Want to join our Garden Club?

Holly Oak Garden Club is for the residents of Hollywood subdivision of Homewood (Birmingham), AL.  We would love to have you join us!  It’s a great way to meet your neighbors, promote a sense of community and to stay on top of what’s going on in our area. Each month we have a featured speaker on many topics such as personal health and wellness, compost gardening, public safety. We’ve even had the mayor of Homewood come speak to us- and answer questions that we had about the future of our city.  It’s a far cry from my grandmother’s memories of her garden club in Hattiesburg, MS where she was surprised that the ladies discussed each other more than they discussed flowers. Now, you don’t have to be a master gardener or even have a green thumb to join. You do need to love your neighborhood and have a dedication to see Hollywood stay as a premiere place to live in the Birmingham area. 

We are a great collection of neighbors: young newly weds; stay at home mothers; professional women; retired residents; women who have renovated their home several times over the last 20 years- and some who have just moved in to their home.  We don’t make you wear pearls to every meeting. I have never seen anyone with white gloves. You can come from your morning workout and still get a hug from someone you haven’t seen in a while, or you can come in your yoga pants knowing that your biggest workout of the day is getting the kids out the door to school.  We just want to see your smiling face.

Don’t you want to join us? We would love to have you!  We meet once a month from September through May. We alternate meeting times from morning to evening, so there’s a time for everyone to make it to a meeting. If you would enjoy meeting your neighbors and improving our neighborhood, email our membership chair, Ashley Jennings (ashleyljennings@yahoo.com) and you can join us.

Another easy way to find out more information?  Ask anyone working the houses on our home tour on April 28!  

This is a home you don't want to miss...

I’m glad to be one of the hostesses with my friend Leah Holmes at 300 Yorkshire. This home is a beautiful white Colonial Revival at the corner of Yorkshire and Hampton Drive.  Hopefully you will be sure to travel to visit this home. There are so many great features to this house. It’s been lovingly renovated and has been photographed for several publications. In fact, on Friday before tour it will be filled with photographers for Birmingham Home and Garden Magazine.

While preparing for the tour, I spoke with the homeowner Ali Goodrich who talked of the history of the home. There are many features of the home that you will enjoy finding. In the front rooms, there are original hardwood floors complete with the wooden pins to construct the flooring. The side portico on the home- right off the dining room- was the green house of Mr. Crais who owned the home for over 60 years. The plants in the yard are from Mr. Crais’ greenhouse and are a living testament to a love of gardening and flowers. 

While touring this home, think of the placement of the house in the neighborhood. It’s located in the last area of Hollywood to be developed- in the 1950’s.  However, the Crais house was built circa 1925- when the first homes were developed in Hollywood- but this home is a good distance away. It was in an area by itself, away from everything else. It’s positioned at the top of a hill, and from the front porch you could see the Hollywood Country Club. Imagine this home standing all alone in the area- the first development over the mountain. 

The Goodrich family has a wonderful love for antiques and have filled the house with beautiful French antiques from New Orleans and Birmingham. Many of the pieces have a story with them- what it meant to Ali to purchase a first piece and to fall in love with antique shopping or to have pieces from a French church.  It is a pleasure to see Ali’s face as she tells these stories.

Please remember to come by 300 Yorkshire. It’s not in comfortable walking distance from the other tour homes, but I promise it will be worth the short drive to come see it!

Birmingham Home and Garden Editor's Notes

Looks like we aren't the only people who are excited about the home tour this weekend.  Here's what Birmingham Home and Garden had to say.

Tour is in just four short days!

Thanks to our sponsors

We would like to recognize our sponsors who have helped in many ways this year. Please thank them with your patronage: Infomedia, Barbara Wheeler at LAH, Cater Landscaping, Birmingham Budweiser, aloft Homewood.

Shaun Thomas at Sanctuary generously donated certificates for conditioning treatments, cuts, and styles to all of the homeowners. The talented Ken McBride created all of the architectural renderings of our homes which are on the promotional posters. 

Lastly, we would like to thank the homeowners who have warmly opened their beautiful homes this weekend for the tour. We know that many have spent close to a year putting special touches on their homes so that you can be inspired by their home and the historical value of the neighborhood. 

A few of your questions...

It’s tour week, friends!  Brooke Bell, our fabulous tour chair, is wrapping up the loose ends to get ready for Sunday.  Everyone is crossing fingers for beautiful weather this weekend!

We’ve had a few questions about logistics of tour on Sunday.

We have one home (300 Yorkshire) on the English side of Hollywood and three homes on the Spanish side- 11 Bonita, 224 Poinciana and 218 LaPrado Place.  The Spanish side homes can be easily toured by parking at Shades Cahaba School and walking to the homes.  You can park near 300 Yorkshire to tour this English side treasure.

There is no particular beginning or ending point for the tour. You may visit the homes in whatever order you wish. This is not a guided tour, but there are hostesses at each home to talk with you about special features and history of the homes. 

If you get thirsty, we will be selling bottled water at the homes as well as selling lemonade at 100 Hollywood Boulevard and 211 Yorkshire Drive (across the street from the tour home).

Projects of Holly Oak Garden Club

What do we do with the admission price from your home tour ticket?  Actually, a lot of good comes from that ticket.

Hollywood has beautiful triangles and circles which are planted and maintained by the Holly Oak Garden Club. If you have enjoyed the beautiful daffodils this spring, you can thank the Garden Club.

Christmas and holidays come to us when the Homewood Star is lighted in downtown and when the greenery and bows start showing up on the street signs in Hollywood.  You know who decorates the signs?  That’s right. It’s the garden club.

Children in this neighborhood are zoned for elementary school at Shades Cahaba Elementary School- which also serves as an entrance to our neighborhood. Garden club gives money every year to support school festivals at Shades Cahaba. Because we also love gardens and education, we give money to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The 2013 home tour is our eleventh tour- and we organize tour every other year. It is also our ONLY fundraiser. 

Please help us keep improving our neighborhood. Join us for tour on April 28!

11 Bonita Drive – Can you hear me sigh?

Several years ago, when my husband and I were looking for a home, I told him that if 11 Bonita came on the market I HAD to have it.  It has been masterfully restored  with a beautiful garage carriage house, courtyard garden, lovely curb appeal on a corner lot. My favorite feature is the side room with a beautiful china collection displayed in the windows. It makes for a lovely sight, particularly at night when the room is lighted. I can just imagine the beauty of the home with my children running through the hardwoods, my cats lounging in the windows. Many people in Homewood/Hollywood know and admire this house.  In fact, the home is so popular it has been featured in a wide variety of publications and it has it's own blog.

Fortunately for my husband, it came on the market… about six months after we purchased our home. 

The home is now owned by Lisa Freeman and she has graciously allowed us to use the home on tour.  When garden club members signed up to help at houses on the day of tour, this was the most popular among the members. The shift work sheet filled quickly.  I’ll be working at my neighbors house, but after we close tour the members get to tour the homes. I’m pretty sure I’ll be running straight to 11 Bonita. 

Thank you Lisa for opening your show home for our tour this year!