The Garden Conservancy Presents Pawling’s Brine Garden October 17th
One of the Country’s Most Extensive Private Gardens
On Saturday, October 17th, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program highlights a very special private garden in Dutchess County. Now in its 25th year, six-acre Brine Garden of Pawling features an expansive garden and arboretum setting equal in scale to many public botanic and nature gardens. October 17th provides a rare opportunity to view one of thecountry’s most extensive private gardens devoted to optimizing the balance of native plants with complementary non-invasive species, while creating a haven for local wildlife.
Grass and gravel pathways connect the garden areas, offering key vantage points among differing ecological settings. The property is a diverse mix of natural species and uncommon international specimens. The artful, naturalistic style is expressed throughout many created spaces including woodlands, a picturesque allée, a world-class collection of mature growth trees, an oversized trellis, and many sitting areas and unexpected garden gates artistically placed throughout the park-like setting. Footbridges, vintage iron accents, rustic structures and plants so oversized that visitors unknowingly traverse through, contribute to the feeling of having stepped back in time.
The sophisticated mix of plantings blends seamlessly with the historic landscape, unchanged for hundreds of years. Oversized trees and shrubs, deliberately placed for maximum effect, add scale and texture. The property is in good company with other local native landscapes; the Appalachian Trail, the Great Swamp and the Pawling Nature Reserve are all adjacent to the garden, providing a sanctuary for dozens of local wildlife species. Sightings of rabbits, ground hogs, voles, deer and eagles are common with the occasional visit of bobcats, minks, foxes, coyote and black bear.
Owners and designers of the ever-evolving space, Duncan and Julia Brine, are deeply immersed in the garden and horticulture fields as well as artists within other creative disciplines. The two began transforming this former dairy farm in 1990, utilizing two onsite 1920s-era clapboard houses for design inspiration. The Brine Garden is highlighted in a chapter of Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley and Gardens of the Hudson Valley and has been selected for inclusion in many other publications including The New York Times, 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants, Horticulture and Hudson Valley Magazine.
This opening of the Brine Garden coincides with the Garden Conservancy’s own 25th anniversary culminating with the release of Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration – 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy (Abrams, 2015; ISBN: 978-1-61769-165-2). Produced in tribute to the transformative power of gardens everywhere and the thousands of gardens the Garden Conservancy has helped save and share with the public since 1989, the large format book is now on sale at booksellers nationwide and contains 272 pages; including 194 images from garden photographer, Marion Brenner. The anniversary volume showcases fifty gardens in a wide variety of sizes, styles, regions and habitats.
The Brine Garden is located at 21 Bluebird Inn Road in Pawling. Guests will receive a map of the property, along with a detailed plant list highlighting Dutchess County and United States-native plants. Visitors will discover new wildflowers, grasses and plantings which flourish in the Hudson Valley, as well as many uncommon deer-resistant varieties. The Brine Garden is appropriate for all ages and an ideal setting to encourage early childhood garden exploration. Admission is $7; children 12 & under free. Open Days take place rain or shine, and no reservation is required. Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit opendaysprogram.org for garden details, maps, directions and more information.
The Garden Conservancy created the Open Days program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to inspirational examples of design and horticultural practice. Its mission to share American gardens with the public is achieved each season, through the work of hundreds of private garden hosts and volunteers nationwide. Digging Deeper, a new series of Open Days programming, offers a deeper look into the gardening world through immersive experiences with artists, designers, gardeners, authors and other creative professionals. Since its inception in 1995, the Open Days Program has opened more than 3000 private gardens and welcomed more than one million visitors. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program. For information and a complete schedule of Open Days visit the Garden Conservancy online at opendaysprogram.org.
