Jonathan Bennett

A fabulous day in New Hampshire awaits on Saturday, August 20, courtesy of The Garden Conservancy.  Most gardens described below are open from 10 – 4, although some are open at 9 am.  For complete information visit www.gardenconservancy.org. $7 per garden admission.

The Garden of Jenny Lee Hughes & Edward Yoxen in Stoddard, New Hampshire: After clearing old hillsides in 2006 for views and sheep, stone terraces were added next to the old farmhouse—in part to create a platform for growing ornamental plants that volunteer to grow in gravel and to have a salad garden close at hand. The mixed garden, consisting of meadows, hills, and a lake view surrounds a working edible garden and an ornamental mixed border. Each spills into the frames of other in a manner that brings the two together but still retains the individuality of both. Sheep get moved around to keep the open spaces. Their wool is not sold or used for spinning but rather is used at the bottom of the composted garden beds to help retain moisture on soil which is mostly freely draining. Designed by owner Jenny Lee Hughes, whose clients’ gardens have been featured in local and national publications, the garden features trees, understory plantings, ground covers, hedges, specimens, re-seeding annuals, perennials, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. The aim is a garden that feels natural in its surroundings, yet brings something unforgettable to it. And, at 3 pm, enjoy A Nose’s Tour of the Garden with Tovah Martin. Tovah Martin talks about fragrance, plus we’ll sample the aromatic wares and learn a lot about plant scents in the process. Bring your nose: a smellathon will be included.  Garden is pictured below.

Juniper Hill Farm in Francestown, New Hampshire: The Gardens at Juniper Hill Farm surround an eighteenth-century saltbox house and farmstead that remain much as they were 200 years ago. The approximately two acres of gardens surrounding the farm might best be described as “country formal.” There is a courtyard garden, a formal lilac garden leading to a frog pool, a whimsical stumpery, a tranquil Mediterranean-inspired “clipped green” garden, a formal potager, and a pool house modeled after the garden pavilion at Hidcote. Scattered throughout the garden are many planted containers and more than 150 boxwoods representing eleven different varieties. Because winter interest was an important consideration in the original layout of the garden, strong architectural lines have become an important design element. The house and garden have been featured several times in both regional and national magazines. For photos and more info on Juniper Hill go to www.josephvalentine.com or Notes From Juniper Hill on Facebook. As another special feature, from 10 – 11:30 Roger Swain will be on hand for a Garden Q & A. He’ll be glad to provide both encouragement and advice. Known as ‘the man with the red suspenders’ and recognized by millions, Roger Swain was host of the popular PBS TV series, The Victory Garden for fifteen years. Plus, specialty growers Broken Arrow Nursery will be on site selling plants. This garden will be open from 9 – 5.

The Gardens of Laura & Jamie Trowbridge in Peterborough, New Hampshire: Their 1765 Cape Cod-style house is set on a hillside with a sweeping view to the west. Nineteen years ago, they bought the property and set to work creating a long border garden along the rambling, lichen-covered stone wall at the edge of the lawn. Over the years, the full sun border has become the main feature of the landscape as it evolved to include a mixture of annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and specialty trees. In addition to the eclectic and colorful border, there are garden areas surrounding the old house which include a sunny patio covered with tropicals in containers as well as shade gardens and a shady patio which has become an ideal location for a collection of potted begonias. There are three vegetable gardens, too. The gardens have been featured in New Hampshire Home magazine, Country Gardens magazine, and Fine Gardening magazine is currently working on a design story for 2017.  Rocky Dale Gardens will be on site selling plants during this Open Day.

The Gardens of Michael & Betsy Gordon in Peterborough, New Hampshire: This small garden in the village was designed by a plantsman to be an extension of the house. The house and garden are situated on a hill and the garden is terraced on three levels. The upper level was designed to be enjoyed from the street. The middle level is laid out formally using yew hedges and a century-old granite wall foundation to create a garden room. The lowest level, an informal woodland garden, has both eastern North American and eastern Asian shade-loving plants. The garden was planted with a mixture of unusual trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, annuals, and bulbs. Plants were selected primarily for interesting form, foliage, and texture. The garden is chronicled in the blog, thegardenerseye.blogspot.com.  Nano-nursery Opus Plants will be on site selling plants during this Open Day.

Eleanor Briggs’ Garden in Hancock, New Hampshire: In the words of the owner, “My gardens surround Hancock’s first house, built in 1776 by the town clerk, Jonathan Bennett. Since it is a farmhouse, the plantings are informal and blend into surrounding woods and fields. On each side of the “front” door are raised beds reminiscent of colonial gardens. The real front door (never used) is flanked by plantings of old roses and lavender. Behind a 1970 wing is a forty-eight-foot-long koi pond designed by landscape architect Diane McGuire and planted with lotus and water lilies. McGuire also laid out the perennial bed and woodland garden. The AIA-award-winning screened porch was designed by Dan Scully. Sculptures in the terraced vegetable garden are by Noel Grenier. A pair of 200-year-old granite Korean rams graze on the back lawn. I have followed McGuire’s brilliant layout of the parallel borders but have deepened the perennial bed to make more room to “paint” with interesting annuals and perennials. In the woodland border witch hazel, azaleas, snakeroot and rogersias blend into the woods. Walking between the borders from sun to shade, one comes to a new bog garden surrounded by marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage, and cardinal flowers. Last fall, in the field below the vegetable garden, I started a small pollinator garden. Very exciting!”  See the Porter Garden Telescope on display at this garden courtesy of Telescopes of Vermont. At the request of the Garden Host, directions to this garden are provided at additional gardens open on this date, or by calling the Garden Conservancy office toll-free weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, 1-888-842-2442.

The Gardens of Maude & John Odgers in Peterborough, New Hampshire: Maude is drawn to using unusual combinations of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals in creating interesting textures, harmonies of balance, color, light, movement, and design. Her gardens draw inspiration from English border gardens, and her work as an artist. For her, gardening is painting in motion. A soft palette and flowing shapes are used to create a quiet sense of serenity. Stonewalls and granite pieces complement the New England countryside. Maude and John cleared this land thirty-five years ago, designing and building everything themselves—from the house, with an attached garden room, to a small post-and-beam barn (now garden shed), arbors, unusual undulating wooden fences with moon gates, a bluestone patio that emulates the gardens shapes, an enclosed raised-bed vegetable garden, a frog pond—along with the many garden beds that envelope their home. Their garden has been featured in numerous publications. Achille Agway will be on site selling plants during this Open Day.