BY MISSY QUIS

Special to The Pilot

The 63rd annual Southern Pines Garden Club Home and Garden Tour will be held Wednesday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour, which begins at the Campbell House in Southern Pines, features two homes and a garden in the historic village of Pinehurst, two homes in the Country Club of North Carolina and a home in the Horse Country of Southern Pines.

Situated on a highly visible corner in the heart of Pinehurst, the garden of Hugh and Jean Rae Hinton defines a much-loved village landmark home. From 1897 until its destruction in 1940, the Village Hall occupied this corner site. It would be 43 years before Thelma Petrie commissioned the current home and garden on what had become a sand parking lot.

Designed by Tom Howe Sr., the garden that rose from that hard-packed earth now repeats many themes found in successful Southern gardens: American and English boxwood borders, white encore azaleas, gardenias, lilies, hostas and ferns. The Hintons took ownership of the property in 2008 and immediately began important renovations to the garden. A boxwood parterre has been added, trimmed in hand-cast Charleston brick.

The focal point of the parterre is an antique lead stature of a child struggling to hold a duck in his arms. This charming figure is the duplicate of one documented in "Mrs. Whaley's Charleston Garden." Mature hollies and dogwoods shade quiet corners of the lawn, while around the corner a stand of mountain laurel casts cool green shadows, inviting visitors to take their time in this place.

Also included in this year's tour are the homes of John and Julia Kober, the George Lyles family, Fred and Debbie Hobbs, Julie Sanford, and Matt and Trippy Dyer.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $15 at the Campbell House and The Country Bookshop, in Southern Pines or at Lyne's Furniture Gallery, in Pinehurst. Tickets may also be ordered in advance by calling (910) 295-4617 or by going to www.southernpinesgardenclub.com.

Tickets the day of the tour are available for $20 at all the houses and at the Campbell House. Lunch will be offered the day of the tour at the Country Club of North Carolina, and tickets for the lunch will also be available on tour day at the Campbell House.

Proceeds from the tour go towards beautification projects in the community and for horticultural scholarships at Sandhills Community College.