The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program Invites the Public to Visit Columbia County Gardens and Shop for Plants on August 19th
Garrison, NY: On Saturday, August 19th, the public is invited to tour two private gardens in Copake Falls and Hillsdale, participating in the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can also shop a pop-up plant sale at the Copake Falls location courtesy of specialty growers Broken Arrow Nursery. The Open Day is rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Admission to each garden is $7; children 12 & under are free. Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information. Additional area Open Days take place on September 23 in Clinton Corners, Millbrook, and Stanfordville, NY; and October 15 in Pawling, NY.
Gardens included on the August 19th Open Day include:
- Garden of Margaret Roach, Copake Falls – this garden, about twenty-five years of age, reflects an obsession with plants, particularly those with good foliage or of interest to wildlife, and also a belief that even in Zone 5B, the view out the window can be compelling and satisfying all 365 days. The garden attracts sixty kinds of birds, along with every native frog and toad species. Informal mixed borders, shrubberies, frog-filled water gardens and container groupings cover the steep two-and-one-third-acre hillside, a former orchard with a simple Victorian-era farmhouse and little outbuildings set in Taconic State Park lands on a rural farm road.
- Mansfield Garden, 70 Mansfield Road, Hillsdale – this property went from a true blank slate to an organized five-acres of distinct gardens, sitting spots, shady areas, an entry walkway, and privacy from the road and neighbors. Features now include maple and tulip poplar trees, a walled patio with a cedar pergola, a vegetable and flower garden, a small apple orchard, and many native plants.
All Open Days gardens are featured in the 2017 Open Days Directory; a soft-cover book that includes detailed driving directions and vivid garden descriptions written by their owners, plus a complementary ticket for admission to one private garden. The directory includes garden listings in seventeen states and costs $27.95 including shipping. Visit www.opendaysprogram.org or call the Garden Conservancy toll-free at 1-888-842-2442 to order with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or send a check or money order to: the Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 219, Cold Spring, NY 10516. Discount admission tickets are available as well through advanced mail order.
The Garden Conservancy is a national nonprofit dedicated to saving and sharing outstanding American gardens. Since 1995, the Garden Conservancy’s award-winningOpen Days has welcomed more than one million visitors into thousands of inspired private landscapes – from urban rooftops to organic farms, historic estates to innovative suburban lots – in forty-one states. Site-specific Open Days Special Programs – Digging Deeper, Experts in the Garden, and Family Time – invite participants to take a closer look at the garden world. Hundreds of volunteers help this robust annual program showcase regional horticultural and stylistic expressions in a national context, celebrating the rich diversity of American gardens. Get out and get inspired with Open Days!
