East End garden tour offered sun, fun and gardens for everyone – by Diane Morey Sitton

One of the most enjoyable aspects for gardeners attending the East End Historical District Fall Garden Tour was the diverse array of gardens on display. Set amid the grand Victorian “painted ladies” in one of Galveston’s most historic and storied neighborhoods, this year’s tour featured a cozy cottage garden, a spacious landscape divided into Mediterranean-inspired garden rooms, and a tropical playground nestled in the shadow of a restored 1905 bottling plant, among other captivating gardens.

The annual event is sponsored by the East End Historic District Association. The district—a designated 58-city-block area—is Galveston’s first residential neighborhood. Many of the homes were built by skilled European immigrants for prosperous merchants and entrepreneurs during the port city’s “Gilded Age.”

Perhaps no landscape on the tour connected tour-goers more with Galveston’s entrepreneurial past than the gardens at the C.F. Marschner Building. The two-story brick structure was built in 1905 to house The Texas Bottling Works. The Marschner family lived upstairs. After restoration in the 1990s, the upper floor of the Texas Historic Landmark once again became a private residence.

Highlights of the garden include a whimsical play area for kids, a large sitting area with a fire pit, and a swimming pool/cabana. A second story balcony overlooks the plumeria, croton, firecracker plant, elephant ear, red bird of paradise and ferns that thrive in the lush tropical setting.

The focus shifted to structure and patterns at the Susan Alexander and Robert Clarke garden where boxwood, holly, and other evergreen plants tolerant of Galveston’s coastal climate are trained and trimmed into hedges and topiaries. The verdant geometric designs begin in the front courtyard, a small space where an ornate white bench overlooks a small formal bed of trimmed boxwood interspersed with seasonal plants. A Victorian gazing ball displayed on a white pedestal stands in the center of the bed. A black privacy screen (crafted by Robert) stands behind the bed and the bench. Its bee motif reinforces the theme of this “Bee Cottage by the Sea,” so named by the hands-on gardeners.

The geometric patterns continue in the back garden where a towering fireplace anchors one of several garden rooms. Beside cone-shaped trees and ball-shaped shrubs, there is a crosshatch pattern of bricks and turf that make up a garden room floor and a carefully-shaped grid that grows on a privacy fence. According to Susan, the varieties they grow are tailored to Galveston and do well with heat and cold.

Formality gives way to whimsy at Steve Griffith’s garden where ferns, sweet potato vine, elephant ear, banana tree, bougainvillea, coleus and other tropical favorites mingle amongst a bottle tree decorated with vibrant hand-blown glass (a gift from his daughter), a claw-foot bathtub that serves as a pool, pink flamingo stained glass, and various water features. Potted plants line the steps extending from the covered deck that extends from the 1910 circa Victorian house.

A privacy wall crafted from hundreds of vibrantly-hued, intricately-patterned Mexican tile numbers among the focal points at Mike and Christine Glover’s Mediterranean-inspired garden. The spacious backyard retreat is divided into garden rooms and conversation areas. Hibiscus, bougainvillea, red bird of paradise, rangoon creeper, and other colorful bloomers grow throughout the garden.

“We chose plants that complement the architectural style of the house and that you might find growing in the Mediterranean region,” says Christine. The back garden includes a conversation area with a fire pit, a grassy retreat with a garden swing, a dining area, a burbling fountain, and a television alcove, among other features.

Other highlights of the tour included a garden with a backyard dining area complete with a waist-high herb bed and a garden with a narrow side yard that accommodates a potting shed, patio, and table and chairs.

Sidebar:
The East End Historic District is a National Historic Landmark. It occupies a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Each year, the East End Historical District Association celebrates the heritage and beauty of the District with a Fall Garden Tour (and craft fair) that is held in October and a Holiday Homes Tour (December 5, 2025), among other events. For more information, visit the EEHDA website: eastendhistoricaldistrict.org.