Flowers have different meanings: remembrance, love, friendship. Motifs of cultivated gardens offer insight and understanding as well as charm and quietude. These gardens are tales written in a richly unique language, means of self-expression and communication between the gardener, nature, and visitors.
President of the Board of Trustees and Garden Tour Chair Carolyn P. Hyatt-Basche, who selected the current participants, recognizes that dialect.
“We have both big and small gardens on the tour. The homeowners are so enthusiastic, and it is so nice to share that with people,” she said.
Hyatt-Basche used her association with various other gardening organizations — the Long Island chapter of the Rock Garden Society; the Long Island Horticultural Society; the American Hosta Society; the Asharoken Garden Club; the Planting Fields Arboretum; and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden — to recruit residents to showcase their floriferous retreats.
“The Garden Tour is not only a fundraiser for the Northport Historical Society and Museum but also an invitation to step into the stories, history, and beauty of the Northport community,” Bianculli said. “It’s a meaningful way to honor the past, support the present, and plant inspiration for the future.”
Honoring that heritage involves commemorating the contributions of individual people. This year’s tour is a tribute to Arlene Handel, a longtime Northport Historical Society member and garden tour supporter, who passed away in February. Handel, the former Village of Northport deputy mayor, served on the Society’s board of trustees, and on many other local boards.
“Arlene Handel was a deeply cherished member of the Northport community, known for her lifelong commitment to public service, preservation, and beautification efforts,” Bianculli said. “She was an avid gardener whose passion for horticulture was well known. Her own garden was featured on the tour one year, reflecting her personal connection to the event.”
Permeating the tour is Handel’s legacy of enriching her environment, embodied by its sensorial locations. Designed to delight, the artful gardens are curated to satiate the senses and invigorate the imagination. A resplendent revelry of sumptuous scents, vibrant colors, and individual intricacies, they are a testament to the bond made from nurturing nature.
“The event is a celebration of beauty, yes, but also resilience, creativity, and shared inspiration. It encourages each of us to nurture our own ‘little corner of the world’ into something we can be proud of,” Bianculli said. “That spirit of connection and transformation is what we most look forward to each year — and why this event continues to resonate with so many.”
Tickets to the Remembrance Garden Tour are $45 per person, $40 members in advance. Day-of tickets are $50.
Ticketholders can drop by the Northport Historical Society and Museum, 215 Main Street, Northport on Saturday, July 12 between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. or Sunday, July 13 between 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to pick up a Guide to the Gardens which will serve as your ticket. For more information, call 631-757-9859 or visit www.northporthistorical.org.
Tickets are now on sale for the 12th annual Rocky Point Garden Tour, a self-guided walk through the community’s best home gardens, on Saturday, June 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with garden goods for sale and raffle. $20 per person. Tickets are available at Heritage Paint, 637 Route 25A, Rocky Point and Flowers on Broadway, 43 Broadway, Rocky Point. All proceeds benefit the Rocky Point Civic Association. For more information, call 631-521-5726.
