Two gardens in the Worcester area will be open through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program on May 15 from 10 – 4. Pre-registration is REQUIRED. Admission fee to each garden: Members $5 per person; General admission $10. Children 12 and under free.
Enjoy the garden of Matt Mattus and Joe Philip right in the city. Matt’s garden is a mature, third- generation family property in a suburban neighborhood. It contains many tall trees (now more than 90 feet tall) planted in the 1920s by his grandfather and father. “The garden is an ongoing restoration project” says Matt. “I’ve never opened it up for tours as I’ve always believed that it was more of a small collector’s garden than one that is ‘tour-worthy’, yet I know that most visitors enjoy the casual atmosphere, and the ‘down the rabbit hole-ness’ of a true collector’s garden!” Expect to see collections of interesting plants and greenhouse projects, sweet peas, stone and gravel paths, boxwood and hornbeam hedges, garden rooms, and even a small 100-year-old goldfish pond. Charming and picturesque as a small English garden and as horticulturally interesting as a botanic garden, this 1.5 acres is essentially a home garden, yet one that has recently been featured in Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and other magazines. Matt Mattus, whose blog is Growingwithplants.com, is the author of Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening (2019) and Mastering the Art of Growing Flowers (2020). Both books will be available for purchase on site.
The Swift River Farm in Petersham (below) is the second offered garden on that date. A woodland garden screens the house from the road and continues along the north side of the house with many spring ephemerals and flowering trees, ending in a small collection of tree peonies. A stone walkway leads past a tulip border to a small perennial garden enclosed by a box hedge. Further on is a water garden with a gazebo that overlooks a koi pond. A small herb garden behind the house leads out through a set of clematis arbors to another perennial garden. Next to the greenhouse is a rock garden and beyond it a spring garden with primulas, spring bulbs, and species peonies. The rock garden looks out on a large meadow designed by Gordon Hayward with a mix of nectar-rich perennials and grasses. Paths through the meadow lead to an apple orchard and a vegetable/cutting garden.
Register for either or both at www.gardenconservancy.org
