Betsy Biesenbach
Special to The Roanoke Times
Last March, Bre Vassar, chair of Roanokeâs Historic Garden Week in Virginia tour, had already begun lining up volunteers to open their homes and gardens when the 2020 tour was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
âIt was a little depressing,â she said, since she had already been working on the project â which is sponsored by the Roanoke Valley Garden Club and the Mill Mountain Garden Club â for several months.
At the time, most people thought it would be just a matter of weeks before everything got back to normal, but last spring, in an almost-prescient move, the Garden Club of Virginia â which provides publicity and support for the statewide event in exchange for a portion of the ticket sales â decided to encourage its member groups to hold outdoor-only events this year.
Betsy Biesenbach
Special to The Roanoke Times
Cyndy and Brian Unwinâs house on Wellington Drive sits high on a ridge overlooking the treeline, with spectacular views in every direction. The front yard is relatively flat, but 30 feet from the back of the house, the yard drops off steeply into a wooded ravine.
While many gardeners might find a landscape like this frustrating to work with, Cyndy Unwin revels in it. Due to the variations in elevation, she said, âThis place has every kind of climate to grow in.â
The Unwins spent most of their married life traveling from state to state as Brian, a physician, was stationed at various Army bases throughout his 29-year career.