Private Gardens Open August 8th to Benefit Conservancy Efforts

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program makes a special stop August 8th, offering the opportunity to tour four outstanding gardens in Beverly and Marblehead.

These private gardens will open to the public for one day only to benefit programs of the Marblehead Conservancy and the Garden Conservancy in Beverly.

August is an ideal time to explore these coastal gardens at the height of summer bloom. All gardens will be open for self-tours from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Admission to each private garden is $7; children 12 and under free. Open Days take place rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.

Visitors may begin their tour at any of the following locations:

Lodge Garden (239 Hale Street, Beverly)

Making its Open Days debut, this seven-acre garden that has watched the passage of time and generations in one New England family for more than 150 years. Four original European beech trees planted in the mid-1800s continue to flourish, adding beauty and maturity to the space; while keeping company with additional tree specimens that have been added over the years - yellowwood, catalpa, katsura, and yellow birch.

The Parable – Ellen Cool’s Garden (19 Circle Street, Marblehead)

Located in the original settlement area of Marblehead, this garden is part of an early eighteenth-century property with a house dating from 1720. A charming garden gate leads to the extensive display gardens of landscape designer Ellen Cool, which are filled with thought-provoking concepts and ideas easily adapted to many settings.

Gregory Garden (19 Mill Pond Road, Marblehead)

Brand new to the Open Days schedule, this garden presents a great opportunity to view an international collection of trees and shrubs. The lush park-like setting incorporates outdoor sculptures into the landscape, along with stonework installations, bronze fixtures and an outdoor fireplace area with furnishings designed by Davis Griffith.

VanOtterloo Garden (10 Blanchard Street, Marblehead)

This garden is opening for the first time in 2015. The space blends traditional oceanside influences with the clean lines of mid-century modern and Asian design. A mid 20th-century ranch house is surrounded by an established woodland garden that brings a feeling of weight and maturity to the property.

The Open Days program was created in 1995 as a means of connecting public to outstanding private American gardens across the country. Its mission to share inspirational gardens with the public is achieved each season, through the work of hundreds of private garden hosts and volunteers nationwide. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program. For information and a complete schedule of Open Days visit the Garden Conservancy online at www.opendaysprogram.org