Call of the Cultivated

Open Garden Days in the Hudson Valley

by Michelle Sutton and photographs by Michelle Sutton, June 28, 2011

The Graciousness of Gardeners

The Open Days program, begun in 1995 by the Garden Conservancy, is a gem. You get to visit some of the most creative and ambitious gardens in the area, with the proceeds going to support the Conservancy, whose mission is “preserving America’s exceptional gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public.”

Luckily for us Hudson Valleyites, the East Coast headquarters for the Garden Conservancy is in Cold Spring, as is the property of the organization’s founder, Francis Cabot. The site is now a stunningly creative public garden, Stone Crop Gardens. The Cold Spring roots of the Conservancy means that many of the most longstanding Open Days gardens are in the Hudson Valley or nearby towns in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other Northeast states (although there are participating gardens around the country, including a big California contingent). Each year, 50 percent of the gardens are new to the tour, yet there are also many repeat hosts, resulting in a touring guidebook that is getting delightfully chunky.

In 2011, Dutchess County posted eight gardens for Open Days, half of which can still be toured in July and August. Ulster County has seven, two of which can be seen in September; Putnam County has three, two of which are open in October; and there are seven Open Days gardens in Columbia County, two yet to appear on the tour—one in July, one in August.

In Berkshire County, Massachusetts, there are seven gardens open on Saturday, July 31, in Great Barrington, Stockbridge, or Williamstown. In Litchfield County, Connecticut you can see more than a dozen Open Gardens, including five in July and one in September. In Fairfield County, Connecticut, there are 10 open gardens, including two that you can see in July.

When you become a member of the Garden Conservancy for as little as $50, you receive a touring guidebook and can buy tickets for just $2.50 each (half the price of nonmember tickets). My husband and I feel it’s the best investment in our continuing education (and horticultural delight) we have ever made. Open Days garden tours go through the fall.