Cape May's Spring Festival features Home and Garden

The first Cape May Home and Garden Show kicks off Saturday and Sunday at Cape May Convention Hall.

Buy potted tulips, get your garden questions answered by expert master gardeners, hear live Barbershop performances and snack on hot soft pretzels and lemonade.

There'll be a silent auction for a Patricia Rainey watercolor. Over 30 vendors will have home and garden stuff for sale and you can even attend a lecture or free demonstration including:

• Weber Grills cooking demonstrations
• Restoring Antique Lighting & Hardware
• Simple Plant Propagation
• Turning Gourds into Birdhouse
• How to Create a Butterfly Garden
• Tree Care

Historic House Tours

Or go to the longest-running event of Spring Festival - the Historic House Tours, held from 11 AM to 4PM Saturdays, April 24 and May 1.

Get inside looks at Cape May’s Victorian architectural riches and chat with local innkeepers on thse self guided tours.

Private Home Tours

In additions to Historic House Tours, there are two Private Homes Tours during Spring Festival. The Private Homes Tours feature Cape May homes from the Victorian era to the 21st century, which are not normally open to the public.

Private home tours are 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays, April 25 and May 2. Tour begins and tickets are available at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth at Ocean St. Admission is $15.

Remodeling Tips

On Monday, April 26 Mary Vinnedge, editor of Design NJ magazine, will present a lecture titled, “Remodeling Tips and Inspirations.” Learn the tricks of the trade, get some remodeling ideas and hear inspiring success stories—just in time for some springtime sprucing-up projects. The presentation is followed by luncheon at the Twinings Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate. 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 26. Admission is $20 per person.

Garden Ideas

Spring Festival lectures continue on Thursday, April 29 with two Spring Festival Floral Workshops taught by author and owner of Triple Oaks Nursery, Lorraine Keifer.

All About Herbs 10AM Thursday, April 29 at Cape Island Baptist Church, Gurney Street and Columbia Avenue. Learn the basics: how to prepare, what to plant, how to culture it, how and when to pick. Find out which flowers are edible. Learn how to make a window box or pot of herbs for the deck. Participants will receive information on starting a garden, a culture of each herb and a pack of seeds.

Fragrant Plants Throughout the Year, 1:30PM Thursday, April 29 at Cape Island Baptist Church. Learn which of the fragrant plants that were popular in the Victorian era still exist and are popular today. Find out which trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers and herbs can make your garden a wonderfully fragrant spot to work and relax. Each lecture is $15, or $27 for both lectures.

And don't forget the Secret Garden Tours!
Peak inside private gardens and see what's blooming.

For more information on any of these events, call the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (609) 884-5404.