Years ago, St. Petersburg's Old Northeast neighborhood was simply a village of farmers' homesteads. But C. Perry Snell and J.C. Hamlett had other plans for the area. In 1911, they created the North Shore subdivision within Old Northeast to draw people to the growing, dynamic city of St. Petersburg. Today, residents of St. Petersburg's oldest neighborhood are still just as green-thumb savvy as the farmers that resided there in the late 1800s, and several private plots are showcased during a leisurely Spring Garden Stroll that's hosted by the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association this Sunday. Residents open their gardens and patios to the tour, share gardening and landscaping tips and secrets, and show off a variety of native and exotic plants, flowers, water features and outdoor accessories. The ticket price includes admission to Old Northeast's famed botanical paradise, Sunken Gardens, where Supervisor of Educational Programming/green guru Bill O'Grady answers all your pressing gardening questions. Sun., May 4, noon-4 p.m., tours depart from Westminster Presbyterian Church, 126 11th Avenue N.E., St. Petersburg, $10 in advance/$15 day of, 727-825-0479, honna.org.
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2008.