Participants wont be able to stop and smell the roses or tiptoe through the tulips at this years garden tour the 24th annual event June 27 but if they connect online they will still see five beautifully maintained and manicured gardens in Beaver and Brighton Township.

BEAVER A few weeks ago, officials at Beaver Area Memorial Library canceled its popular garden tour because of novel coronavirus concerns.

And then one of the Friends of the Library, volunteers who support the library, came up with a novel idea: a virtual garden tour.

No, participants wont be able to stop and smell the roses or tiptoe through the tulips this year the 24th annual event but if they connect online they will still see five beautifully maintained and manicured gardens in Beaver and Brighton Township.

Photographs shot by Bob Jackson from Brighton Township, and 90-second, narrated videos filmed by library staff or homeowners make up the virtual garden tour, which will be available for viewing June 27.

Not only did we need the idea, we needed somebody with the technology to be able to do it, said Diane Wakefield, library director.

That person is Jen Cribbs, childrens librarian.

She worked on it for a week or two and said it looks like its possible. I think we can go with it, Wakefield said.

Participants who register will receive an exclusive, online link at 10 a.m. that day that directs them to the tour website. The tour includes a message from Wakefield; information from a Master Gardener; and first look at participating gardens.

Tickets are $6 and available for purchase online at http://www.beaverlibrary.com since the library remains closed.

The exclusive invitation will be available for a week. Beginning July 6, the virtual garden tour will be available for public viewing at no charge.

Wakefield said she mailed postcards to people who supported the librarys garden tours in the past and invited them to participate online.

Among those receiving postcards were members of her book club.

I got four replies right away, she said. One of them said Oh, we wont have to worry about rain this year. I thought that was kind of cute.

The virtual tour also will be a plus for anyone who hasnt been able to go on the tour in the past because of illness, physical disability or age, Wakefield said.

Some older arent able to go on the tour anymore so they seemed like they were excited, she said about the online prospect.

Normally, the garden tour raises about $2,500, Wakefield said.

This year we set $1,000 as our goal and any money we do receive well use for capital projects such as painting, landscaping or upgrading bathrooms.

Three gardens are in Beaver and two are in Brighton Township.

Homeowners provided the following descriptions of their gardens:

Erzen family in Beaver: Many years of growing vegetables and now only flowers surround our home. We mostly enjoy our back patio on nice evenings burning in our patio fireplace and relaxing watching the hummingbirds and rabbits buzzing around for our entertainment.

OLeary family in Beaver: Our backyard garden includes five raised beds, two feed troughs, and a variety of pots where we grow our favorite fruits, vegetables, and flowers (which are great for cutting and attract lots of pollinators). This year, we started a majority of our plants under lights indoors, and sourced the rest from local organic nurseries. We love working on growing and maintaining our little ecosystem -- where we can channel our creativity while reaping the benefits of time spent outside and access to garden-fresh produce.

Grivna family of Brighton Township: The shaded front garden has a charming water fountain as its centerpiece with shrubbery, perennials, and a variety of colorful annuals. The serene backyard features a flowing waterfall and a deck filled with an array of potted plants, herbs, and a vegetable garden table.

Beaver County Master Gardeners Vegetable and Herb Demonstration Garden in Brighton Township: This garden is located within the Brighton First Senior Gardens located on Western Avenue in Brighton Township. The Master Gardeners educate the community on how to plan and maintain a vegetable garden, inclusive of companion herbs, edible flowers and water features.

Carol Fryday and husband David Ross of Beaver: See accompanying feature story on highlights of this garden.

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Beaver library's garden tour goes virtual because of coronavirus pandemic - The Times