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Garden lovers can put on their walking shoes June 16-17 and discover beautiful gardens in the Bloomington area featuring rocks of all shapes and sizes during the 21st Annual Glorious Garden Festival. 

The garden walk is a fundraiser for the David Davis Mansion Foundation, which provides private support for the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site.

The theme this year is “Gardens Totally Rock!” Be on the lookout for the ingenious ways owners have incorporated rocks in these beautiful gardens. Rain or shine, visitors will be inspired by some of the community’s most talented gardeners.

The garden walk offers tours of 10-11 private gardens. The hours are 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 16, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 17. The Garden Walk will be held rain or shine.

Tickets are $17 in advance and $7 for anyone under 18. They may be purchased in advance at The Garlic Press, Casey’s Garden Shop, Grieder Landscaping Services & Garden Center, Growing Grounds, Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses & Garden Center, Schnucks supermarkets, the David Davis Mansion and online at www.daviddavismansion.org. 

Tickets may be purchased for $20 and $7 the weekend of the event at the David Davis Mansion.

This popular annual event helps provide financial support for the restoration and preservation of Sarah Davis’s unique 1870s garden. It also raises community awareness of the importance of gardening. Over the last two decades, the walk has opened over 200 private gardens to some 20,000 visitors.

The walk begins on the grounds of the David Davis Mansion at 1000 Monroe Drive in Bloomington. Easy ticket and map pick-up, with drive-through service and free parking on the Mansion grounds, is available during the entire event weekend.

Visitors can enjoy complimentary tea and desserts served under a tent and take tours of Sarah’s Garden with master gardeners, who will explain how to design gardens using heirloom plants from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and other famous American gardens. The mansion will also host a vendors’ market, and of course the mansion itself will be open for tours.

Corporate sponsors are Casey’s Garden Shop, Chizmar Landscaping, Green View Companies, Growing Grounds, Original Smith Printing, Serenity Creek Design & Landscaping, State Farm Bank, Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses & Garden Center, WJBC AM 1230, and Zimmerman & Armstrong Investment Advisors.

Proceeds from the Garden Walk support preservation of Sarah’s Garden, a project that involves research and the reintroduction of difficult-to-find heirloom plants and seeds. Proceeds will also fund science-based field trips utilizing the garden and support mansion operations.

The David Davis Mansion was built in 1872 for Supreme Court Justice David Davis and his wife, Sarah. The site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free public tours.

The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. IHPA protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.

Learn more about IHPA at www.IllinoisHistory.gov, on Twitter and on Facebook.