Recommended upcoming New England tours

Concord Museum Garden Tour (Concord, MA) Friday-Saturday June 5-6, 2009 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Guilford Secret Garden Tour (Guilford, CT) Saturday, June 13, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Newburyport Annual Garden Tour (Newburyport, MA) Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour (Portsmouth, NH) Friday-Saturday, June 19-20, 2009

Newport Spring Secret Garden Tour (Newport, RI) Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, 2009 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cape Ann Garden Festival and Tour (Gloucester, MA) Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, 2009. Check website for specific event dates/times

South End Garden Tour (Boston, MA) Saturday, June 20, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Jamestown Island Treasures Garden Tour (Jamestown, RI) Saturday, June 27, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (401) 423-1776

The Garden Gates of Salem (Salem, MA) Saturday, July 11, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sunday, July 12, 2009 noon - 4:00 pm

Provincetown Art Association and Museum Secret Garden Tour (Provincetown, MA) Sunday, July 12, 2009 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Pittsfield Garden Tour (Pittsfield, MA) Saturday-Sunday, July 18-19, 2009

Private Gardens of the Kennebunks Tour (Kennebunk, ME) Saturday, July 18, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Block Island House & Garden Tour (Block Island, RI) Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Recommended upcoming New England openings, tours & more

Is it here yet?Daffodil Days at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum (Bristol, RI) April 11 – May 3, 2009

Beekeeping Basics with Elisabeth Bittner Joung (Cos Cob, CT) April 15, 2009 at 10:00 am

Garden in the Woods via the New England Wild Flower Society (North Framingham, MA) Opening April 15, 2009

Garden Tours at Strawbery Banke (Portsmouth, NH) Opening May 1, 2009

Lilac & Gardening Sunday at Shelburne Museum (Shelburne, VT) May 17, 2009

Free Walking Tour at Arnold Arboretum (Jamaica Plain, MA) May 23, 2009 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Newly open to the public, this secret garden on the property of an Asian-inspired home-goods shop named WA in Provincetown is worth discovering.  You approach it from a long passage between a tall, bordering, cedar fence and a channel of spare, decorative grasses that line the edge of the shop.  Once out back, a red, Asian-style gate with heavy, pivot-hinge, wooden doors announces entry to the shaded oasis.  Stone pavers underfoot and stone-topped perimeter planters set the stage for a raised, goldfish pond and center, wooden platform outfitted with benches.  Potted plants, simple vessels, and elegant statuary complete the tableau 

You almost forget you’re in the middle of a retail environment; the garden ornaments are for sale after all.  Nonetheless, it’s a great example of the hidden potential in many shaded rear yards.  Follow WA’s lead.  Ditch the grass and bark mulch.  Get creative.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

This year’s South End Garden Tour in Boston is fast approaching. Last year I sampled the tour on a balmy summer afternoon with a friend. There will be different gardens to explore in the upcoming tour, but I thought revisiting last year’s highlights might inspire you to check out the event on Saturday, June 21.

I went on the tour in large part to get a better look at the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood of nineteenth century, brick, row houses, with their trademark stone stoops and wrought iron balustrades. I’d heard that it’s a diverse district populated by creative folks, so the varied and imaginative pocket gardens tucked within it, did not disappoint.

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Click on this photo to see it in the note cards/prints gallery.Recommended upcoming New England tours

Newburyport 29th Annual Garden Tour & Plant Sale (Newburyport, MA) Saturday, June 14, 2008 10:00 am -5:00 pm, and Sunday, June 15, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Guilford Secret Garden Tour (Guilford, CT) Saturday, June 14, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Newport Spring Secret Garden Tour (Newport, RI) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 20-22, 2008 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

South End Garden Tour (Boston, MA) Saturday, June 21, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Garden Conservancy’s Boston Open Day (Middlesex/Norfolk County, MA) Saturday, June 21, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Hidden Treasures of the Berkshires Garden & House Tour (Great Barrington, MA) Saturday, July 12, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Provincetown Art Association and Museum Secret Garden Tour (Provincetown, MA) Sunday, July 13, 2008 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Camden House & Garden Tour (Camden, ME) Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Enchanted Gardens of Cotuit (Cape Cod, MA), July  17, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Private Gardens of the Kennebunks Tour (Kennebunk, ME) Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Mount Desert Island Open Garden Day Tour (Mount Desert Island, ME) Saturday, July 26, 2008 10:00 am - 4:00 pm