Dans Papers - May 25, 2007 - A Walk With The Garden Conservancy

The Hamptons is home to some of the most exquisite estates in the world. While architecture is impressive and interior design is fine, elegant and manicured, gardens are one of the best kept secrets in the Hamptons, boasting some of the most beautiful scenes in North America. Are you looking for a fun way to de-stress and smell the roses? Have your own garden party by touring some of the most gorgeous gardens in East Hampton. What a great way to take in the lush summer foliage and vivid colors of local flora and fauna. Be one with nature and enjoy a relaxing Hamptons garden tour, courtesy of the Garden Conservancy.

On June 10, the Garden Conservancy welcomes the public to its Open Days Tour at Alexandra's Gardens, which surrounds the 1830s home where Alexandra lives and works as a landscape designer. In 1895, the home became the caretakers' cottage for the Stanford White Wetherell Estate. Alexandra's garden is a cavalcade of color, mixing deep blue, lavender, green and peach tones with moss and fern gardens. Take in the fragrant Alchemist roses, striped morning glories, ice blue uscari, quince, boxwood and magnolia and be transported to a more genteel age.

On June 23, the Garden Conservancy will host four garden tours of the most exceptional gardens in the Hamptons. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Abby Jane Brody's Garden at 44 Glade Road in East Hampton will be shown. Ms. Brody is an inveterate plant collector with a myriad of rare flowers, plants and herbs. Flowers bloom at this half-acre site every day of the year, with seasonal varieties that span the globe. Standout plants include amellias, hellebores, daphnes, epimediums and a variety of other exotic flowering plants. Japanese azaleas will be in full bloom and are sure to tickle the most avid gardener's fancy.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Arlene Bujese's garden at 40 Whooping Hollow Road in East Hampton will be on display. The garden has four distinct areas on half an acre. There is a magnificent flower garden with evergreens and a goldfish pond. A brick walkway leads you to the outdoor sculpture garden. Flowering cherry, pear, maple, red leaf plum and other fruit trees give the garden a bountiful feeling. The owner of this garden has worked on it for the last seventeen years to create a serene space conducive to thoughtful meditation and relaxation. Recent additions include a vegetable garden near the main garden. This garden has been featured in Country Living Gardener, the Early Homes issue of Old House Interiors and Westport Magazine. This breathtaking garden is a truly sweet treat for the senses.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Margaret Kerr's garden in East Hampton will be open. Kerr designed the garden herself, surrounding the house and studios on two acres that border the wetlands of Accabonac Harbor. She has brick rug sculptures, inspired by Persian Rugs, strewn all over the garden and plants cultivated since the Middle Ages in a courtyard around a fountain, lily pool and espaliered pear trees. The meadow is replete with daffodils, native grasses and wildflowers, for a visual experience any flower lover would treasure.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carol Mercer's Garden at 33 Ocean Avenue in East Hampton will be featured. Mercer and her partner, Lisa Verderosa, have a popular garden design business called the Secret Garden, Ltd. Their roof garden was featured in the 2003 Kips Bay Designer Showhouse in New York City and has received numerous awards in the field. This garden was the subject of a cover story in Garden Design Magazine, and has appeared in House Beautiful, Garden Style, Victoria, Martha Stewart Living, and Design Times, as well as in books such as Seaside Gardening, The Garden Design Book, Sanctuary: Gardening for the Soul, The Natural Shade Garden, and, most recently, in Landscape with Roses, Garden Stone, and Hot Plants for Cool Climates. It was also featured in Newsday in 1999 and appeared in the Time/Life book series, Beds & Borders, Gardening Weekends, and Shade Gardening. Viewing this awe-inspiring garden is a surefire way to find style ideas for your own secret garden.