Garden Trips
Now that I’ve moved one more step closer to full retirement, I’m drastically cutting back on the garden trips I’ve been doing with Lowee’s Group Tours for the past 15 years or so.
Other than annual trips to the Philadelphia Flower Show, I’m retiring from the travel business. However, my wife, Sue, who has gone on most trips over the years, is planning to pick up some of the slack with a few trips of her own.
Call Lowee’s at 717-657-9658 for details or to sign up for any trip. You can now book trips directly online at Lowee’s website. All of the trips are open to the public.
2025 Trips with Sue
Alexandria Home and Garden Tour
Sat., April 26, 2025
Sue is leading a day trip to the annual Alexandria, Va., Home and Garden Tour, one of the most popular in Virginia’s statewide Garden Week, on Sat., April 26.
The Carlyle House garden in Alexandria.
You’ll have the whole day to see the historic homes and quaint gardens on the tour, plus visit downtown Alexandria’s many boutique shops and restaurants.
The trip has pickups on the East Shore (the At Home store at 5070 Jonestown Road) and West Shore (Sam’s Club, 6520 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg).
The cost is $159, which includes transportation and your Home and Garden Tour ticket.
More information and sign-ups are available by calling Lowee’s Group Tours at 717-657-9658 or by emailing CKelly@Lowees.com. Or book directly online at Lowee’s website.
Springtime in America’s Garden Capital
Wed., May 7, 2025
Sue is leading a day trip to two of the Philadelphia area’s top public gardens plus an amazing home garden called WynEden on Wed., May 7.
Winterthur’s Italian Garden water garden.
The first stop is the H.F. du Pont Winterthur estate in Delaware, which will include a narrated tram tour of the grounds and gardens.
After an included box lunch, the second stop is the nine-and-a-half-acre WynEden home garden of Wayne Guyman, which features 4,000 different plants and cultivars, 15,000 hostas, 7,000 rhododendrons and azaleas, three ponds, three streams, and five acres of woodlands.
Stop 3 is the huge Longwood Gardens, where the group will spend the rest of the day enjoying the gazillions of flowers and Longwood’s new conservatory.
The trip has pickups on the East Shore (the At Home store at 5070 Jonestown Road) and West Shore (Sam’s Club, 6520 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg).
The cost is $159, which includes transportation, admissions, and a box lunch.
More information and sign-ups are available by calling Lowee’s Group Tours at 717-657-9658 or by emailing CKelly@Lowees.com. Or book directly online at Lowee’s website.
Gardens of the Pacific Northwest
Fri., June 27-Tue., July 8, 2025
My wife, Sue, organized and will be leading this 12-day fly/drive tour of great gardens and more in the Pacific Northwest from June 27 through July 8, 2025, including visits to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. The day-by-day intinerary:
Butchart Gardens’ flagship Quarry Garden.
Day 1, Fri., July 27: Fly to Portland, Ore., for the beginning of a four-night stay and enjoy a welcome dinner in the “City of Roses.”
Day 2, Sat., June 28: Start the morning with a visit to the 10,000 roses in Portland’s famed International Rose Test Garden, then tour the 5½-acre Portland Japanese Garden with its great view of the mountains. Then you’ll have time to browse Portland’s Historic Old Town and its Saturday Market, followed by a visit to one of the nation’s top Chinese gardens, the Lan Su Chinese Garden. The day is capped with a river cruise.
Day 3, Sun. June 29: Today is scenery day in the Cascade Mountains, highlighted by the Columbia River and the 611-foot-tall Multnomah Falls in addition to the stunning mountain vistas. The day also includes a visit to a lavender farm and a wine-tasting at a local vineyard.
Day 4, Mon., June 30: The day starts with a tour of the huge Iseli Nursery, a wholesale grower specializing in conifers and Japanese maples. Then it’s off for a tour of the 80-acre Oregon Garden, followed by a stop at one of the nation’s leading perennial growers, Terra Nova Nursery.
Day 5, Tue., July 1: It’s off to Seattle today with a stop in Olympia, Wash., along the way, where you’ll learn more about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Then cross the Puget Sound via the Washington State Ferry and see the Seattle skyline from the water.
Day 6, Wed., July 2: Explore Seattle’s waterfront and Pioneer Square with a local guide, then head to the Pike Place Market. Next up is a tour of Chihuly Garden and Glass with its lush garden backdrop, followed by a visit to Seattle’s Space Needle and then free time for dinner.
Day 7, Thur., July 3: Two amazing private gardens are on the agenda this day: a private tour of Windcliff Nursery, Dan Hinkley’s gardens and plant place overlooking Puget Sound, and Heronswood Garden, a 15-acre garden featuring unusual plant varieties from around the world. The balance of the day is free time to explore Seattle.
Day 8, Fri., July 4: Head to the coastal town of Port Angeles and enjoy lunch, then go on a bus drive through Olympic National Park to enjoy views of the Olympic Mountains. Finish the day with a ferry to Victoria.
Day 9, Sat., July 5: Start the day with a city tour of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, then head out to Brentwood Bay for a tour of the world-class Butchart Gardens. End the day with a tour of Abkhazi Gardens, known as “the garden that love built.”
Day 10, Sun., July 6: Head to Vancouver by ferry and visit Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, the first Chinese garden built outside Asia. Then tour the 988-acre Stanley Park with its large rose collection, colorful arbors, and flower beds.
Day 11, Mon., July 7: Visit VanDusen Botanical Gardens and its 12,000 trees in the morning, then tour Queen Elizabeth Gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory, the horticultural gem at Vancouver’s highest point. A farewell dinner caps the day and the trip.
Day 12, Tue., July 8: Fly back east.
The trip cost is $7,999 per person double, which includes round-trip airfare, 11 nights of lodging, 16 meals, on-tour transportation, and all admissions. (FYI: This is a Sue trip, and George isn’t planning on going.)
More information and sign-ups are available by calling Lowee’s Group Tours at 717-657-9658 or toll-free 1-888-345-6933 or by emailing CKelly@Lowees.com. Or you can book directly online at Lowee’s website.
Georgia Adventures in Green
Sat., Sept. 20-Sat., Sept. 27, 2025
My wife, Sue, will be leading this eight-day/seven-night tour of great gardens in Georgia Sept. 20-27, 2025, including visits to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Gibbs Garden, Callaway Gardens, and the huge Georgia Aquarium. Here’s the itinerary:
The “Earth Goddess” at the Atlantic Botanical Gardens. (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 1, Sat., Sept. 20: Stop on the way to Georgia in Charlottesville, Va., for a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and stay overnight in Charlotte, N.C.
Day 2, Sun., Sept. 21: Visit the Bavarian German Village in Helen, Ga., and tour Hardman Farms, a historic site known for its 19th-century Italianate mansion and Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound House. Finish the day with a tour of the Red Oak Lavender Farm and diner.
Day 3, Mon., Sept. 22: Tour the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens with its 300 acres of collections, trial gardens, and theme gardens in the morning. After lunch, take the Covington Movie Tour Trolley Tour in Social Circle, Ga., and explore where more than 40 movies and shows were filmed, including Dukes of Hazzard, Vampire Diaries and more. Stay overnight in Atlanta tonight and tomorrow.
Day 4, Tue., Sept. 23: Tour the Georgia Aquarium, the biggest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. Have lunch at The Varsity – the world’s largest drive-in restaurant and an Atlanta institution – and then tour the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. Dinner at Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen.
Day 5, Wed., Sept. 24: Take a guided tour of Atlanta, featuring Centennial Olympic Park, MLK National Park, Sweet Auburn Street, and more. Then head to Senoia, Ga., for a tour of this charming town with its picturesque streets and film history. Finish the day with a tour of the Hills and Dales Estate and Gardens in LaGrange, Ga.
Day 6, Thur., Sept. 25: Spend the morning touring the 2,500-acre Callaway Gardens with its woodlands, plant collections, and themed gardens. After lunch at the Bullock House, tour Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Little White House’ in Warm Springs.
Day 7, Fri., Sept. 26: Tour Alo Farms, which specializes in hydroponics and vertical farming. In the afternoon, tour the Gibbs Garden, one of the largest residential gardens in the U.S. with 16 different garden areas. Then head to Chattanooga for a Southern-comfort-food dinner stop at Nic and Norman’s, owned by stars of the TV show The Walking Dead.
Day 8, Sat., Sept. 27: Head home from Tennessee with a stop at the Natural Bridge in Virginia.
The cost is $2,739 per person double, which includes seven nights lodging, 16 meals (including gratuities), transportation, and all admissions and guided-tour fees.
More information and sign-ups are available by calling Lowee’s Group Tours at 717-657-9658 or toll-free 1-888-345-6933 or by emailing CKelly@Lowees.com. Or you can book directly online at Lowee’s website.