Join the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program Inside Six Raleigh Area Private Gardens on September 15 & 16

On Saturday, September 15^th and Sunday, September 16^th, the public is invited to tour six private gardens in Cary and Raleigh through The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. The hours for the tour are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Call toll-free weekdays 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.

A portion of the proceeds from this Open Day will be shared with the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Admission to each private garden is $5, payable at each location in cash or check. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Discounted tickets ($25 booklets of six tickets) are available in advance at the Arboretum and also at each garden on the days of the event.

Included on the weekend tour is The Umstead Hotel & Spa (100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary), where the gardens and three-acre lake are normally only viewed by guests of the hotel. The Umstead uses many native North Carolina species similar to the nearby state park, and a path around the lake includes a butterfly garden and wetland environment. The Gardens at Ashland Hall (3809 Sparrow Pond Lane, Raleigh) feature several themed areas such as a cutting garden, an English garden with a heart-shaped lawn, and a tropical garden that includes a tiki hut. At the Maynard Garden (2612 Lakeview Drive, Raleigh), classic European craftsmanship combines with Eastern influences. A reflecting pool, garden sculpture, layers of terraced gardens, and a parterre with a large moon gate focal point are highlights.  Quarry Hill (719 Lakestone Drive, Raleigh) thrives in a woodland setting within the city. Features include a kitchen garden, conifer collection, lake views, and unusual accents such as an original London phone booth and four-tiered fountain. At the Sorge Gardens (5505 Den Heider Way, Raleigh) a pond-side gazebo is the central point of two acres of woodland. Additional parts of the garden include raised vegetable beds, grape arbors, and a greenhouse. The garden of Dennis & Georgina Werner (5901 Fordland Drive, Raleigh) is a collector’s garden with a 2,800-square-foot perennial border, colorful annual plantings surrounding the pool, and a gazebo among a mix of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Visitors may begin the tour on either day at any of these locations or at the JC Raulston Arboretum, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh.

These Open Days gardens are featured in the 2012 Open Days Directory; a soft-cover book, published each year in March, that includes detailed driving directions and vivid descriptions written by their owners. The 2012 directory includes more than 350 participating gardens in nineteen states, open from late April through early November.

The Garden Conservancy introduced 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. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program, and is made possible by the work of hundreds of volunteers nationwide. Visit the Garden Conservancy and its Open Days program online at www.opendaysprogram.org.

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