Garden Conservatory Invites Public to 'Open Days' Program

From the Garden Conservatory:

On Sunday, June 5, visit four private and public gardens, open to the public through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program in Milton and West Roxbury, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to each garden is $7, benefiting the Garden Conservancy and the Mary M.B. Wakefield Estate. Children age 12 and under are free. Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Interested individuals must call 1-888-842-2442 or visit the Open Days Program website for more information.

Mary M.B. Wakefield Estate(1465 Brush Hill Rd.)

Open Days coincides with the Wakefield Estate’s own Dogwood Days, timed to give the public a rare opportunity to enjoy the collection of hundreds of Chinese Dogwoods (Cornus kousa) at their spectacular peak bloom. The dogwoods are planted throughout Polly’s Formal Garden and Terrace Rooms, along with other rare trees and shrubs, as well as lining either side of the Fountain Path Allée, that span the entire length of the property.

The Former “Mrs. Holden McGinley Garden” Designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman (582 Blue Hill Ave.)

Landscape historian Judith B. Tankard will be on site, from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., to talk about the importance of this historic garden and its famous designer, Ellen Shipman. Designed in the 1920s as a series of stunning outdoor rooms, it was embellished with Shipman’s signature water features, garden ornament and flower borders. Judith is an author of books on Shipman and other landscape architects, a Garden Conservancy Society of Fellows member and a past Open Days host on Martha’s Vineyard.

Garden of Christine Paxhia (1027 Brush Hill Rd.)

This garden features an emphasis on color, texture and aromatic plants and flowers, a collection of single, double and intersectional peonies, native plants and woodland plants.

Dustman-Ryan Garden (353 Park Street in West Roxbury)

Owners Christie Dustman and Patti Ryan use plants and objects as sculptures in an array of vignettes and intentional views and include more than 50 types of conifers as well as rare and unusual plants.

Additional area Open Days will take place on June 11 in Rehoboth, Seekonk and Providence, R.I.; August 13 in Needham and Wellesley and Sept. 18 in Carlisle.

The Garden Conservancy created the Open Days program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. Its mission to share American gardens with the public is achieved each season, through the work of hundreds of private garden hosts and volunteers nationwide. "Digging Deeper," a new series of Open Days programming, is designed to offer a deeper look into the gardening world through immersive experiences with artists, designers, gardeners, authors and other creative professionals. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program.