Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
Photo/Illustration: Michelle Gervais
This summer, treat yourself to an inspiring garden experience and visit a really spectacular garden near you. Most of us haven’t the means or the expertise to achieve such grandeur, but we can draw inspiration from these extraordinary settings.
Each year since 1995, the Garden Conservancy through its Open Days program, has opened distinguished private gardens to public, self-guided tours. This season, the program continues until early November, and Fine Gardening magazine, as national media sponsor for 2012, is pleased to give away five pairs of tickets, good for one visit to any of the private gardens, which are located all over the United States.
How to enter
For a chance to win a pair of tickets, select a garden you’d like to visit (see the partial online listing or purchase a complete 2012 Open Days Directory) and post a comment here by May 1 telling us why you’d like to see that particular garden and what you hope to learn. Winners will be selected at random shortly after that date and notified by email.
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Comments
"Beauty without Boundaries" Garden in Winnetka, Illinois
Can't wait to visit the first Open Days garden in Illinois. I find inspiration and motivation when I get a peek at another gardener's "hand" in making lovely outdoor spaces. I enjoy the "personality" of a garden...and hope to feel that I've made a new friend when I visit!
The Harris Garden in Pasadena, CA
I'd love to be able to visit the Harris Garden and see all the old trees and see as well as learn about the architecture/structure of the French-style house itself. :)
If I could visit the Butterfly Farm in Dallas Tx I would be tickled pink! I live in Oklahoma and recently relocated to a 40 acre paradise. To make it complete, I need to learn how to use native plants to attract butterflies galore!
oh, oh, oh, me, me, me! Bainbridge Island! It's on my bucket list to visit Bainbridge Island.
I'd love to win tickets for my family to go to Westover on the Hudson.
Anything On The Husdon is usually very interesting to see and I'll have a new camera to try out when I visit !!
I'd love to see Heronswood again to see how it has changed over the years. The plant collection is amazing.
Camp Rosemary in Lake Forest, Illinois, is always my favorite, but actually I'd like to see it in September -- which is when I first visited it several years ago. The reason I'd like to see it in September again is, contrary to popular thought, the garden still has plenty of interest. And most fun was watching the numerous migrating hummingbirds flitting about the extensive cutting garden. Bravo!
I'd love to visit the Hollister House in Washington, CT... I don't know anything about constructing a formal English garden, and I'd love to learn the principles firsthand.
I'm looking forward to visiting the Thomas & Lisa Hirdes garden in Barrington, Illinois for its collection of perennials and to get ideas for new plants to try in my garden.
I have always wanted to visit Swarthmore area gardens, some of the most beautiful in my region. Eleven gardens to visit, I can not wait for May. I frequently take my directory on travel since it gives public gardens as well as private.
Hi! I am a brand new homeowner and new gardener and am most excited to check out Hummer Haven in Elburn IL with my mom!
If I weren't getting hitched that day, I'd love to visit and photograph Margaret Roach's garden in Copake Falls, NY.
I am going to Denver to visit my sister who just moved there in April.
I want to take her to all the gardens on Open Day Tour In June.
By seeing other gardens she can learn about her new gardening climate which differs greatly from Wisconsin.
Andoro Gardens in Hillsboro OR: A little hard to explain what I hope to learns since I want to share with my brother and sister in law, who live in Hillsboro. We used to love to go to the ones in Chicago, but there aren't any close to us here in NW Arkansas. We always learned something about structure and what things thrive in the climate.
I look forward to visiting the Merritt/Kleinmann garden during Dallas Open Day in May as much for the landscape as for the architecture of the O'Neil Ford 1958 modernist house.
While my preference would be to see a garden in California, my idea of garden nirvana, I have chosen the garden of Michael in Dallas. Unknowingly, we have a love for tropicals and citrus fruits. I had given up on trying to grow them here as the winters can be too cold, but he has given me hope again! Hope would truly spring eternal if I could win the garden tickets and take another garden lover with me.
Happy Gardening!
I would like to go to the california gardens. The gardens in Marin County. I do not go to that area very much.
I have used a lot of ideas from the Open Days tours!
I would be so appreciative if I could attend the Denver area Open Day in June. What a treat that would be!
I'd love to visit Margaret Roach's garden in Hudson Valley, NY area having just heard her speak at MD Hort Soc in Baltimore - very informative & inspiring!
The Potomac Waterworks in Oakland sounds very intriguing. I love water gardens and have never seen one in the U.S. that rivals those in Italy. The fact that it's in a woodland setting in the sizable city of Oakland, CA puts it at the top of my list of gardens I'd like to visit.
A must-see -- Stonecrop Gardens in Putnam County. Wonderful rooms created in beautiful setting with glass house, pond, great views of surrounding areas -- truly a delight with a wide variety of plant types and wonderful surprises around every bend.
I would love to revisit the alpine garden at Stonecrop. We started a rock garden two years ago and now gain inspiration from visiting others. When we were there for the alpine plant sale last April, rain was coming down in buckets, so we saw very little of the gardens.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa Garden in Raleigh NC. I would like to see the North Carolina native plants in a natural setting. I am attracting wildlife in my own back yard, and would like to do more.
I would like to visit Indian Tree Hill—The Highberg Garden. I live in Vermont, where the garden is located, and I am the president of the local Federated Garden Club of Vermont in Middlebury. As a garden club, we are always looking for gardens to visit as part of our ongoing education. I am also in the process of becoming a Master Gardener. This garden has all of the elements of the garden I am creating for my family - woody shrubby borders, lots of perennials, cutting gardens of annuals and perennials, and populations of dwarf conifers.
This garden is of particular interest since it shares the same zone that I garden in.
I think I came into gardening just a little too late......too late at least to visit Heronswood in Kingston, Washington whenever I felt like being inspired. Since it closed years ago, I assumed that the garden had deteriorated, but if the Garden Conservancy is holding tours, it must still be spectacular! If I had two free tickets, my husband and I would happily skip through the Heronswood gates!
I would love to visit Columbia County on June 10th and tour the gardens. We are in the planning stage of a new home on a .6 acre village lot and I am searching for great landscaping ideas.
I'd love to visit the Hughes-Sonnenfroh Garden in Redding, CT. In their write-up about their gardens, they seem to be extremely enthusiastic and welcoming! Withl last fall's hurricane, they faced some gardening challenges but it seems as though they are read to conquer this new planting season! As they live in my area, it would be a great inspiration to see what they are cooking up!
I'd love to visit the Malt Family garden in Peterborough, NH. Seeing the work of other gardeners is always fun and provides inspiration for my own!
I would love to check out the Seehonk Garden in Massachusetts. It is a lovely area, rich in history, and within a driving distance suitable to my restraints- I am caregiver for my Father. I would be able to have someone look after him during the day while I was gone. Thank you for the opportunity for us all to have a chance at these tickets!
Planning to visit the White Garden in Lewisboro, NY this coming weekend. Very interested in the classical design and pergola garden.
I've read wonderful reviews about Rocky Hills in New York. I'm looking forward to visiting.
I would like to visit the glorious gardens of Dr. Nick Nickou and Carol Hanby in Branford, and bring along a friend. My farm and gardens are only a few miles away from theirs , yet I have never visited these long established gardens. I would love to see the beautiful native spring ephemerals and flowering trees and shrubs in their naturalistic setting. I'm sure I will be inspired and informed by their garden design and plant selections to create a bit of natural beauty on my own property.
Hummer Haven in Elburn, IL.
My sisters, daughters and I plan our gardens together and visit gardens during the summer. I would love to treat them to a tour of Hummer Haven. I have 3 hummingbird gardens and I would love to be inspired by the gardens in Elburn.
"Tropical Southeast Minnesota"
I have always loved the tropical plants and would love to visit any of the San Francisco area Open Days gardens. Living in Minnesota has been a challenge at times for my gardens. They are always a work in procress. I'm always looking for inspiration and ideas from Fine Gardening! Thank you for helping create my outdoor living spaces.
Looking forward to visiting The Hay Honey Farm to browse the naturalistic woodland and field walks.
I would LOVE to visIt the Tiffany Gardens in Londonderry, NH.....I am a relatively new gardener who is trying to learn as much as I can so I can beautify my home for my neighborhood, my boys and myself.
Since I am in the medical field, and tend to be a left-brain type, I am trying to develop that right brain and be creative through and with my new love, gardening. I would love some inspiration from visiting the Tiffany Gardens, only about an hour from my home. Thanks so much!
Art and gardens are my passion. I would love to visit the Artist's Garden in Atherton and experience the vibrant environment created for outdoor living and beautiful plantings. I look forward to finding inspiration and growing my passion for gardening during my first Open Days visit!
Regards
I hope to visit the Umstead Hotel and Spa garden in Raleigh, NC. I am a budding landscape designer - no pun intended :) - in GA and I would like to examine how the designers used native species in ways that I could utilize in my own designs, since we are in a similar zone.
I would like to visit the Mannis Gardens in Knoxville TN. I always like to visit open gardens in my area and this one sounds like it has some interesting features.
I would love to take visit the Andora Gardens—Home and Display Garden of Ann Nickerson in Oregon and learn better how to landscape our yard.
I would like to visit Jennifer and Fred Meyers gardens in Austin, TX in August or the Huntley House on Bainbridge Island WA in June. Lovvvvvee gardening and visiting gardens!
My friend and I wait every summer to find gardens to tour in Indiana and want to branch out to Illinois. The garden of Camp Rosemary gardens sounds wonderful. I love to view garden room ideas and love boxwood hedges. I would love to be able to see this garden full of roses, perennials and annuals and especially the yew hedge called the couch.
Thanks,
Patty
The Moore Gardens in Colorado would be wonderful to visit as it encourages habitat for over sixty varieties of birds.
I would love to visit Hill Top Farm in Knoxville and learn more about the influences of English gardens here, as well as how the gardens complement a Prairie-style home. I'm curious as to how the different gardens evolved. I just want to see someone else's work on a large scale!
I would like to visit the Mediterranean Marin Garden Conservancy. The garden grows so many Mediterranean plants that are used here in the Central Valley of California and also in the Bay Area (San Francisco)and on the central coast, from which I just recently moved. Would just love to visit on a day devoted to the opening of gardens across the US. Thanks for the opportunity!
I would love to win these tickets for my parents to go see the Tiffany Gardens in Londonderry, NH. They are in their mid 80's and can't go to the large gardens anymore, but this one is one acre and the description is beautiful. Just like something my mother would love! My dad always went and sat on the benches and visited with strangers while she admired everything. They also have her sister and brother-in-law who live in NH, whom they haven't seen in several years due to age. This would be wonderful for the four of them!
Being the owner of a small condo on a 34'x 100' foot lot, I'd love to see Hansel House garden which is on a lot just little larger, 50'x 100'. I tend to the collector style but recognize that it is probably a miscellaneous mess to everyone but me. So I'd love to get some ideas about making small beds easy on the eye without being dull.
I would love to visit Cobble Pond Farm in Sharon, CT. It is not that far from where I live, but one doesn't always know what is in one's own backyard! I studied Olmsted's public garden designs years ago and would love to see another private garden done by Olmsted's associates.
Have always wanted to see Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, NY. Redoing own garden this year - hope to learn something from seeing this beautiful garden.
I'm intrigued by Hudson Hood. I haven't seen many urban gardens or many small gardens in general in the listings and I always enjoy seeing how people express themselves when they don't have acres of land to play with.
I am anxious to see Kevin Lee Jacobs' gardens in Valatie, NY. According to the information you provided - as well as his terrific website - he grows many of the kinds of things that I do and he is in the same zone so I'd like to be inspired and see what he is doing that I can try. I'm sure it would be a fantastic learning experience and, as a Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, a source of information that I can share.
My first choice would be to visit "Frogwit" Garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington, when I am there for my granddaughter's graduation, because it is a garden with a sense of humor. That is much more interesting to me than a garden meant to impress.
I'd love to visit the Marin gardens for idea that will work for me in the North Bay area.
I would love to visit Stonecrop Gardens! I think the pit house with the collection of choice dwarf bulbs sounds very interesting. Twelve acres of gardens should be an amazing array of plants in one garden....I would like to see the diversity in this garden and also their conservatory!
Longwood Gardens in PA is where I would choose to go. It is absolutely awesome there. It has so much to see and is breathtaking.
I noticed the Morash Garden becasue I assume it is associated with Russell Morash, the producer/director of "The Victory Garden" from WGBH in Boston. I'd love to see what he learned from James Underwood Crockett and Crockett's successors on the show.
I would like to see El Sueno in Los Angeles. I love the grand homes and gardens of the 1920's. When they mention A.E. Hanson and Lockwood De Forest, then I'm interested!
Back in the 70s, my husband and I visited whaling towns in Massachusetts so I could better understand the background of Moby Dick, the Melville novel I so enjoyed teaching to my honors classes. My only regret was that I could not visit the private gardens in Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Now that I'm retired, oh, how I would love to visit those lovely gardens during Nantucket Open Days in June this year!
I'd like to visit RAKU PLACE in western PA -- it sounds like an interesting garden with all the whimsical garden names and I had no idea there is such a lovely place so close to my home.
Hello, I would love to win tickets to any of the East Bay gardens in the San Francisco bay area. I had the pleasure of visiting both the San Francisco and East bay gardens a couple summers ago and especially liked the lady's house that used the tiny ground covers to create patterns and her garden bed using an old iron bed. The comforter was made of grass and succulents outstanding! Thank you for a great time. Kimberly:)
I would thoroughly be engulfed to be able to spend a day with my husband walking and learning from atop a hillside that overlooks both the Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains. Did you know this Garden's name - GATOP - stands for 'God’s Answer to Our Prayers?' Tennessee is considered a part of the Bible-belt to this day and this estate has historical and botanical interest. And I am a history buff... I have the President Tyler Morning Glory and I have the Jet Black Hollyhock that reported was also planted by Thomas Jefferson.
We just moved back to Tennessee a little over a year ago where we built our new home. I held the 1st Landscaping/Gardening StoneBridge meeting to generate interest in Tennessee with both new and 'heritage' plants. I shared seedling starts with each person - one selected seedling was the Jet Black Hollyhock. Seeing this garden would be a fantastic foundation to share with others!
I'd love to go to Chicago Western Suburbs Open Day on May 20. I have heard how wonderful these are from friends on the east coast. there are so few of them in the midwest that maybe after seeing these, me and some of my friends in the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society can see if we can't get more in the midwest.
I would love to see the Old Mill Farm in Lake Forest, IL. It was originally designed by Jens Jensen and world renown garden architect. I would also love to see House of Four Winds, also in Lake Forest, IL. This 1900 year old estate has gardens inspired by Alhambra in Granada, Spain! Can't wait.....
Mike Kintgen Garden, in Denver, CO. I love rock gardening, and I am looking for drought tolerant plants for our new place in TX. Our daughter recently moved to the Denver area, and as it's her birthday on June 9th, it would be a perfect day!
I'd like to meet Andora Gardens in Oregon. They seem to have done an amazing job with a very challenging space.
WOW! So many exciting sounding places. I would choose Chicago North Shore Open Days. They are just down the road from where I live and work. I think I would choose CrabTree Farm. It looks so interesting as I drive by and see what is already blooming now. I would like to know more about some of the other places.
Wilmington, VT was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene last August and I would like to support that town by visiting North Forte on August 11. I am also interested to see how gardens have recovered from flash floods. I lost my vegetable garden a year ago in another record-breaking flood in Vermont. Lots of good soil and compost disappeared. This garden visit also includes Gordon and Mary Hayward's garden. I have been a fan of his work for years and own several of his books. Several years ago I went to hear him in Massachusetts and it would be a dream to see his garden in person.
The Artist Garden in Atherton, Ca has captured my interest. Need screening not from a school, but the house next door would be helpful to see what application they have used. As an artist and gardener myself, I can appreciate the color, textures and shapes that have been used in the garden. Learning how to incorporate art in the garden would be useful and should be easily adapted here in Atlanta, GA. Seeing something on the other coast would inspire me to see what is popular in different locations. I'm very excited about this opportunity and can't wait to share the info about wonderful gardens all over this country that will be on tour.
Thank you.
I am interested in the Floral Designer's garden in Denver because anyone who works with cut flowers should have a great eye for designing with potted plants... The two urns that are featured on the balcony are intriguing with their structural, upright center and a plethora of flowing, textured and colourful foliage....
I would love to see the gardens on Nantucket during open days! I used to live on Cape Cod and I miss the rugosa roses and the cranberries. It would wonderful to see them this summer. Actually, after 15 years in New Mexico, it would be wonderful to see anything besides another beastly cholla or hedgehog cactus.
It's a tough choice- so many gardens that pique my interest. I chose Beaulieu Lapacchino in Manchester, CT because it has topiaries, espalliered plants, large gardens, urns, garden room, etc. It sounds like a wonderful day trip and I never would have learned about it if not for the Garden Conservatory Open Days. I can't wait to start exploring, learning and enjoying.
What a wonderful trip it would be to see Bainbridge Island gardens, and spend a day touring them. Heronwood would also be a great stop on this tour.
I will keep fingers crossed.
Ruth
Open Garden Days is one of my favorite events! The gardens in California are so beautiful. I am looking forward to the San Francisco gardens this year.
I would love to visit Oakwood Garden in Hillsboro, OR. The amount of design work that went into making it would be very helpful. I am still training my eye to see the bigger picture of hardscape and good bones. This garden seems like it would be full of wonderful examples and lessons in that regard.
Have been doing some life-transitioning for the past year and missed my annual visit last year to Pasadena, CA Open Days. Would love to win tickets to visit this year! The hardest thing about this changing period for me has to miss out on my favorite things in the garden and I am a perennial garden tourista, a huge fan of garden design (shout out to favorite designer Heather Lenkin) and the great Gardening Conservancy programs (shout out to Betsy and Antonia) that I have enjoyed!
I'd like to visit the Stephen Austin Garden in Ithaca, NY just to observe all the various landscape ideas that have been used in this small city property.
I am looking forward to visiting several of the Olympia area gardens as I have not been on a garden tour for quite a while.
I would love to visit Ruth Bancroft's Garden.CA. The beauty of the Large Plants and the rareness of it all , really do make you want to see how it all goes together to make it work. I would hope to learn how to grow that kind of a garden, also love to see how to get that plant to get that big would be so awesome. Very beautiful Garden and would love to see it in person some day. Garden Lover
I would love to to visit the Bayle and Richard Drubel garden during the Upper Valley Open Day in New Hampshire June 16. I blog about gardening in Vermont once a week (http://homefront.prudentliving.com) and am always looking for new ideas to implement in my garden!
Wow I can not wait to see the Morash Victory Garden in Nantucket. I have been an annual Open Days visitor for the past six years and have enjoyed many beautiful gardens. I am hoping to see this special vegetable garden and flower display, which is such an inspiration to other homeowners who want to start to grown more of their own food and eat more locally.
I am so excited to learn from the 5 gardens that will be open in the Dallas area. I am especially interested in Matthew Nichols garden since I am from South Florida origionally and studied Horticulture there. Texas is so different from South Florida and I have been trying to create a tropical garden here without much success. My 3 palm trees did not survive the winter of 2010/2011, and I haven't found cold hardy citrus yet. It will be awesome to see the beautiful palms and citrus actually growning in this area.
Love your Open Days! The best gardening advise always comes from other garderers! Dallas' Middleton Farm has everything we're trying to incorporate...koi pond, swimming pool, vegetable garden. Can't wait to see how they made it all work! Plus the Paul and Kay Passmore garden...how exciting to have a fresh beginning. Our present garden is 12 years old so we've begun the "editing" process. A new garden is just the kind of inspiration/motivation we need!
I would like to win a pair of tickets to the Open Days Garden, Homeranch in Orting, WA because learning what other local gardeners have successfully completed with native and other plants would greatly enhance my ability to make my new garden more easy to care for with less water. My plan for my city lot is to have a small ranch type surrounding the house with pygmy goats and chickens, vegetables and fruits that could supply the neighborhood with produce, create a few jobs, greatly enhance the street with permanent improvement to my yard. Being able to visit the Homeranch will help a city slicker to envision how to accomplish my goal while enticing my father on an outing to a city in Washington, Orting, we both love to visit that is close enough to our homes that we can have a very enjoyable day.
Jeff Pavlat & Ray Clayton Garden in Austin Texas is the place we would love to visit. My stepson is coming to visit and he has Asberger Syndrome (form of autism). We try to take him to places that inspire, teach and are exciting. What is more exciting than nature at its best. My husband and I love to garden, vegetables, flowers and succulants. Being outdoors and getting our hands dirty is the best therapy a person could have. We installed a koi pond 6 years ago that allows us another calming feature. To visit the Garden in Austin would truly be a cherished trip for us all. Learning from the best and being inspired for our garden. Thank you for offering us a chance to win tickets. Love your articles and tips. Thanks for everything. :)
Crabtree Farm sounds enchanting and I always learn something when I visit the gardens participating in the Open Days project. Am looking forward to this year's offerings.
I'd like to visit the Woodland Garden in New York. I love water features--so meditative.
Can't wait to Get back to Bloedel reserve on Bainbridge Island! It is a true garden "destination" here in Washington state. It would be lovely to have Open Days tickets to use!
My wife and I would like to visit Hollister House, Washington, Ct. to see the variety of plants and to make a personal connection to the place where some of my wife's ancestors settled. She is currently working on a family history of early settlers.
I want to visit a local garden club for a change.
I'm excited to see Bunny Williams gardens.
How exciting it would be to explore Judy Montoure & Dorian Sanchez’s Garden in Olympia, Washington. For several decades, it has been my goal to own property and create a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary. Now I finally have my own home and am ready to make that dream come true. Being new to Washington state, I’m having to learn what wild life to plant for plus I’m having to adjust to an entirely different climate. I need to meet local gardeners to see and learn how to proceed.
This particular garden would be especially delightful with its bonus of tropicals. I miss the plants of my youth in southern California and I loved the jungle and rain forest in Costa Rica - too bad I can’t magically squeeze them all into my plot of land on the wet, chilly Olympic Peninsula.
The open days garden in Ridgefield, CT poses an opportunity to look at a landscape in the eyes of the visionary of the garden. I enjoy looking at how groupings of plants are pulled together and how selection of the right plant can both be beneficial to the pollinators and the gardener.
We had a wonderful day for our 3 June Open Garden with the Garden Conservancy program. 175 visitors came to see us. We are always happy to have visitors come at any time during the year; the garden is ever changing. Just call for an appointment; 360-893-3510 HomeRanch Gardens in Orting, WA.
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