TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. — Summer is a great time of year for touring gardens! Visiting private gardens can provide inspiration for your own garden, and an opportunity to see how other gardeners have dealt with challenges on their properties as well as seeing new plants and garden design ideas. There are three great garden tours coming up in Tompkins County this July that benefit local community organizations.
On Saturday July 7, four spectacular private gardens will be open to the public through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program from 10 am – 4 pm. The cost is $7 per garden, or if you plan on visiting them all, you can purchase a ticket for all four gardens for $25 at each garden. The proceeds from the Open Day are shared between the Garden Conservancy, a national organization that preserves historic gardens, and the Tompkins County Community Beautification Program, which plants and maintains public spaces in the City of Ithaca, including the Ithaca Commons and many traffic medians. To see photos of each garden and get directions to the gardens, visit ccetompkins.org/opendays. The event takes place rain or shine.
On Sunday July 8 the Fall Creek Garden Club is hosting self-guided tours of urban gardens in the Fall Creek neighborhood of downtown Ithaca, from 11 am – 3 pm. The 16th Annual Fall Creek Garden Tour will be held rain or shine, and the event is free and open to all! Visitors will not only see enticing, well-tended front yards but also the hidden delights of private backyards. Begin the tour at Thompson Park at the corner of N. Cayuga St. and Cascadilla Creek where brochures with garden descriptions and maps will be provided.
The Dryden Open Gate Garden and Art Tour will be held on Saturday, July 14 from 9 am – 2 pm. Five private gardens will be open to the public, and art will be available for sale in the gardens as well. Tickets for the tour are $5 which gets you into all five gardens. Pre-sale tickets are available at Dryden Agway, Dryden Café, Second Knob and Dedrick’s, or you can purchase tickets at the parking lot on George Street, Dryden the day of the tour. All proceeds benefit the Dryden Beautification Brigade, the volunteer group that plants and maintains public spaces in the Village of Dryden. For more information visit drydenbeautification.weebly.com.
Featured image provided.