Hundreds Descend On Southport For Pequot Garden Stroll Fundraiser

FAIRFIELD, CT — Southport was in full bloom Friday as the Pequot Library held its first major fundraiser since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Southport Garden Stroll.

The self-guided walking tour of 10 private gardens and a wildflower preserve neighboring the library was expected to draw upwards of 500 people, according to Director Stephanie Coakley. Pequot’s first garden stroll was held in 2019, but the coronavirus prevented the event from happening in 2020.

Pequot closed in March 2020 due to the virus and is now open on a limited basis. The library hopes to return to its pre-pandemic hours by fall, Coakley said.

The Southport Garden Stroll draws visitors from across Fairfield County, according to Coakley.

“We’re all so eager to get outside and be with one another,” Coakley said, adding she expected the event to generate tens of thousands of dollars for the nonprofit library.

Among the gardens featured in the stroll were two recognized by the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution, as well as beds spotlighted in Town & Country, Fairfield Living and Fairfield Magazine. Additionally, 18 vendors, mostly local businesses, spread across the library lawn during the fundraiser. The stroll also included events with ceramicist, designer and homesteader Chris Spitzmiller and Pequot seed library manager Sefra Alexandra.

Across Southport on Friday, visitors wandered up and down garden paths as the sweet smell of colorful blooms lingered in the air.

Ellen Gould, whose garden at 648 Harbor Road is in the Smithsonian archives, said because the garden is in front of her house, it often draws the attention of passersby.

“It’s thoroughly enjoyed,” she said. “I wanted to make a sharp color statement using orange, chartreuse and purple.”

Gould’s yard is also home to the ninth-largest elm tree in Connecticut.