Garden Conservancy Open Days in Westchester

The Garden Conservancy invites you to visit a few of Westchester's premier gardens during their Open Days on Sunday, July 27th in Cortlandt Manor, Bedford Hills and Pound Ridge. Click here for details.

Here are descriptions of the three gardens on the tour:

Vivian and Ed Merrin
2547 Maple Avenue
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10566

The "STUMPERIE" garden is now complete and is open (what a wonder out of the Hurricane Sandy). The Merrin garden has been featured in several books and magazines. The most spectacular of which is The New Garden Paradise: Great Private Gardens of the World. On a pond with a "pond house" is a paradise of lotus, 500 of them. More than 300 mountain laurels surround the garden, in a planting that makes them part of the total landscape. Mixed borders flow in and out of the six- or seven-acre garden, containing indigenous plants as well as species and rare cultivars. The Merrins have four greenhouse structures in which are kept the rare tropical plants, all of which are on display during the summer months. There is a lotus pond which will be in bloom. It is a sight to behold. A dramatic lookout of glass and wood takes the viewer to oversee the property and lake that is part of the property. The garden has been done with the expertise of Patrick Chassé.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission: $5

Directions: From Taconic State Parkway, take Route 202 exit. Turn left towards Peekskill. Go 2.5 miles, then turn left at traffic light onto Croton Avenue, just past Cortland Farm Market. Go 1.2 miles to blinking light/stop sign and turn right onto Furnace Dock Road. Go 0.8 mile to blinking light/stop sign and turn left onto Maple Avenue. Go 0.9 mile to private road on right. Go 0.2 mile to #2547 on left.

Phillis Warden
531 Bedford Center Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507

This garden of many facets includes perennial borders, three water gardens, a formal vegetable garden, wildflower garden, a fern garden, a marsh garden, a tree platform overlooking the marshlands, a woodland walk, a hidden garden, and a formal croquet court. The garden extends over seven acres, the back four acres of which are a study in what deer do not eat.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $5

Directions: From Bedford Village, take Route 22 towards Katonah to intersection at Bedford Cross. Garden is on left. Please park at Rippowam School and walk to #531.

Sara Stein Garden
8 Fox Hill Road
Pound Ridge, NY 10576

This five-and-one-half-acre ecological restoration by Sara Stein, the native plant pioneer, includes upland and wetland meadows, woodlands, and thickets. Documenting her planting experiences in her books (Noah's Garden, Planting Noah's Garden, My Weeds), she included many native species important to wildlife but not often used in landscaping. Other features include a planted stone terrace with grasses and sedges, an herb garden within openings in a brick patio and a planted moss garden and path around the pond. There are numerous paths through the various habitats, all showing a viable, sustainable alternative to the conventional suburban landscape design.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $5

Directions: From I-684, take Exit 4/Route 172 east to the blinking light at the gas station. Turn left, merging onto Routes 172 & 22 through Bedford. Go 1 mile, bearing right at the Bedford Village Green, staying on Route 172. At light (Gulf gas station), turn right onto Long Ridge Road, south toward Stamford, CT. Continue 2.4 miles to Fox Hill Road. Turn right. Number 8 is the first driveway on the left. Please park on Fox Hill Road.

From the Merritt Parkway, take Exit 34/Long Ridge Road/Route 104. Go 6.5 miles north toward Bedford. Turn left onto Fox Hill Road. Number 8 is the first driveway on the left. Please park on Fox Hill Road.