Arts & Leisure
Visit seven private gardens with The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program
This picturesque garden at 413 Shore Road in Cape Neddick is one of seven area gardens that will be featured in The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program this Saturday in York and Ogunquit.
Photo courtesy of Frank Wallace
YORK and OGUNQUIT - The Garden Conservancy's Open Days Program offers garden lovers a chance to visit seven private gardens in Cape Neddick and Ogunquit this Saturday, June 23.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and highlights of the participating gardens include a rock-rimmed swimming pool nestled in a grotto below a rocky promontory, a "moon garden" containing only white blooming species to show off its beauty at night and a Japanese garden by the sea.
Other features include a multi-tiered slope with cascades of roses, evergreens and grasses, English country-style perennial beds, a sunken walled garden of roses, hedges, lavender and flowering hydrangea, and a property made for entertaining on a grand scale with a croquet lawn, reflecting pool and terraced perennial and kitchen gardens.
Visitors may begin the self-guided tour at St. Peter's Church, located at 529 Shore Road in Cape Neddick - where a shuttle will be available and will make stops at all five of the gardens that are located along Shore Road - or at Mayfair, located at 19 Israel Head Road, Ogunquit.
The Garden Conservancy introduced the Open Days Program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. The Open Days Program is America's only national private garden-visiting program, and is made possible by the work of hundreds of volunteers nationwide.
Locally, directions will be available at each garden location for the entire tour. Admission to each private garden is $5 and Open Days are held rain or shine. No reservations are required.
The 2007 Open Days Program is sponsored by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., hailed as America's most trusted name in gardening for 125 years, providing seeds, plants, gardening supplies and accessories for the home gardener, and by Heronswood Nursery.
The Open Days Program is also pleased to have "Fine Gardening Magazine" as its national media sponsor.
The local gardens are featured in the "2007 Open Days Directory," a soft-cover book that includes detailed driving directions and vivid descriptions written by their owners. The national edition includes garden listings in 21 states and costs $20.45 including shipping. A regional guide is available as well and costs $6.95. Call the Garden Conservancy toll-free at (888) 842-2442 to order with a Visa or MasterCard, 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. Call (888) 842-2442 or visit http://www.opendaysprogram.org/ for more information.
