Landscaping Inspiration from Public Gardens

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It’s a stay at home kind of summer and as such, it’s impossible not to spend more time trying to match our actual surroundings to our dream ones. Now that the Mid-Hudson Valley region is opening up to more activity, there are many public gardens of note right in our own backyards, so to speak, that can provide us with the education and inspiration to upgrade our own properties.

Public gardens, while planted on a grand scale, are full of ideas that can be scaled down to our own yards. They are full of beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, rock formations, and water features that can show us what colors, smells, styles, or placements appeal to us. And because these public gardens are in the same growing zone as we are, these same plants can thrive in your yard too.

So pack up your mask and a bottle of water for your own hydration. Don’t forget to social distance. And take lots of photos that you can then bring on in to us, so we can help you realize your dream landscape.

Here are some of the open Hudson Valley gardens we love:

Innisfree Gardens, Millbrook – Recognized as one of the ten best gardens of the world, Innisfree is an incredible strolling garden with wonderful rock formations, water, trees, and sky. Advance reservations for timed admission are required at this time to maintain social distancing on this 185-acre garden.

Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie – A surprising combination of perennial and vegetable gardens, sunny meadows, and shady groves of stately trees. Masks and social distancing required.

Montgomery Place, Rhinebeck –  A mix of formal gardens, manicured lawns, farmlands, orchards, and 235 acres of woodlands that run from the Hudson River to River Road. Great vistas of the Catskill Mountains, the river, and Sawkill’s lower falls.

Wethersfield Garden, Amenia – A formal Italian Renaissance garden with extraordinary views of the Hudson. It is comprised of grassy courtyards with neatly trimmed paths, hedges, stone stairways, and statues that lead you from one ‘room’ to another. The garden is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Masks and social distancing is required.