The New England Wild Flower Society has scheduled a tour of two gardens, led by Pam Durrant and Jessie Panek, on Wednesday, May 26, from 10 – 1, in Harvard, Massachusetts.
A 1915 English Tudor style house in Harvard is the setting for the Panek garden, where a continuous sequence of flowers in bloom is enhanced with carefully chosen textures of leaves, fruits and bark. A formal yew hedge encloses a sunny English style border, facing a pool. Additional mixed borders are anchored by mature 15’ tall native azaleas, mountain laurel, rhododendron, dogwood, and magnolias. A wide variety of unusual small trees and shrubs form a naturalistic transition to the surrounding woods. Other features include a butterfly garden, a meadow, a recently discovered ‘secret’ garden, woodland paths, and a vegetable garden.
You then tour the Croyle garden, situated around a dramatic contemporary home with a collection of outdoor sculpture.  This garden began as a woodland garden designed by Neil Jorgensen and has continued to evolve over the years.   A series of winding gravel paths travel through the garden, crossing seasonal streams via stone bridges.  A river of Primula japonica flowing through the garden is especially colorful in May. A wide variety of trees and shrubs provide the setting for an extensive collection of perennials including trilliums and epimediums. Specimen Japanese maples,  yellowwood,  American and Chinese fringetrees, sweet gum, tri-color and weeping purple beech are just a few of the mature specimens that have recently been added to the garden to enhance interest. In contrast to the woodland garden, the entry terrace is treated in a contemporary design vernacular with a sculpture court, mature paperbark maples and concolor firs.
$30 for NEWFS members, $36 for nonmembers, and you may register on line at www.newfs.org, or by calling 508-877-7630. Directions will be provided.
