Historic Garden Week On Richmond’s Church Hill

by Charles McGuigan 03.2026

As the Semiquincentennial honoring the birth of our country nears, it seems appropriate that Historic Garden Week will feature several homes and gardens in Church Hill, the city’s oldest neighborhood.  At its heart sits St. John’s Church where the patriot Patrick Henry lit a spark that compelled Virginia to arms against the British when he intoned those seven immortal words: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” And late last March, on the 250th anniversary of that moment in time, as a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s speech was occurring within the church, thousands of patriots gathered in the churchyard and all along Broad Street in what may have been the first No Kings protest in recent times. So history often does more than simply rhyme.

On April 22, from ten in the morning till four in the afternoon, you’ll get a chance to visit some of the oldest and best preserved homes in Richmond along with some fairly elaborate gardens, from an enclosed green retreat overlooking the James River at 3007 Libby Terrace to the eco-conscious front and rear gardens of the Smith House at 2617 East Franklin Street with its plantings of native species that benefit pollinators and regional wildlife. The right side of this home also features a curated forest garden with a collection of mayflowers, bluebells, and other native woodland species.

In all there are six homes and gardens featured on the tour. Among them is one of the most remarkable complexes on Church Hill. Founded a year after the Civil War by Sisters of the Visitation, the nuns founded the Monte Maria Academy there that was a sort precursor of feminist thought: they hoped to educate girls so they could support themselves. The school closed in 1922 when the Sisters decided on a more contemplative life. Monte Maria became a monastery and the good Sisters cloistered themselves in lives committed to prayer. That tradition continues to this day with Richmond Hill which devotes itself to prayer, hospitality, racial healing, and spiritual development.

Tickets for the garden tour are $50 in advance, and $60 on the day of the event. To get your tickets now, please visit gcvirginia.org