Summer is now officially upon us, and at its best, that means beautifully tended gardens in full, glorious bloom. This weekend, June 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to (at most sites) 4 p.m., brings the Garden Conservancy’s annual Open Days in Dutchess County on Saturday and in Ulster County on Sunday. Many of these sites are accessible to the general public only one day each year. Admission costs $10 for each visitor aged 13 and up to each individual garden, but you can visit six for the price of five by purchasing a ticket book in advance. Garden Conservancy members gets a 50 percent discount.
This year’s Open Day sites in Dutchess include Maxine Paetro’s Broccoli Hall at 23 Flint Hill Road in Amenia; Alice Pond at 94 Wilbur Boulevard in Poughkeepsie; Scott VanderHamm’s Dappled Berms at 74 Colburn Drive in Poughkeepsie; Frank and Lois Van Zanten’s Nimmer Dor at 138 Wilbur Boulevard in Poughkeepsie; Tranquility at 30 Croft Road in Poughkeepsie; Zibby and Jim Tozer’s Uplands Farm at 840 Hunns Lake Road in Stanfordville; and Innisfree Garden at 362 Tyrrel Road in Millbrook.
In Ulster County on Sunday, your options include Teri Condon and Richard Gottlieb’s Gardensmith Design at 50 Hillside Avenue in Highland; Salamander Hill in Highland; Ann Krupp Bryan’s garden at 24 East Church Road in Saugerties; Joe and Tamara DiMattio’s Riverhill at 251 Patterson Lane in Saugerties; and Allison Levy and Scott Serrano’s Hortus Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at 76 Mill Road in Stone Ridge. For an additional fee with preregistration, the Hortus Arboretum will also host a Digging Deeper program titled “Extraordinary Native Trees and Shrubs” at 10:30 a.m.
Please note that visiting hours at a few of these sites vary from the usual 10-to-4 window. Find more details to plan your Saturday or Sunday safari at www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days, or call (888) 842-2442.
Garden Conservancy’s annual Open Days, Saturday/Sunday, June 22/23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., $10 each site, Various locations, Dutchess/Ulster, (888) 842-2442, www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days
Join the family! 
