A CURATED JOURNEY THROUGH RIVERSIDE & AVONDALE GARDENS AND OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES
The 6th annual Garden Tour presented by The Tides Group is Saturday, May 9, 2026. The annual event is a major fundraiser for our neighborhood parks and invites visitors to journey through some of the historic district’s private gardens and living spaces.
Below, get a sneak peek of the properties on this year’s tour, as well as ticket information and details about the Garden Tour Twilight Party on Thursday, May 7.
Thank You
Presenting Sponsor
The Tides Group
Tulip Sponsors
Foxy Foliage
Bruce & Kyle Musser
Waffle Cone
Flipside Jax
Snapdragon Supporter
Alex Gornik, LLC
Castaway Records
SkyDog Family Bonsai
Soluna Yoga + Spa
Wacca Pilatka
Asian Inspiration
3521 Hedrick Street
Feature Home & Twilight Party Host
The gardens at 3521 Hedrick St. were built in the mid-1980’s by owners Michael and Linda Fisher. While meandering through this intimate space, you will notice several Asian features. These items are relics from Linda’s many decades of teaching Humanities at FSCJ’s Kent Campus, often hosting her students in this space. Her focus included Asian cultural studies, and she would often showcase her extensive art and sculpture collection from her own home.
Nature’s Friend
3537 Pine Street
Carol and Bill Proctor’s yard has been going native for a while now, and it shows. Rain barrels, compost bins, organic practices throughout. No chemicals. The garden doesn’t look “designed” so much as it looks like someone’s been making good decisions for a long time and letting the plants do their thing.
The Secret Gallery on St. Johns
3536 St. Johns Avenue
Tucked behind the home, an intimate courtyard garden unfolds as a lush, immersive retreat—wrapping gracefully around the entire house and anchored by a striking row of palms that sway gently overhead. Designed as both sanctuary and showcase, the space is layered with rich plantings that create depth, movement, and year-round interest.
Garden of Weeden
1712 Pinegrove Avenue
Homeowner Gina Martinell lives out loud – and it shows. The only thing more colorful than her property is her personality. She’s been cultivating her Pinegrove garden since 1999, pulling inspiration from Italy and California and mixing in a little feng shui along the way. If you’ve driven down Herschel, you’ve probably spotted her eclectic style—repurposed household items turned into garden art and a giant succulent lion that’s hard to miss.
Bromeliad Boutique
3550 Oak Street
What looks like a classic Avondale landscape out front opens up to a tropical oasis in the backyard. Chuck Ivy has created his own little microclimate, between the fence and the old-growth trees to shelter an incredible plant collection. Step through the gate and you’ll find more than 400 bromeliads— including rare, registered specimens carefully cultivated with help from the Northeast Florida Bromeliad Society.
A standout in Chuck’s collection is his corpse flower, which blooms just once a year – just don’t sniff it!
Le Jardin de la Joie
2910 Downing Street
Explore a landscape where homeowner Pat Joy has paired quirky yard art with creative plant staging that transforms standard planters and garden beds into engaging focal points, encouraging visitors to slow down and look closer.
The garden features a diverse collection of plants chosen for their visual appeal and fragrance. Fig, Persimmon, and Citrus trees add the feel of a traditional orchard.
Native Meadows
2610 Herschel Street
Homeowners Allyson and Paul’s garden beautifully blends sustainability and playful charm, with small disco balls placed throughout the front and backyard creating a fun contrast against the natural landscape and native plantings.
Visitors will find a beautiful mix of gardenia, holly fern, citrus, coleus, begonia, society garlic, redbud, foxtail fern, Stokes’ aster, liriope, mahonia, bottlebrush, azalea, and ornamental grasses throughout the property.
Riverside Avondale Preservation @ The Buckland House
2623 Herschel Street
In 2018, Landscape Architect Rick Pariani developed a plan for the Buckland House landscape that would transform the community focused work of Riverside Avondale Preservation. The design, which included the addition of a covered porch, fire and water feature, and greenroom for hosting signature events was the beginning of a reimagining of the use of the Buckland House backyard.
In 2024, work began with Bold City Properties as general contractor and Angela Schifanella, Architect, to enhance the headquarters of Riverside Avondale Preservation. The main features of the renovation included an addition/covered porch, parking lot resurfacing, reinforcing the exterior of the Buckland House, relocating the shed, and a Florida Friendly backyard landscape.
3521 Hedrick Street
Join Riverside Avondale Preservation, presenting sponsor CovingtonAlsina, and homeowners Michael W. and Dr. Linda McLucas Fisher for an evening of celebration to usher in the 6th Annual Garden Tour on Thursday, May 7 from 7-9pm.
Guests will enjoy Asian-inspired music from Yun-Ting Kuo and Kayo Ishimaru Fleisher, Jacksonville Symphony principal cello and harp, respectively. Heavy hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Biscottis and creative cocktails from Luau Lads will be served.
The Fishers are the third owners of the house and raised their two children there. The rear garden was installed in the mid-1980s with brick infrastructure and fountain complimenting the house, adding an Asian aesthetic with lanterns and statuary.
Michael is the second of four generations of Fishers to reside in Avondale. A retired tax attorney, he established the firm of Fisher Tousey in 1978 while renovating the house. Fisher is an avid collector of more than 600 museum quality prints, maps and publications centered on the history of Florida, some of which will be displayed at the Twilight Party. The Fishers recently renovated the garden and have made it accessible for all visitors to enjoy.
Tickets to the 6th Annual Garden Tour presented by The Tides Group are available for $20. Tickets increase to $25 the day of the Garden Tour. Kids 12 and under are free and do not require a ticket.