The Through the Garden Gate summer garden tour was presented by the Gates Mills Garden Club on Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20.

The garden club headquarters on Chagrin River Road.The tour has become an early summer tradition in Gates Mills, when guests are invited to explore a curated selection of private gardens—from elegant estates to unique outdoor retreats—each showcasing creativity and natural beauty.

Active since 1931, the nonprofit Gates Mills Garden Club is one of the oldest such organizations in the Greater Cleveland area.

The itinerary included seven stops with a break for lunch at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club—a venerable institution located in Gates Mills since 1909. The lunch was a great opportunity to get out of the noonday sun and enjoy an excellent meal served in one of the area’s most impressive venues.

The tour is a biennial event, and planning for it begins a year in advance. Stops on the tour are based on recommendations from members and friends of the garden club, with an emphasis on presenting a variety of garden styles.

A naturalized scene on a wooded lot.This year, two buses provided accommodations for 60 guests. The buses left promptly at 10 a.m. for the first stop on the tour. Proud homeowners graciously received their visitors and made them feel welcome—cheerfully providing answers to questions about the histories of each of their particular gardens.

Some sites were the result of decades of effort, while others were far newer. The assortment varied from the very formal to natural.

One stop was a great illustration of the concept of a gentleman’s farm, displaying blueberry bushes carefully protected from birds, and newly-planted trees and vegetables.

Visits to the various sites on the tour typically lasted 30 to 45 minutes, allowing ample time to see each garden.

There was a fair amount of walking involved.

By lunchtime, the participants were glad to see the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club, where the staff took pains to make the garden visitors feel welcome. It was a pleasant interlude before continuing the tour.

It should be noted that this tour is one of a range of activities involving the garden club throughout the year. These events include plant sales, a vegetable garden raising donations to a local food bank, and the care and maintenance of the Gates Mills Arboretum, a two-acre site founded in 1935.

The original 1931 mission statement declares that the club was founded “to promote the advancement of gardening and the stimulation of interest in the preservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of Gates Mills.”

A dining area at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club.While subsequently updated, this statement continues to guide the actions of the club to this day. The garden club currently includes 134 members who stay busy throughout the year.

The club is headquartered at a lovely facility on Chagrin River Road, given as a generous bequest by a longtime friend and member of the club.

The headquarters site was the first stop after lunch. Visitors browsed a colorful array of products offered by local entrepreneurs and artisans.

Soon it was time to reboard the buses and complete the tour.

By 4 p.m., the visitors were returned to their starting point, many of them already anticipating the next tour.

Contact the Gates Mills Garden Club at (440) 423-4555 for more information about the club and the Through the Garden Gate tours.