Bloom with a view: Garden Conservancy Open Days

Visit Almanac Weekly columnist Lee Reich’s garden in New Paltz on Saturday, June 15th, as well as the garden of Teri Condon of Gardensmith Design in Highland (pictured above). Both gardens are part of the Open Days of the Garden Conservancy. (photo by Karl Gercens)

The Garden Conservancy is a national organization headquartered in Cold Spring that partners with individual garden-owners as well as public and private organizations to preserve threatened gardens deemed significant, and to promote policies and funding to encourage garden preservation. It presents programs that inspire audiences about the design, care and sustainability of gardens and champions their aesthetic and historic value within a community.

To that end, the Garden Conservancy has developed an annual program it calls Open Days, which has spread the garden preservation message to a wide range of people since 1995 by providing access to some of America’s finest private gardens. Last year, more than 300 private gardens in 19 states opened to allow thousands of visitors to explore some beautiful environments not normally open to the public.

This Saturday, June 15, the following local gardens will be open for viewing:

Beatrix Farrand garden at Bellefield in Hyde Park (12 noon to 4 p.m.)

Broccoli Hall – Maxine Paetro in Amenia (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Judson Bush Farm in Greenport (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Susan Anthony and Richard Galef in Craryville (10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Hudson Hood in Hudson (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

Lee Reich in New Paltz (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Teri Condon – Gardensmith Design in Highland (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

These local gardens will be open for viewing on Sunday, June 30:

Beatrix Farrand garden at Bellefield in Hyde Park (12 noon to 4 p.m.)

Zibby and Jim Tozer in Stanfordville (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Roseview Dressage in Millbrook (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Belinda and Stephen Kaye in Millbrook (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Jade Hill – Paul Arcario and Don Walker in Amenia (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)

Open Days are rain or shine. There is a $5 admission fee per person per garden that you may pay in cash or check at the entrance of each Open Day garden. Children 12 and under are admitted free. You may also purchase discounted admission tickets by calling (888) 842-2442, or logging on to https://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays. Each booklet contains six tickets for the price of five admissions ($25); $15 for Garden Conservancy members. These tickets do not expire and can be used year to year.