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["Chrys B. Gardener" <cab69 AT cornell.edu>]

Tompkins County Open Day – 5 private gardens open for one day only

Saturday, August 1 from 10 am-4 pm

Admission: $7 per garden

Proceeds benefit the Tompkins County Community Beautification Program and the Garden Conservancy

 

The 2015 Open Days Garden Tour is scheduled for Saturday, August 1, from 10am - 4pm.  The tour features five fabulous gardens, with features such as water elements, shade gardens, edible gardens, themed gardens, a working water wheel, lotus pond and garden art.  We have added a new feature this year - local nurseries will be set up at three of the gardens selling top quality, locally produced plants! Visit The Plantsmen at the Gagnon garden, Baker’s Acres at the LaDue garden, and Cayuga Landscape at the Myers garden.

Visit the links below to learn more about these remarkable private gardens that will be open for one day only this summer! Co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. For more information visit www.ccetompkins.org/opendays

 

Suwinski Garden, 451 Sheffield Road, Ithaca

Sue and Jan Suwinski have been planting gardens at their spacious country property for over 30 years. Sunny borders surround the house and are planted with a vibrant and colorful mix of shrubs and perennials. A flagstone patio with a contemporary water feature is a tranquil place to relax and take in long views of the horse pastures and fields. A series of shade gardens winds property, beautifully planted with shrubs and perennials with contrasting foliage colors and textures.
https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/garden-directory/suwinski-garden

Gagnon Garden, 2353 Spencer Road (Rt. 34/96), West Danby

Joel and Sally Gagnon combine food production and ornamental plantings on their country property. The front gardens feature borders planted with wide swathes of colorful annuals and perennials. The back gardens are primarily devoted to fruit and vegetable production, with many mature fruit-bearing plants including apples, pears, mulberries, plums, paw-paws,peaches, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, grapes, kiwis and strawberries as well as nut trees. The extensive organic vegetable garden supplies produce for the household for the entire year.
https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/garden-directory/gagnon-garden

LaDue Garden, 1132 Snyder Hill Road, Ithaca 

This three-acre property features many different themed gardens, including a lily garden, ornamental grass garden, hosta garden, prairie garden and a birdhouse garden, among others. The gardens around the house, barns and long fencelines of this country property are planted with masses of perennials and flowering shrubs. A large vegetable garden provides lots of food for the family. Eddy LaDue has created detailed maps of the plants in each garden, and these maps will be available to garden visitors at the Open Day.
https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/garden-directory/ladue-garden

Myers Garden, 1071 Michigan Hollow Road, Spencer

Wayne’s gardens are an amazing wonderland of gorgeous plantings, unique hardscaping and interesting historical features. Six acres of rolling lawn and perennial beds contain more than 550 different varieties of perennials nestled behind and between fieldstone walls and structures. Features include a covered bridge, a working water wheel on a post-and-beam constructed feed mill, a blacksmith shop, and a huge glass sponge fossil rock enclosed in a unique display case. Other unusual features include a thirty-foot-diameter stone sundial and a potting shed garden with four raised beds.Wayne’s latest hobby is constructing huge metal flowers from discarded farm machinery parts and these flower sculptures can be found throughout the gardens.
https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/garden-directory/myers-gardens

Ridenour Garden, 346 Warren Road, Ithaca

Winding stone pathways lead you to the highlight of this garden - a large pond behind the house filled with floating lotus plants. Dozens of the huge lotus blooms will be open on the day of the tour. Gardens nestled around the house and pond are filled with a variety of annuals and perennials. Nancy is an artist, so look for unique copper and cement sculptures distributed throughout the gardens. Before you leave, take time to visit Lotus Studios on the property to view photographic interpretations of the lotus and other flowers, as well as scenes from Cornell University and Nancy’s extensive travels.
https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/garden-directory/lotus-garden

 

 

 

Chrys Gardener
Commercial/Community Horticulture Educator
Cornell Cooperative Extension - Tompkins County
615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY 14850
(607)272-2292, extension 241
www.ccetompkins.org