Garden Tours

The 12th annual Irish Workers' Festival will take place on Saturday at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington. The event celebrates the contributions Irish workers made to the du Pont powder mills in the 19th century. The mills, along with the original du Pont estate and gardens, are situated on Hagley grounds.One of the museum's popular events, the festival features a full schedule of entertainment. Most of the activities will take place on Blacksmith Hill, the restored mill workers' community, where you can hear a Celtic trio, an Irish folk musician and a singer of Irish ballads.

The 63rd annual Georgetown Garden Tour will be held on Saturday, rain or shine, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.This year's tour of 12 gardens is highlighted by those at Tudor Place, the four-level estate of Mrs. W. Averell Harriman; Evermay, with its Italianate-style terraces, fountains and sculptures, also noted for its roses; and the garden at Renwick Chapel at historic Oak Hill Cemetery. Guides will answer questions and point out features at each of the tour stops, and refreshments will be served in Keith Hall at Christ Church.

April is the month for house and garden tours, and among the first in the region is the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage. It begins with a walking tour in the Bolton Hill section of Baltimore on Saturday and continues for the next four weekends through May 5.Laid out in 1845, Bolton Hill was one of the earliest districts to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beyond the marble steps, the interiors of these fine old town houses offer a variety of tastes, decorating styles and floor plans.

History buffs and students of architecture can plan now for the 54thMaryland Home and Garden Pilgrimage Anne Arundel County tour from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 20.Regardless of weather, the tour will feature 15 houses and buildings built in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Tickets for the entire tour cost $15, with admission to individual homes $5 each.The tour will feature privately owned homes: Holly Hill near Friendship; Portland Manor and The Lord's Bounty, near Bristol; Tulip Hill overlooking West River; Obligation and The Red House, near Harwood;Smith's Church, Christ Church and the Rectory, in Owensville; and the Bordley-Randall House in Annapolis.