The second annual Porches and Posies Garden Tour will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9. Southern End gardens will be featured in the self-directed tour, which will benefit Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church.

The first edition of the event drew visitors locally and from outside the area. "Some of us had the idea this would make a great community event," said organizer Anna Mary Barcus. "I'm just really excited to do this again this year."

This year's Porches and Posies Garden Tour will feature 12 new garden stops, which will display a variety of garden styles and growing conditions, including a cut flower garden, examples of outdoor living and two Amish gardens. "We try to have a nice assortment of styles, realistic but inspirational and achievable," Barcus said.

One of the gardens on the tour is at the home of Kendra Herr. Features of her yard include a small barn, a stone patio with a fire pit and a screened-in porch attached to the home and deck. Herr's property is full of flower beds planted mostly with perennials and shrubs. She also enjoys container gardening and has pots of colorful annual arrangements throughout the property that contain plants such as Lantana, Coleus and Setcresea Purple Heart.

Because areas of her yard include both full sun and almost full shade, Herr is able to use all kinds of plants and flowers. Herr, who said that the goal is to make her outside as inviting as the inside of her home, describes gardening as therapeutic. "I'm not a Master Gardener, and I started off knowing nothing, so hopefully I can inspire others that they can do it, too," said Herr. "You have to want to learn and be willing to ask questions. The more you (garden), the better you get at it."

The garden tour event was created last year as a fundraiser to help Chestnut Level Church with the cost of recent renovations to the sanctuary. "We had some major sanctuary renovations done in 2021 and 2022," Barcus said. "It's a church-sponsored event, but it's really for the entire community."

The garden tour will run rain or shine on July 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. and on July 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants may complete their tour in one day or take a leisurely pace over both days to enjoy all 12 stops.

Day-of-tour tickets will be available at the church, 1068 Chestnut Level Road, Quarryville. There will be separate prices for adults and for children age 10 and under. Upon purchasing a ticket, the buyer will receive a map with the addresses of all the participating gardens as well as descriptions of each garden and comments from the gardeners.

For more information about the garden tour, call Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church at 717-548-2763 or visit http://www.facebook.com/chestnutlevelpres and choose "Events."