3-04-2026 8:26am

Think Spring At

Hunt Valley Life Staff

Tickets

Garden Festival

Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 8 am - 4 pm
the Mid-Atlantic’s Premier Plant and Garden Antique Festival

Now in its 18th year, Ladew’s annual Garden Festival has become the most anticipated specialty plant, garden ornaments, and antiques sale in the region. Over the years our vendors have offered hard-to-find perennials and annuals, unusual exotics and container specialties, decorative garden furniture, urns, statuary, and other architectural treasures.

Ticket proceeds from Garden Festival, Ladew’s longest running fundraising event of the year, go directly to the preservation of the 22-acre historic topiary gardens, historic Manor House, the native Butterfly House, the Children’s Environmental Education Program that serves nearly 4,000 children each year, and the array of over 100 events and educational programs offered to the community.

Tickets for Members open for sale | Tuesday, March 3 at 9 am.
Tickets for Non-members open for sale | Tuesday, March 10 at 9 am

Apply to become a vendor

Ticket Fees: Members
$65 Early Bird : 8 AM
$40 Mid Morning: 10 AM
$25 Afternoon: 12 PM
$15 Last Chance: 2 PM

Ticket Fees: Non- members
$75 Early Bird : 8 AM
$50 Mid Morning: 10 AM
$35 Afternoon: 12 PM
$20 Last Chance: 2 PM

The Ladew Gardens estate is a living testament to the vision and creativity of Harvey S. Ladew. Born into wealth in 1886, Ladew was an avid fox hunter whose love for the sport and the Maryland countryside led him to purchase the Pleasant Valley Farm in 1929. The farm, which eventually became Ladew Gardens, provided the ideal canvas for blending his passion for gardens and architecture, transforming it into a historical landmark of natural beauty and cultivated elegance. Ladew was a recipient of several awards throughout his lifetime. He was the Master of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt for several years, and he received the Distinguished Service Medal of the Garden Club of America for his "great interest in developing and maintaining the most outstanding topiary in America, without professional help."

A lifelong bachelor, Ladew died on July 28, 1976, in Monkton, Maryland, at 89.