2010 Secret Garden Tour

On June 12, 2010, you will get the opportunity to discovered many beautiful gardens and wonderful and interesting people as you drive around Putnam County on the Secret Garden Tour.  The Tour is an unique fund-raising event for PARC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to create and provide lifelong opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve success. 

On the day of the tour, after you sign up and register, you will receive directions and a map of the locations that participate on the tour.  You go at your own pace.  Stop and start whenever you like.  See as many locations as you want.  This year’s special feature, with only 90 tickets being sold, is a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house on Petra Island in Mahopac. The tour is open from 10 a.m. to  4 p.m. Tickets are $30 advance, $40 on the day of the tour.   $90 for the Frank Lloyd Wright house tour plus all gardens ($100 on day of tour if available).

The warmth of the homeowners and property managers during previous year’s tours reminded me of how truly special Putnam County and its residents are.  Everyone was so warm and friendly as they greet tour guests stopping by to say hello and stroll the gardens.  Pride beamed from their faces as they shared their gardening tips. The advice I heard over and over from these creative gardeners was that building a garden takes time and you should follow whatever design you personally like – be creative. For all of you new gardeners, now is the time to be inspired.   Previous Secret Garden Tour’s included the Miriam Yekutiel residence in Brewster who incorporated whimsical, recycled materials into their garden. Miriam enjoyed sharing her passion for landscaping, which she discovered as a little girl growing up in Israel. 

Another gem in Cold Spring is Stonecrop Gardens.  I felt like I was transported onto the grounds of a French Chateau high over the valley. If you explore the gardens you might come across a handsome prince… for Stonecrop holds many hidden treasures including a life-sized frog tucked away in a gorgeous arbor created using all natural materials. Stonecrop is open to the public, and I highly suggest visiting this garden as often as possible. For all gardening enthusiasts, let the Secret Garden Tour inspire and delight you on all the possibilities your own garden can achieve.  All of the gardens on the tour evolved out of woods or plain grass over a period of 10 to 15 years, so be patient and create one section at a time.  Before you know it, your garden maybe the next stop on the Putnam County Secret Garden Tour!!

For information and reservations, call 845-278-PARC, ext. 287 or Buy tickets online at www.partnerswithparc.org

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Category: Brewster, Carmel, Cold Spring, Community News, Featured, Garrison, Hudson River, Mahopac, Places of Interest, Southeast