Four fine homes and gardens on display

By Jackie Friedlander

Four fine homes and gardens in Great Falls will be open for the first time during the 75^th annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Co-sponsored by the Garden Clubs of Fairfax and Virginia, the tour will take place on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 on tour day or $20 in advance, and $10 for children ages 6 to 12, to benefit the restoration of Virginia's historic gardens.

The properties range from a historic farmhouse to a dramatic contemporary home.

The Domaine St. Charles Garden was created by garden designer Charles Lang Owen, inspired by trips to Provence with his wife Betsy.

Only the gardens will be open to the public on this property. They feature Armstrong maples lining the main drive, a courtyard with a limestone fountain and rose and boxwood parterres, a formal garden with an oval bowling green and border of Marie Pavier roses, a lower garden featuring a pond of water plants and koi, a rear kitchen garden and an upper garden with an expansive view.

Michael and Kelly Malesardi restored and updated a three-generational family farmhouse built about 65 years ago. Its history is echoed by antique quilts, handmade baskets and local artists' paintings on display inside. Guests may also visit the two-story, five-stall barn, which is home to the family horses.

Following the elegant Georgian Colonial style, the de Laski home includes a mahogany conservatory providing a panoramic garden view. It leads to a stone terrace with a stone and wrought-iron swimming pool. Mature cherry trees, magnolias, dogwood, mountain laurel and azaleas surround the house, enhancing the Colonial illusion. The property also includes a gazebo, a small waterfall and a sitting area in the shade garden.

Showing its true contemporary spirit, the Ash house is designed for indoor-outdoor living. The full-length glass doors and windows connect the homes to the surrounding five acres. They include themed woodland, conifer, succulent, perennial, rose and white-themed gardens; azaleas, bleeding hearts, rhododendron and bluebells; a goldfish pond and waterfall, fountains, benches and whimsies.

Shuttle buses travel to the properties. They go to the Malesardi and Domaine St. Charles locations from the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike, where refreshments are also available. They leave for the Ash and de Laski homes from Christ the King Lutheran Church at 10550 Georgetown Pike. The church and library both provide restrooms. The buses and homes are not wheelchair accessible, and no parking is available at or near the houses.

Tickets may be purchased on the tour day at the church or on the library shuttle bus. They are sold in advance at Heart in Hand of Clifton; Burke Forest, Circa Home and Garden, and Judy Ryan in Fairfax; Katie's Coffee House, the Old Brogue and Sage in Great Falls; Mesmeralda's in McLean; Anita Perlut in the Oakton Shopping Center; and Damon Galleries in Vienna, or by calling 703-978-4130.

For more information, call 703-759-6573 or 703-250-1615.