Six Elmhurst homeowners will swing open their backyard gates Sunday, July 12, letting neighbors peek behind the hedges as the Elmhurst Garden Club marks a double milestone: its 30th annual "An Afternoon in the Garden" walk and its 100th year as a community organization.
The self-guided tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Ticket holders receive a guidebook with garden descriptions, a map, and a wristband for entry. Addresses of the six private gardens are revealed only after purchase.
A free Vendor Faire at Wilder Park, 211 S. Prospect Ave., runs the same hours and is open to anyone. Clovers Garden will sell plants near the information booth on Cottage Hill Road, and Pilot Pete's will serve sandwiches and beverages. The faire has drawn more than 35 vendors in past years, according to a Patch event listing.
A century of growing community
The club traces its roots to the spring of 1926, when a group of women from the Elmhurst Women's Club formed a new garden group. It now counts 150 members, according to the club's anniversary page.
The garden walk itself launched in 1995. Last year's event drew more than 650 ticket buyers, the club reported on its website.
$283,000 in scholarships and counting
Ticket sales fund the club's scholarship program for York High School and college students studying horticulture or environmental science. In 2025 alone, the club awarded $28,000 in scholarships, according to its Garden Walk page. Since the program began, 135 scholarships totaling more than $283,000 have gone to local students.
Proceeds also support the club's 72-year tradition of decorating the Elmhurst Public Library for the holidays, maintaining the herb garden in Wilder Park since 1981, and contributing to the Elmhurst University Arboretum and the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition.
How to go
Tickets cost $30 and are available only online at elmhurstgardenclub.org. No tickets will be sold at the park. Kelly McDermott, the club's ticket chair, can be reached at [email protected] for questions.
Strollers and dogs are not permitted in the private gardens. Restrooms are available at Wilder Mansion in the park.
The Elmhurst Park District has also promoted the event on its website, describing it as a showcase of private and public gardens alongside a boutique faire in Wilder Park.
