The Garden Conservancy announces a Nantucket Open Day on Thursday, June 23 from 10 – 4 in Nantucket.
16 Cathcart Garden on 16 Cathcart Road will be on view. Traveling down the dirt road to this property one finds a house tucked among all native Nantucket woodland plants and beautiful specimen trees. Rounding the corner to the back is an unexpected treat—a riot of color framing an exquisite view of the harbor! Lush perennials, overflowing pots, stone walls, a blue stone terrace, an outdoor room, and a split-rail fence in the distance all add to the enjoyment of this garden. It’s amazing that this garden is only one year old.
Directions: Turn around and head toward Milestone Rd. on Monomoy Rd. Bear left onto Boston Ave which turns into Brewster Avenue. then bear left onto Cathcart Road. #16 is on your left.
At Carried Away, 6 Salt Marsh Road, you’ll see a variety of unique garden spaces with different themes. From the boxwood parterre courtyard that is adorned with planters and roses, to the cutting garden mixed with unique varieties of specialty plants, to the expansive perennial borders that deliver you to the waters edge to view Nantucket harbor and a perfect view of town. Trellises of blooming roses abound the estate creating a dreamy feel as you wander this garden peninsula in Monomoy.
Directions: From the rotary take Milestone Rd. Bear left at Monomoy Road, Salt Marsh road is the first road on your left. Please park on Monomoy Rd. and walk down Salt Marsh to the last house straight ahead. (please note this garden is open only from 10 – 3)
Unicorn’s Delight is located at 60 Monomoy Road. Step through the privet archway into a jewel-box garden reminiscent of Monet’s paintings of Giverny. Designed for summer enjoyment, this garden combines the sensibilities of self-sufficient plantings with playful expressions of calming colors, textures, and movement.
Directions: Continue on Monomy Rd. following the road as it makes a right turn. 60 Monomoy is on the left. Please park along the road. Parking on garden’s side of the street only. Do not block neighbor’s mailboxes.
You won’t want to miss Patsy’s Garden at 46 Shimmo Pond Road. Mrs. Walsh, a Philadelphia native, was greatly influenced by gardens she experienced living abroad with her family while her husband was with an international organization. Her first request was to create a garden of wildflowers on the harbor side of her home without disrupting the deep roots and fragile balance that keep coastal bluffs intact. Some years later it was time to open the garden at the front of the house to embrace the wonderful space and sky. Down came the tall fence and its confines, new garden layers created, a hedge more like a European hedgerow instead of the solid wall of invasive privet, bluestone paths to enhance a country feeling, and a double blooming white cherry overhead. Directed by her love of the charming gardens kept by the Swiss train station masters near her chateau in Switzerland, including a pocket for favorite edibles – herbs always, tomatoes, rhubarb, the occasional small watermelon for its beautiful leaf – this garden was created as an exuberant country garden, mixed with wildflowers, favorite hollyhocks, wild sweet peas, cabbages, roses, hydrangea, Cape Cod rambling roses, and a ‘grounding’ of boxwood – a collector’s garden from a world traveler and gardener wanting to enjoy her summer season on Nantucket.
A year later she removed ninety percent of the new garden in order to install an enormous new septic system so a small exercise pool could be added. As all available space was taken, Mrs. Walsh was inspired to simply fill in the only other place available – the slope of the hill. A large retaining wall was built, filled, faced with native stone, the exercise pool installed, and the garden recreated while moving several of the large cherry trees outside the hedgerow to the slope. Ongoing is the challenge of living on an active harbor. A grandfathered seawall has been maintained. The terrible storms of 2012 – Hurricane Sandy and the Nor’easter the following week delivered severe damage to the bluff on the harbor side. Innovative restoration work on this bluff is proving successful in preventing further damage from erosion and seeing rapid establishment of critical coastal scrub plantings to hopefully withstand the next hurricane season.
Directions: Parking for this garden is at the Shimmo Association parking lot. Handicapped/disabled drop-off is available in the upper driveway.
Finally, visit Low Shimmo at 42 Shimmo Pond Road. A family house for 3 generations, Low Shimmo, was originally the Shimmo Yacht Club when it was built in the late 1920’s. A naturalist’s garden, Low Shimmo was designed for avid birders, attracting all types of feathered friends. The garden sits nestled into the dune at the bottom of Shimmo Pond Road and features sweeping views of the harbor accented by classic Nantucket Hydrangeas on the waterside. On the entry side of the house are two garden rooms. One is the entry garden highlighting a traditional perennial border. The other is an enclosed terrace garden featuring a steep grade planted with naturalizing perennials, annuals and grasses. The Stewartia in this area is noteworthy and thriving. This is the quintessential seaside house and garden.
Directions: Access these gardens from the rotary take Milestone Road bear left onto Polpis Rd. Make a left onto Shimmo Pond Road before Moors End Farm, follow the dirt road staying to the left at every opportunity. You will reach 42 on the left; drive by the driveway and park in the Shimmo Association parking lot between 42 and 46 Shimmo Pond Road. Parking for this garden is at the Shimmo Association parking lot.
Admission to each garden is $7. Don’t forget to buy discounted admission tickets in advance. They never expire and can be used at most Open Days to make garden visiting easier. Visit www.gardenconservancy.com.
