CONSERVANCY

(Bainbridge Island, WA)
Save the dates. The Garden Conservancy has released its 2011 calendar of when you can visit clusters of private gardens all over the U.S. This extraordinary treat comes to you for just $5 per garden visit, plus a modest cost for the directory with maps and locations. The funds are used to preserve and protect fabulous gardens that have been deeded to the Conservancy.
stroll garden, Eastern PA
The pictures here are from my own private garden visits around the country, NOT on Conservancy tours that I know of, but give you a range of what you might see: formal and informal, grand houses or not, historic sites. The only thing the gardens have in common is 'amazing'.Drehersville PA
Plan ahead so you don't miss Open Days wherever you live. Thirteen counties in NY state, 7 in NJ and 6 in CN are part of the program. In all 17 states have tours, from California to Maine, starting in late March to December.
(Santa Fe, NM)
I went behind the castle walls in Dallas Texas. Yes, it's a private home. Not at all what I expected of Texas.Santa Fe NM
Who knows what garden lies behind these adobe walls. Only a private garden tour will tell you.
A personal favorite, my 'own' garden, NYC.