“And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.”
–  Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Sensitive Plant

I  can hardly believe it’s already April. Addie and I have been excitedly awaiting the sunny spring weather, and we’ve (officially) decided it’s here to stay.  Walking around the colonial area and campus today, I was delighted to see flowers everywhere; from the clusters of pink blossoms in the trees, the patches of precious, mini flowers springing up in the grass here and there, the rows of tulips behind the Governor’s Palace,  to the tulips outside of College Delly, the gardens and flowers are certainly- and suddenly- in bloom! In our “garden” behind the CW House, our first flowers, Irises, have recently bloomed.

During this time of year, you will see  lots of wildflowers, violets, daffodils, and tulips in bloom in the colonial gardens. Starting this month through September, one-hour garden tours, such as “The Garden History Walk” and “The Gardens of Gentility Walk”, are offered. Information about the tours at:  http://www.history.org/history/CWLand/index.cfm#programs.  On the calendar at history.org, you can check out all the daily, evening and special programs going on this spring.

The Colonial Garden and Nursery is now open again until wintertime. At the nursery you’ll see plants and flowers that were grown in colonial times, such as heirloom vegetables, plants and roses, and an herb garden. The nursery sells 18th-century reproduction gardening tools, authentic plants, seeds, and other gardening items, too, for all you green thumbed garden lovers out there. It is located across from Bruton Parish Church on Duke of Gloucester street.

Upcoming Event on Saturday, April 16:

Addie and I will be hosting one of our last events this coming Saturday, during which we will lead students on our own special tour through some of the colonial gardens and our favorite CW spots! More details to come– so look out for information on the event; we are “William Randolph Lodging” on Facebook and we will also have the details on Student Happenings later this week.   We hope to see you on Saturday, but either way, try to take a walk in the historic area on one of these lovely, sunny April days… even Barack Obama is trying to take some time off to visit Williamsburg  with his family!

Here are a few more things to do in CW in April:

– This coming Saturday, the 16^th, you can participate in the D.O.G. (Duke of Gloucester) Street 5k which benefits Avalon from 7-9 a.m. (you can do this before our event!). Registration and more info at: https://www.raceit.com//register/?event=3159 .

– The Farmers’ Market is now open for season, held every Saturday in Merchant’s Square from 8am-12 noon (until the beginning of October).

– If you want to see the Fifes & Drums, they will be visiting Merchants Square also this coming Saturday from 2:30-3 pm.

– Starting this Tuesday, April 12^th through June 7, there is a new walking tour called “Talk of the Town: The Women’s Tour,” going on every Tuesday from 11:30am-12:30pm. On the tour you can find out what life was like for women on the eve of the American Revolution. The tour is free with your ID but a free reservation is required; make your reservation by calling 1-800-HISTORY begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-HISTORY end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

**And remember, our W&M student pass gives us the same benefits as the “Good Neighbor pass members,” which gives us:

• Free admission to all of the Colonial Williamsburg exhibition sites and museums
• Free use of CW’s bus service, which includes a shuttle to Jamestown and Yorktown
• 25% off tickets for most evening programs (for the members/W&M students only)
• 25% off up to 20 general admission passes each year per household for your friends and family
• Special discounts and offers for the month of April- info. at: http://www.history.org/visit/goodNeighbor/offer.cfm

Enjoy the sunshine and the historic area this April, and, as always, be good to thy lady. This is the perfect time for those  picnics and romantic strolls I spoke of  in my first blog post, and with the beautiful flowers blooming, you know one thing you can surprise your lady with.

Yours,

Lady Grace