Green thumbs in the Green Mountains
“Just Say it with Violas, Violins and Art!” Southern Vermont is throwing a garden party all summer long to celebrate the brilliant colors of the landscape and the talented performers, entertainers, and craftsmen who heat up the hills in a region renowned for taste, quality, and old-world tradition. On tap are exquisite gardens, world-class musicians, puppeteers, artists, authors, artisans, cows, farmers, farm-fresh cuisine and all things Southern Vermont.
It promises to be a garden party like no other. From garden tours, swap events, and benefits, to farmers’ markets, daylily and dog contests, parades, festivals, concerts, and gallery walks, Southern Vermont will burst with green thumbs and the arts.
Gordon Hayward, popular speaker and author of dozens of books on garden design, will showcase his one-acre garden in Westminster West to benefit Sandglass Theater with a day-long performance of “Puppets in Paradise” — magical puppet vignettes scattered among his artfully designed gardens.
Daytime garden hopping will give way to a variety of music and theater happenings beckoning visitors all summer long. Also popular are Gallery Walk on the first Friday of each month in Brattleboro, and Art Walk on the third Friday of each month in Bellows Falls, just 20 minutes by car to the north.
Here are a few of our favorite green thumb-friendly offerings:
• From Our Gardens to Yours Spring Plant Sale, library lawn, 170 Main St., Wardsboro, May 25, 9a-noon, rain or shine, (friendsofwardsborolibrary.org, 802 896-3416).
• Westminster Cares’ 12th Annual Garden Tour: New Plants, New Voices, on the Town Common June 29-30, 10a-3p, rain or shine. Annuals, local hardy perennials, vegetable seedlings including Gilfeather Turnips; raffle, bake sale (westminstercares.org, 802-722-3607).
Features the gardens of Mary and Gordon Hayward, nationally known garden designer, writer, and lecturer. Four other Westminster gardens join the tour this year. Proceeds benefit Westminster Cares, a volunteer organization creating opportunities for seniors and disabled adults to live with independence and dignity in the community. Tickets $15, or $25 for two, on the day of the Tour at the Hayward garden and Westminster Institute on Rte. 5. Advance discounted tickets will be sold on their website.
• North Hill Annual Summer Symposium, Mount Snow, West Dover, June 29, 8:30-4:30p (northhillgarden.com).
Eighteenth annual summer symposium growing with this year’s theme: new plants, new ideas, and a new and upcoming generation of gardeners. A visit to the garden at North Hill is included.
• Tunes ’n’ Blooms, North Forte Gardens, Wilmington, July 20, 4-6p, rain date July 21 (802-464-5872, 802-464-8179, or 802-464-7230).
Enjoy a late afternoon stroll through the spectacular North Forte Gardens, which feature waterfalls, walkways, and Vermont flora. The afternoon includes live music, wine, beer, soft drinks, and gourmet hors d’oeuvres. This event benefits the DVCC, a non-profit dedicated to raising funds for fuel assistance in the Deerfield Valley. Tickets available at the gate or call. Adults $20, children 5-16 $10, under 5 free.
• Puppets in Paradise, Sandglass Theater, 17 Kimball Hill Rd., Putney, Sept. 7-8, 10a-4p (sandglasstheater.org).
This Biennial community event and Sandglass fundraiser presents two afternoons of puppetry and performance in the enchanted setting of landscape architects Gordon and Mary Hayward’s gardens. Walk the gardens and view herbs, flowers, and other beautiful flora as you meet puppets, theater artists and musicians around each corner and behind every bush. This community event and Sandglass benefit is a local favorite. Food and refreshments add to the delight of a beautiful day.
Schedule a Garden Tour … or Take a Gardening Class
• Gardens in Putney is owned and operated by Gordon Hayward, a world-renowned gardener. Groups of 20 or more can schedule tours by visiting harwardgardens.com/ourgarden/visit. Ongoing.
• The Hoyt Formal Garden and Kitchen Garden at the Hildene Estate in Manchester offers garden tours on an ongoing basis. Come see the gardens, which were designed for Mary Harlan, Abraham Lincoln’s daughter, and resemble a stained-glass Romanesque cathedral window. For more information, visit hildene.org. Ongoing.
• Andromeda Design at Evernest, Jamaica, May 22-July 3, (andromedadesigns.com/garden-school.html). Hands-on approach to garden instruction for the novice or intermediate gardener. Students learn weeding, mulching, deadheading, edging, watering, transplanting, and even some designing. Classes begin mid-May and end in late June or early July. Evernest is the home, office, and teaching garden of Erica Bowman, landscape architect, garden designer, and owner of Andromeda. Visit website for prices.
