Gardens of Seattle

Q. We are master gardeners and are coming to Seattle area in June. What gardens should we see? Are there private gardens open to visitors? (We visited back yard gardens in Ireland) Any help you can give on this would be most appreciated.Thank you!

A. The Seattle area has wonderful gardens – here are a few for your gardens-I-must-visit list. (Please check individual garden links for the latest visiting hours!)

The Garden Conservancy Open Days: Seattle, June 8

The Garden Conservancy is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to preserve exceptional American gardens. Gardens of unusual merit across the U.S. are identified and the Garden Conservatory works with their owners and others to ensure the gardens’ futures and to make them permanently accessible to the public. Inspiration came from England’s National Gardens Scheme and its guidebook, Gardens of England and Wales Open for Charity, informally known as the Yellow Book. During the Open Days in the U.S., private gardens are open for self-guided tours, $5 admission fee per person per garden.
· Old Goat Farm Old Goat Farm is a small nursery located in the foothills below Mt. Rainier. The property includes a very small farm with a 100-year-old farm house and a large garden featuring both sun and shade beds.
· Homeranch_Ted Van Velzen & Ruben Corpuz
· The Chase Garden
The garden is also open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from April through October, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are not required on these days for self-guided tours. Entrance fee is $5.00 per person.

Blodel Reserve

Seattle Chinese Garden

Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens

Kubota Garden

Ohme Gardens

Announcing the Garden Conservancy’s 2008 Open Days

April 5, Vero Beach, Florida
My courtyard is typical of Andalusian courtyards in Spain, which were recreated in the Caribbean during the Spanish conquest.

April 5, Ithaca, New York
A unique collection of over 400 snowdrop varieties along with other very early spring flowers. The 1848 Greek Revival-style farmhouse was moved to this site in 1990.

April 27, Pasadena, California
Designed in the 1930s by Roland Coate, we are the second owners of this magnificent Monterey Colonial house which is surrounded by majestic old oaks, broad lawns, and a variety of gardens. We have a mature, old-fashioned, two-acre estate which offers peace, beauty, and woodland serenity.

Photo: Greenwood Gardens is a twenty-two acre formal garden in Short Hills, New Jersey, about twenty miles to the north of New York City.

From coast to coast, April through November, more than 300 private gardens like these will once again welcome visitors on scheduled days through the Garden Conservatory’s Open Days Program.

The Garden Conservancy is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to preserve exceptional American gardens. Gardens of unusual merit across the U.S. are identified and the Garden Conservatory works with their owners and other interested parties to ensure the gardens’ futures and to make them permanently accessible to the public.

The Open Days are self-guided tours, with a $5 admission fee per person per garden.
For more information, as well as the 2008 schedule, visit http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays/index.pl

Announcing the Garden Conservancy’s 2007 Open Days

The Open Days Program is a series of tours of more than 450 private gardens around the country — from April through October — in conjunction with the Garden Conservancy, a national organization dedicated to preserving exceptional American gardens.

It’s estimated that more than two-thirds of great American gardens have already been lost. The Garden Conservancy identifies exceptional gardens and works with their owners and others to ensure the gardens’ futures.
Proceeds from the Open Days Program support the national preservation work of the Garden Conservancy.

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Directory books list Open Days and participating gardens with garden descriptions, open hours, and directions. To order an Open Days Directory, please click here.

For more information visit www.gardenconservancy.org