Summer 2013 garden tours

Recommended upcoming New England tours

Garden Affairs Garden Tour (Concord, MA) Friday - Saturday, May 31 - June 1, 2013 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 

Newport Summer Secret Garden Tour (Newport, RI) Friday - Sunday, June 14 - 16, 2013 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Earth, Roots, Petals, & Paths Garden Tour (Putney, VT) Saturday, June 15, 2013 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

South End Garden Tour (Boston, MA) Saturday, June 15, 2013 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour (Portsmouth, NH) Saturday, June 22, 2013 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

New Castle Village Walk & Garden Tour (New Castle, NH) Sunday, June 23, 2013 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Rockport Garden Club Garden Tour (Rockport, MA) Saturday - Sunday, June 28 - 29, 2013 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Maine Home + Design English Garden Party & Home Tour (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) Saturday, June 29, 2013 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Black Point House and Garden Tour (Niantic, CT) Friday, July 12, 2013 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Gardening with the [URI] Masters 2013 Statewide Garden Tour (Rhode Island) Saturday - Sunday July 13 - 14, 2013 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Provincetown Art Association and Museum Secret Garden Tour (Provincetown, MA) Sunday, July 14, 2013 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 

Pittsfield Garden Tour (Pittsfield, MA) Saturday, July 20, 2013 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sunday, July 21, 2013 noon – 4:00 pm  

Private Gardens of the Kennebunks Tour (Kennebunk, ME) Saturday, July 13, 2013 10:00 am - 4:00 pm  

The 66th Annual Camden House and Garden Tour (Camden, ME) Thursday, July 18, 2013 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

The 59th Annual Nantucket House and Garden Tour (Nantucket, MA) Wednesday, August 7, 2013 11:00 am - 4:30 pm  

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days 

Design snapshot: Gallery wall

One of the first features we noticed in our new (to us) home is a long interior wall bordering the open living/dining area. One look and my husband said to me in passing, "Here's your gallery wall." So true. It was practically begging for a changing display of my fine-art photography.

Having discovered the simple and elegant Gallery System Art Displays at the Old Sculpin Gallery (where I exhibit my photos on Martha's Vineyard in the summer), I got in touch with the distributor to order the flexible system for our home gallery. Switching out the photo "shows" is a breeze and a fun way to freshen the look of the space. (Above is my boat-detail "show".)

Compliments from a visiting interior designer friend, Deborah Emery of Emery Design Associates LLC based in New York City, inspired me to share our gallery wall with like-minded House Enthusiasts who might want to create their own changeable gallery.

One word of caution: when installing the system, use a real level -- not the iPhone level, like this casual installer did.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Web tour: Container gardens

For the first year in many, I'll actually have a small cottage garden to cultivate. It's a big leap for an idjit gardener, so I'm inclined to start with baby steps. I figure container gardening may ease me into the wider world of gardening in the actual ground.

Of course, there are many sources of inspiration for container gardening, but I found a favorite in Design New England; it's a whimsical early spring container designed and created by Trent Lloyd Design of Newburyport, Mass. It taps into the fun of the miniature, mini, and small -- favorite topics here at House Enthusiast.

If you like the Trent-Lloyd-Design container garden, you'll probably get a hoot out of artist Judy Robinson-Cox's work, especially her Lilliputian Landscapes, and this image in particular. So fabulous.

Humor in the garden is win win.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast