The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program continues Wednesday, July 9 on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.  For complete information visit www.gardenconservancy.org.

First up, the Norris Garden at 19 Blueberry Ridge Lane in Chilmark (PLEASE NOTE, this garden closes at 3 pm.) The garden is located on approximately four acres and was started in 2002, so many of the plantings are still young, with the largest, most mature rhododendron at close to eleven years old. It is located in a low area between two sets of hills to the north and south, crisscrossed by old stone walls. Although the plot was originally heavily wooded, and the soil is acidic, the high water table is a problem for growing rhododendrons. Native species to this area are highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), cinnamon and royal fern (Osmunda cinnamomea and O. regalis), summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum), holly and inkberry (Ilex opaca and I. glabra), sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), and a “river” of skunk cabbage along the stream under a canopy of tall pitch pines (Pinus rigida), red and white oak, beetlebug or tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), and swamp maples (Acer rubrum). The latter two have shallow root systems which compete with the plantings for moisture and nutrients. There are also spring ephemeral plantings which likely will have gone past (anemone, star flower). There are two man-made ponds with some surviving hardy waterlilies and white lotus, which are just beginning to show. The ponds suffer from muskrats, who love to feast on the lily tubers, but that’s a story for another time. Lots of frogs, turtles, and a stressed-out goldfish population (predation by otters, ospreys, herons). Main plant species collections include rhodies, Japanese maples, and hydrangeas with smaller groupings of mountain laurels (mostly from Broken Arrow Nursery), and tree peonies. In the fenced-in yard behind the house are two large herbaceous perennial beds (created and cared for by a local artist/gardener, Rick Hoffman), two mature apple trees, a small grouping of fruit trees, hydrangea row, Satsuki azaleas, mature yak hybrids, the kalmias, and several Stewartias. The main rhodie plantings extend away from the house along the driveway, a large area near the left of the lower pond and a smaller grouping on the other side of the pond. The “corral,” which was the first protected area, and several nurseries contain over 200 seedlings and plants from many sources. A grove of more than a dozen beetlebungs (Nyssa sylvatica) has been turned into a “damp garden” of ferns planted among stumps carried in from the woods, and other shade/moisture loving plants like arisaema (check out the Arisaema sikokianum with a pure white spathe and striped hood), trilliums, and epimedium. Please be careful of the many surface roots courtesy of the maples and beetlebungs. Some of the paths, especially in the seedling nurseries, are very narrow, and only one person at a time can pass. Suzy Zell, is the full-time head gardener and will also be available to answer questions. We really enjoy it when visitors come to see the collection so please don’t hesitate to ask. Admission: $7

Directions: Three miles west (sign to Menemsha) of intersection of North Road and State Road. Go 0.25 mile past Tea Lane to Blueberry Ridge Lane on left. Garden entrance is 0.25 mile on right. Cars must park near deer gate, which will lower as car passes over it. Limited 10 cars at one time.

Also in Chilmark, at 12 Middle Road, is Brookside Farm. For over thirty years, the gardens at Brookside Farm have been part of the magic of Martha’s Vineyard. Pond, pastures, and stone walls define the space in which trees and shrubs flourish as yearly hosts to the rich perennial garden. Spring flowers including lilacs, peonies, and poppies along the old walls lead out to fruit espaliers on the old milk house and garage. Summer plays out with the border of roses, phlox, gaura, and Joe pye weed. In the fall, the blue and white asters curtsey to the dahlias and rose mallows. The silent animals, horses, oxen, and an occasional barn cat contribute to the peace of nature’s best efforts.
Admission: $7

Directions: Brookside Farm is located about 2 miles west from center of West Tisbury via Music Street and Middle Road. Driveway is limited.

In West Tisbury, visit The Folly at 57 Lamberts Cove Road (HOURS 10 – 2). “The Folly” carved into a boulder is the only indication that you’ve got a surprise in store. The stucco house, balustrades, finials covered with ivy, planted urns, and winding hedges evoke an Italian villa. The many different areas, varied grades and contours, curves and textures, the mix of native plants among non-native, the stonework, the views around every corner, are a successful mix of formality within an informal context. The blue and white theme inside the house is continued outside yet is not overdone and, combined with the greens of the foliage, makes for a very natural, cool, and relaxed atmosphere. There is a protected pool terrace with wisteria dripping off an arched pergola overlooking the border and Vineyard Sound beyond. There are very many planted urns. There are parterres, groundcovers, ferns, and flowers, in the shade and in the sun. There is something for everyone. Admission: $7  (pictured below)

Directions: From Main Street in Vineyard Haven, turn right onto Cromwell Lane. Turn right onto Water Street, go several hundred feet and turn right again onto Beach Road. Go onto State Road. Go 1.5 miles and make slight right onto Lamberts Cove Road. Go 1.7 miles to #57.

Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Judith Tankard, with her husband John, welcome you to their garden at 16 School Street in Edgartown. This is a new garden planted in 2006 to complement the historic house built around 1730 and fully renovated by the owners, an architect and a garden writer. The garden was designed by Nan Blake Sinton and is composed mainly of hardy shrubs and ornamental trees. Pale pink ‘New Dawn’ roses climb on the fence surrounding the garden, and the roof of the garden shed is covered in ‘White Eden’ and ‘Abraham Darby’ roses as well as a Clematis montana rubens. There are two crabapples (Malus ‘Donald Wyman’) and a large Viburnum sieboldii in the main garden. An espalier, created from Viburnum plicatum mariesii, on the wall of the house and a hedge of clipped Philadelphus coronarius in the parking area provide a bit of formality. There are small flower beds with astilbes, lavender, nepeta, salvia, and other perennials. A small brick patio is planted with lacecap hydrangeas and Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Enziadom.’ At the front of the house, there are American hollies, English boxwood, Ilex glabra ‘Nigra,’ and a large viburnum. One of the outstanding features of the garden is a large, old sycamore maple on the lane at the corner of the property, a survivor from earlier days.  Admission: $7

Directions: The house is located 1 block from Main Street at corner of School Street and Pent Lane. Garden entrance is on Pent Lane. No parking available.

Continue on to the Helman Garden. This walled garden was designed to be protected from the elements and not to compete with the natural beauty of the property, a private garden with formal bones. Square and rectangle beds are for flowers, some for herbs, some for vegetables, and some are mixed. It is a very personal place that ebbs and flows each year. There are four stone semi-circles that the owners call “ectetras.” The garden was designed by Diane McGuire.  Admission: $7

Directions: At the request of the Garden Host, directions to this garden are provided through the Open Days Directory, at other gardens open on this date, or by calling the Garden Conservancy office toll-free weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1-888-842-2442.

The final garden is at 85 South Water Street, Edgartown. The original parts of this house are believed to date from the 1840’s. More than fifty years ago a former owner and founder of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club set out the sunken geometric garden in the shape of a Union Jack. In the late 1990s, the English garden designer Penelope Hobhouse added some important features to the garden, particularly the enclosure of the sunken flag garden to create an outdoor “room.” The garden contains some rare and unusual, as well as native, plants. Currently, the owners, who are hands-on gardeners from England, work closely with Leandro da Silva to implement further design changes.  Admission: $7

Directions: At the request of the Garden Host, directions to this garden are provided through the Open Days Directory, at other gardens open on this date, or by calling the Garden Conservancy office toll-free weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1-888-842-2442.