Below is a link to a listing of garden tours, plant sales and events being held in CT-mostly central CT.

I find that you really have to be a detective to sniff out all the local garden club tours as most rarely advertise out of their own towns.

For instance, in addition to this list I also found out that the West Hartford garden club is having their tour on June 10th.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: CT Garden Events

Ginny - good idea for a thread!

1) I've gone on the Newport Secret Garden tour several times and never was disappointed. This years dates: June 15, 16, 17th. Well worth a trip to Newport and you can visit some of the mansions and their gardens while down there.

http://www.secretgardentours.org/index.htm

2) Last year we went to a tour offered by South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, MA. Very interesting gardens in pretty seaside towns like Scituate, Marshfield, Cohasset, etc. You won't be disappointed! What is nice about this tour is that it features summer blooming plants as it is held in July when fewer garden tours are offered. (Note: their web site doesn't have any info yet -- got this information from http://www.bostongardens.com/bostongardens/)

Through The Garden Gate Tour on the South Shore
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
"Through the Garden Gate," 25th silver anniversary garden tour to benefit the South Shore Natural Science Center, Norwell. Tour lovely gardens of the South Shore.

Sponsor: South Shore Natural Science Center
Time(s): 10am -7pm.
Cost: $20 non-members, $18 members, $25 day of tour
Phone: 781-659-2559
Fax: 781-659-5924
http://www.ssnsc.org

3) The Mass Gardens on Tour held this year June 10th and 11th has featured some exquisite gardens in the past. In other years I've been they used to have it over two weekends and during the week for 9 days of tours. This year it looks scaled back to just the two days. Hope it is just as good. This tour is usually held every other year.

http://www.gcfm.org/magardensontour/

This year I am planning on going on a tour offered in Sharon and Walpole. Anyone have any comments about this tour???

Here is the info from http://www.bostongardens.com/bostongardens

'Through the Garden Gate' House & Garden Tour
Saturday, June 24, 2006

Visit three unusual homes with gardens and an additional 3 or 4 gardens. Includes the oldest house in Sharon with hand-hewn post and beams. One interesting landscape feature is the Cow Pond, which is fed by an artesian well.

Another home is a beautiful make-over from a ranch into an Arts and Craft style cottage with custom designed furniture by the owners.

Also an exquisite restored Victorian farmhouse with gracious gardens, patio and guest cottage.

Additional gardens feature tranquil woodland gardens, sunny borders, waterfall, pergola's and fine plants. material.

Location:
Several Different Venues
Sharon and Walpole , MA
Sponsor: Sharon Garden Club
Time(s): 10.30 am. - 4.00 pm.
Cost: $15 prior to June 1; $20 after
Phone: 781-784-5367
Fax: 781 784-6359
patricia_walker@comcast.net

Ashland, Ma. Garden Club Garden tour June 17th. 9 to 3. Tickets available from BeconGreen Nurseries, Ashland, Ma.( Ashland is between Framingham and Hopkinton- about half way between Boston and Worcester. There are 8 gardens on the tour

Our gardens/arboretum welcome all GW people and friends, as
we are open to the public May through October. (See my member page for description.)The wkend of June 10th is usually our early summer peak- highlighted by hundreds of peony plants and siberian iris, etc etc etc. If the season continues its early start, that peak may move up, but whatever, there is always so much happening here.Bring your lunch and sit by one of the many waterfalls! Hope to see you soon! best, mindy

Mindy, I hope to make it up to your place this year. Those photos of your yard that you showed us at the Vanilla Bean Cafe the day of the Logees trip were amazing. I can't wait to see all the colorful foliage!

Monique

Our garden club is having its annual plant sale (Garden Mart) on
Saturday May 13th from 9AM until 12:30PM
at the Easton Firehouse Green on Route 59 (Sport Hill Road).

This year we will be offering many unusual annuals and tender perennials along with our wonderful, locally grown perennials. We will have Master Gardeners on hand to answer questions, as well as some lovely offerings for Mother's Day gift giving. Of course you won't want to miss our baked goods or colorful hanging baskets either.

Below is a site that lists events in lower Fairfield County.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening Events

Mindy, I know exactly where you are. In fact, a large contingent of my dearly departed relatives are enjoying eternal rest in Calvary cemetary not far from your house. Is the Gingerbread Construction company still in business? How do you like you coffee?

Sue

These are great! Thank you everyone. I can see I won't be getting a lot of work done this summer.... The South Shore tour really intrigues me. I recently drove around that area for the first time--too gorgeous--one beautiful old house after another, surrounded by spring-blossoming bulbs, trees and shrubs.

Posting here means I have to add something else, so here goes: The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover is having its annual plant sale on Sat., May 20. In addition to buying plants, you can tour the very beautiful gardens at this Trustees of Reservations property, which are among the prettiest in eastern Mass. You will love it.

>>>Posted by: ginny12 z5 MA on Thu, Apr 27, 06 at 15:07

<....>The South Shore tour really intrigues me. I recently drove around that area for the first time--too gorgeous--one beautiful old house after another, surrounded by spring-blossoming bulbs, trees and shrubs. >>>

Ginny ~ Did you ever get to the Adams Mansion in Quincy?

Not yet but I will! We need more days in the week.

Tony Avent is the guest speaker at the May meeting of the CT Hort Society on May 18th. The meetings are held in West Hartford. See the link below for directions and more details.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: CT Hort Society Schedule of Events

Also anyone interested and nearby try to go see the daffodils at Blithewold this weekend. This is the last weekend of the Daffodils Days Event.To see my photos taken last Saturday go to:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9914104&uid=4348107

After the great time I had viewing the daffodils at Blithewold happened to see this event advertized:

SPRING FAIR: Garden Antiques & Specialty Plant Sale
Saturday, May 20, 10:00 Â 4:00
The second annual Spring Fair takes place under three large tents on the grounds of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum. Spring Fair at Blithewoldis the first-of-its-kind sale in Eastern New England. More than 30 of the regionÂs finest garden antiques dealers and 10 specialty nurseries will take part. Click here for more info. $13 Members, $15 Nonmembers (members admitted at 9:00 am)

Wow look at the plant vendors:
AVANT GARDENS
Alpines, rock garden plants, tender perennials, and container plant collections 710 High Hill Rd.
North Dartmouth, MA
www.avantgardensne.com

CHAVES GARDENS
Popular perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees 93 East Main Road
Middletown, RI 02840
401-846-0623

CRANESBILL NURSERY
Fifty varieties of hardy geraniums including G. 'Orion', shown at left.
55 Riverside Drive
Barrington, RI 02805
brady@fctvplus.net

GARDEN VISION
Specialty epimediums such as Epimedium x versicolor 'Cherry Tart', below left, and Epimedium grandiflorum 'Silver Queen', below right.
63 Williamsville Rd.
Hubbardston, MA
(mail order only)
www.home.earthlink.net/
~darrellpro
darrellpro@earthlink.net
978-928-4808

OPUS
Unique container plants from around the world 60 Warren's Point Rd.
Little Compton, RI
ed@opustopiarium.com

PECKHAM'S GREENHOUSE
Popular perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees, and uncommon container plants Little Compton, RI

SEVEN ARROWS NURSERY
Bamboo, native woodland plants, scented pelargoniums, and buckwheat mulch 346 Oakhill Avenue
Attleboro, MA 02703
mmarcellot@comcast.net
UMBRELLA FACTORY GARDENS
Rare perennials, hosta, and container plants 4820 Post Road
Charlestown, RI 02813

Here is a link that might be useful: Blithewold Spring Fair

The Blithewold event looks unbelievable. Thanks for posting that. Now a question. The lupine festivals should be starting before too long. Anyone have any links or info on those, like the one in northern NH?

The Garden Conservancy holds tours across the country. You can buy their book, outlining featured gardens or simply look on line for the tour closest to you.

It's a great cause, and our yard was featured in conjunction with some really eye-popping ones some years ago. I was SO nervous and shouldn't have been! It was such good fun to share my small piece of the world with people who were "into" gardening.

Garden tours are the GREATEST!

Chance to meet Carol Stocker at Garden in the Woods this Sunday...

GARDEN IN THE WOODS FREE SEMINARS
180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA, Sundays, 1 p.m. only

May 7
Meet Carol Stocker, Boston Globe Garden Writer
She will be presenting topics from her newest book, The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Gardening Almanac. Bring your questions and purchase signed copies.

Question about Garden Conservancy:
RI supposedly has their own open garden days. Does anyone have a link for RI (they aren't listed under Northeast section of http://www.gardenconservancy.org)

Tower Hill Botanic Garden is having a double-header this weekend, May 6-7--a daffodil show and a primrose show. Not to mention all that is blooming in their gardens. This is really one of our most outstanding gardens in New England. These shows should be wonderful and I am inveigling some of my friends to come with me at this very moment.

People, Places and Plants magazine has a by state guide to garden tours for 2006 in the early summer edition that just came out. (211 of them!)

I went to Tower Hill yesterday--such gorgeous weather. Both the primrose show and the daffodil show were held in the main building. The flowers were beautiful specimens and a great learning experience. I don't grow any primroses but may try a few simple ones after seeing these. The daffodils were amazing. So many different forms and color combinations. I went right home and got out my bulb catalog and started my order for fall planting. There were experts in each of these plant groups on hand to answer questions. And of course lots in bloom outdoors as well. Well worth the trip.

Ginny,
I am glad you had a good time at Tower Hill. I just started a reduced work schedule and will now have Fridays off for the summer. I just found out my library has a pass for Tower Hill so this is on my list to go to. I don't live too far from it just haven't gotten there yet.

So Ginny what bulb catalogs are you ordering from? I ordered from Old House Gardens this spring and got some fabulously heathly cannas, dahlias, elephant ear, etc. from them and am planning on a fall order. I also heard good things about John Scheepers.

Sue

Old House Gardens is excellent and they are meticulous about accuracy. They have a great free internet newsletter you can sign up for on their website--lots of interesting garden tidbits. I order from Scheepers as well, and McClure and Zimmerman. But I don't do as many bulbs as I'd like because I don't have enough sun. I have an unused vegetable garden which is a weedy mess but my fantasy is to turn it into a cutting garden and grow, among other things, LOTS of daffodils.

(Although we are open, free, may through oct.),
our Cotton-Arbo retum will be on this tour and our 100-plus peonies may be in full bloom then, if the season doesn't catch up with itself. the tour will include 7 other winchester gardens, 2 of which i designed- very small but pretty. tickets available at BookEnds store in winch. center by RRtracks rotary. 781 7215933. $20 advance; $25 day of tour.

Mindy, what is the date?

Sue

6/2/06, FRIDAY, 10am-4pm
(June 2)
Sue, you remind me of me!

LOL-DTD, even after you posted the date I must have read Mindy's message three more times thinking what am I missing? Duh, I guess I don't read subject lines too closely even though I keep having to change them in order to post.

Hmmm, looks like a good day to take vacation.

Sue

I had to go back to it several times for the same reason. We can't all be wrong!

Rockspray on Cape Cod is having an open house this weekend:

Dear Fellow Gardener,

We would like to invite you to our annual Open House this coming weekend!

Come visit us here at Rock Spray Nursery in the beautiful woods of Truro,
Sat and Sun, June 3-4, 12pm to 4pm!

There will be a Farm tour, discussions on heath and heather propagation and landscape design. Also, children's craft and we will be serving lemonade and cookies!

Collections and Individual plants will be available for purchase, as well as Annuals, Unique Perennials, Heirloom Vegetable Starts, and Beautiful Hanging Baskets.

All grown here at the farm!

Directions:
Take Route 6 east towards Provincetown. Exit right at Pamet Roads, Truro Center. Turn right onto South Pamet Road, following signs for Truro Center. After the underpass, turn left onto Truro Center Road as if you are about to get onto Route 6 west. At this point, take an immediate right onto Depot Rd. Go till you reach Holsberry Rd which is the third road on the left. Go all the way to the end. You can park here and walk straight up the hilly drive. We are at 41 Holsberry Rd.

Hope to see you there!

Visit our site at http://rockspray.com for more information or call us at 508-349-6769

Happy Gardening!

Thank you from the Crew at Rock Spray Nursery

Wetport (CT) Historical Society
Hidden Gardens Tour.
Sunday, June 11
10 AM - 5 PM

Two of the 5 featured gardens is of special interest to me.
One is claimed to be a mini-arboretum on 3 acres in Wilton.
Another (in Southport) should be also interesting due to the property setting on a slope above marina and views to the harbor from the early XX century brick colonial.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hidden Gardens Tour

George, is your garden on the Westport tour?

The Guilford Garden tour is June 10th. I usually go to this one every year and have never been disappointed. A few of the gardens are usually within walking distance of the Guilford Green and there are plenty of good restaurants in town when the lunch bell tolls, a couple right on the harbor.

Guilford's Secret Gardens

Spectacular private gardens around the historic Guilford Green and in the countryside will be open to the public on June 10 for the annual "Secret Gardens of Guilford" tour.

Visitors will be welcome to stroll through the private sanctuaries from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shuttle buses will transport visitors from the centrally located Bishop's Orchards on Route 1 to a countryside destination on the tour.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day of the tour, which will take place rain or shine. For tickets or information, please call 203-458-6516.

This year's tour will include several gardens with water features. Among the sites on the tour are new gardens of neighbors who have shared plants and ideas, and some gardens from previous tours that have been reworked to create new effects.

Proceeds benefit the Guilford ABC program, which provides "A Better Chance" for academically talented young women of color. The program, which is in its 29th year, has sent more than 100 young women from inner cities to Guilford High School and on to distinguished colleges and careers.

Also on the 10th there is a garden tour in Newington and one in West Hartford.

Tomorrow is Farmington. Usually I go to this one too but last year I was just not impressed by it at all. When I bought the tickets the day of the tour I overheard one of the volunteers tell someone that is was just "regular people's" gardens that year. What she probably meant was there were no real high end or historic homes on the tour and there weren't but that wasn't the issue for me. At least half of the gardens were not ready for a public tour. A couple of them looked like they hadn't even been spring cleaned yet. I brought a friend who had never been on a garden tour before and even she was puzzled. Oh well, usually it's a good tour so maybe it will be back on track this year.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Farmington Garden Tour

Sue, nope, my garden is not on a tour.
In a fall of 2004 commitee said that my garden is not mature enough and I was in agreement with that.
Do you think I should endorse it for the 2007?
By looking at it now I'm affraid it could be overgrown jungles of astilbes, hydrangeas and roses by then.
I'm not counting rhodies and azaleas, LOL.

Anyway, good for our snobby commitee or not, everyone is welcome to visit it on a private basis if you are in my neck of the woods (SW CT).
Send me e-mail and we'll arrange dates.

George, don't forget the Oliver's sale...I think I invited everybody at the CT plant swap to your house afterwards...lol.

Is the Oliver's sale the weekend of June 24th or July 1st?

If I were you I'd keep trying to get on your town tour. No way is you garden ever going to be an overgrown jungle of anything. Around here you'd be a shoe-in for any town tour I've seen. The last garden tour they had in my town was in 2002. The next one was supposed to be this year but it doesn't look like it's happening. Maybe next year...and I should be ready by then if they'll have me.

Sue