Boston Flora

Tag: Williamstown garden tour

  • Saturday, July 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Berkshire County Open Day: Williamstown

    The Garden Conservancy returns once again to Berkshire County to explore four gardens in Williamstown. The event takes place July 15, and pre-registration is required at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/berkshire-county-ma-open-day-6. $5 per garden for Conservancy members, $10 for nonmembers.

    The Wit Mckay Garden has one foot in the wild. Surrounded by forest which is preserved in conservation and framed by an undeveloped meadow to the east and a clear rock brook to the south, it sits on the shoulder of the Taconic ridge to the west, with distant views of the Green Mountains. The garden was built by the owner with no particular plan at the start, other than to hold back the jungle and to find interesting plants to thrive in particular spots. Masses of native ferns and a mature line of tall white pines mark the edge of the forest. Plantings around the house are anchored by peonies: herbaceous, Itoh intersectional, and tree peonies. Inset between two sections of the house is a large lily garden alongside perennial borders. The north side of the house is reliably moist as well as high shade, supporting a lovely early season garden, a mix of unusual native plants and exotic selections which must be cold hardy and shade tolerant. A semi maintained “pasture” garden flows downhill from the eastern porch and supports naturalizing garden varieties and wildflowers. Expanses of daffodils, Siberian iris, asters, and black-eyed Susans grow amid native grasses, wildflowers, and barely contained native interlopers. Paths are mown to lead down and around to a shaded hammock, picnic table, the bee yard, and very high (60 foot tall) swing. A screen of apple trees, masquerading as an orchard, delineate the edge of the garden from the wild meadow and are kept company by a grouping of blueberry bushes. At the bottom, by the road, is a cutting bed devoted to dahlias. In what passes for full sun is a pollinator garden, a part shade plot, and a charming hosta garden shaded by an old lilac and enormous sugar maple.

    The Barn gardens were designed by Gerard St. Hilaire, and the pond area gardens were designed by Ann McCallum. This is a hilly property gradually lowering to a pond with stone staircases on two sides. One staircase takes you past the waterfall and the other leads to a play area. The stone walls all around the property contain a profusion of annuals and an entertainment area with tall grasses as well as many regional flowering plants. Beyond that area is a beautiful view of Mt. Graylock which was our intentional focus. The grape arbor path leads to more beautiful and varied native grasses. The fields to either side of the pond are left in their natural states with paths cut through them for strolling or driving a farm type vehicle. The tree line at the bottom of the property leads to a stream.

    Ilona’s Garden, surrounding an old carriage barn, is divided into rooms to resemble the English gardens loved by the owner/gardener/garden writer/English professor. The tour begins with a sunken, walled garden that leads to a formal pool with an island waterfall, water lilies, and goldfish. A rustic pergola connects the water garden to a trellised, ornamental kitchen garden. A white garden, surrounding clumps of native birch, pays homage to Sissinghurst. A folly, with broken stones and a dripping column, evokes ancient ruins, while an aged cedar window on an old marble base frames the folly, the long hot border, and the landscape beyond. Lushly planted pots, secluded seats, and carefully positioned ornamental trees and shrubs provide focal points that draw the eye from one garden room to the next. The large number of climbing structures covered with flowering vines and the wide variety of perennials and annuals, arranged in surprising combinations of color and texture, will make this densely planted garden equally interesting to plant lovers and aesthetes. Pictures and additional information can be found online by searching Ilona’s Garden at Smithsonian Archives.

    Lastly, 328North is a half-acre farm specializing in Asiatic vegetables, fruit, and specialty cut flowers. By implementing natural plus regenerative practices, Tu and Matt demonstrate how intensive hand-scale farming on half an acre can be rewarding and productive. Farmer/designer/chef Tu Le uses the farm as his lab for his events. Farmer/artist Matt Bertles uses the farm to build sculptures and infrastructure to support his partner.

    Williamstown, Summer.

  • Saturday, July 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Garden Conservancy Open Day: Ilona’s Garden in Williamstown

    This romantic garden, surrounding an old carriage barn, is divided into rooms to resemble the English gardens loved by the owner/gardener/garden writer/English professor. The tour begins with a sunken, walled garden that leads to a formal pool with an island waterfall, water lilies, and goldfish. A rustic pergola connects the water garden to a trellised, ornamental kitchen garden. A white garden, surrounding clumps of native birch, pays homage to Sissinghurst. A folly, with broken stones and a dripping column, evokes ancient ruins, while an aged cedar window on an old marble base frames the folly, the long hot border, and the landscape beyond. Lushly planted pots, secluded seats, and carefully positioned ornamental trees and shrubs provide focal points that draw the eye from one garden room to the next. The large number of climbing structures covered with flowering vines and the wide variety of perennials and annuals, arranged in surprising combinations of color and texture, will make this densely planted garden equally interesting to plant lovers and aesthetes. Pictures and additional information can be found online by searching Ilona’s Garden at Smithsonian Archives.

    The Garden Conservancy Open Days 2023 in Massachusetts kicks off with gardens in Williamstown, in the Berkshires, on July 15 from 10 – 4. Tickets for this event became available starting May 1, and we suggest planning now due to limited availability. NEW THIS YEAR: all tickets must be purchased in advance and online. No day of tour tickets will be sold. Complete details on the website, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/ $5 Garden Conservancy members, $10 nonmembers.

  • Saturday, July 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Garden Conservancy Open Day – The Barn in Williamstown

    These gardens were designed by Gerard St. Hilaire, and the pond area gardens were designed by Ann McCallum. This is a hilly property gradually lowering to a pond with stone staircases on two sides. One staircase takes you past the waterfall and the other leads to a play area. The stone walls all around the property contain a profusion of annuals and an entertainment area with tall grasses as well as many regional flowering plants. Beyond that area is a beautiful view of Mt. Graylock which was our intentional focus. The grape arbor path leads to more beautiful and varied native grasses. The fields to either side of the pond are left in their natural states with paths cut through them for strolling or driving a farm type vehicle. The tree line at the bottom of the property leads to a stream.

    The Garden Conservancy Open Days 2023 in Massachusetts kicks off with gardens in Williamstown, in the Berkshires, on July 15 from 10 – 4. Tickets for this event became available starting May 1, and we suggest planning now due to limited availability. NEW THIS YEAR: all tickets must be purchased in advance and online. No day of tour tickets will be sold. Complete details on the website, https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/ $5 Garden Conservancy members, $10 nonmembers.

  • Saturday, July 18, 10 – 4 – Williamstown Open Day

    The Garden Conservancy partners with the Berkshire Botanical Garden to sponsor this Open Day.  For information and to reserve tickets, log on to www.gardenconservancy.org.

    152 Ide Road, Williamstown

    This garden, surrounding an old carriage barn, is divided into rooms to resemble the English gardens loved by the owner/gardener/English professor. A walled garden leads to a formal pool, with an island waterfall and the divine lotus that blooms in mid-July. The entrance, a rustic pergola, borders a trellised, ornamental kitchen garden. A white garden, surrounding clumps of native birch, pays homage to Sissinghurst. A folly, with broken stones and a dripping column, evokes ancient ruins, while an arched window on an old marble base, framing the folly, the long hot border, or the distant landscape, looks into the past and future.

    260 Northwest Hill Road, Williamstown

    This lovely house features a harmonious landscape of interweaving meadow, lawn, stone terrace, gardens, pools, and house. Elegant, yet informal, the outdoor spaces vary in character from a dramatic woodland ravine, to an intimate bedroom shade garden, to an expansive lawn with views of Mount Greylock and Dome Mountain. Guests are immediately welcomed by an arrival garden with a terraced front entrance. They will visit a rhododendron and hosta shade garden, a rock garden with fishpond, and a lower grove with a sitting garden. Each is unique in character, yet intimately connected with the house and the surrounding multi-level terrain.

    Brooks Garden, 36 Keep Hill Road, Williamstown

    This garden surrounds one of the first “modern” houses in Williamstown, which was built in 1948 overlooking the valley and Mount Prospect beyond. The pond and fountain in the entrance circle is one of four made by the owners. On the west side of the circle is a small katsura grove. Connecting the house and garage is an herbal courtyard with a pergola and trellis that holds grapevines, wisteria, and kiwi in profusion. In the middle is a small pond with a quiet fountain surrounded by herbs and pastel spring flowers which give way to warmer colors that attract hummingbirds and butterflies later on in the summer. A larger pond and watercourse is found in the more extensive part of the garden where paths connect different rooms—a shade garden and sedum garden are among them. On the east side of the house is a small vegetable garden, a grove of lilacs, and the patio with a small fountain. All landscaping, garden design, stone walls, and care are provided by the owners.

    Mount Hope Farm, Williamstown

    Views of Mount Greylock and the Taconic Range from informal gardens makes this property enjoyable to see any time of day. Carol and Bob began creating their gardens at their hilltop home in 2000. Carol is interested in newly introduced, native, and sometimes rare plants, Zone 4, that give color, shape, and texture throughout the year and stand up to strong winds and low temperatures. There are mixed grasses at the entrance, native plants and a dry creek with mosses and ferns leading to the front door, and a sculptural installation and a sunken patio/ room where there are tender perennials. Succulents and low-growing plants surround a seating area. Most of the plants have been selected and tended by the owners.

    Wagner Garden, 33 Haley Street, Williamstown

    One of the original Haley houses in Haley Village, Williamstown, this in-town house and garden on a quarter-acre lot has evolved over a period of seventeen years. The garden complements the simple lines of the 1940s house and is a creative example of what can be done in a small landscape. The garden has been designed and entirely maintained by the owner. Mixed borders consisting of perennials, shrubs, and ornamental trees create garden rooms that each have their own character. The lawn is used as a path to lead visitors from one area to another. Annuals and containers are used for continuous color, especially on the stone patio. A variety of vines have been used for privacy fences and to add visual height to the garden. Rather than an abundance of flowers, the main focus of the garden is on foliage textures and plants of personal interest.