Working Garden Visit Series - #2 Summer in Trumansburg & Interlaken

This year FLNPS will host several open native garden visits. Unlike traditional Open Garden Days, these gardens are not all picture perfect, nor are they 100% native. They are works in progress, some new, some older, some more formal, some restored meadows. They are gardens whose creators are trying to incorporate lots of native plants within their own esthetic. Most will be self-guided; a couple will have posted tour times. Be sure to check each date for details: July 15, Aug 12, Aug 26, Sept 9.

July 15: Gardens open 10am-3pm - all self guided. 

Gail Shapiro, Trumansburg, NY: How much nature can be contained in a 1 acre property? After five years of work, this yard has a rain swale of which the rocks were all moved by hand, a frog pond fed by rains from gutter run off and kept filled only by clay soil, no lawn, hillsides and slopes starting to fill in, and loads of native plants.  And Taughannock creek is below the property. It is a mostly Native habitat still in process! Self-Guided, Gail will be around to say hello. PARK IN DRIVEWAY - NO ON-STREET PARKING PERMITTED.

Linda Blossom, Interlaken:  A half-acre composed of 10-12 different gardens/areas. There are woodland shade, sun and shade mix, sunny larger prairie plants, shorter sun plants, ponds, a small wetland, a vegetables garden, and fruit trees and shrubs. A twelve-year effort to eliminate lawn. The layout of the acre is a long rectangle that runs east to west dividing the property into a shade north and sunny south with large trees on the north property line. There are approximately 300 species which includes many trees and shrubs. Self-Guided with a plant list (click here for downloadable list)

Bridgit Brewer, Trumansburg NY, 14886: This young garden (4 years) is a good example of one couple’s journey in carving a garden out of a suburban lawn on a three-quarter acre site. The garden now features a hedgerow of serviceberry, redbud and bayberry with many species of perennials. The trees are still young, so the display is mostly tall and showy perennials; a rain swale/seasonal small pond featuring red osier and arrowwood dogwoods, Virginia sweet-spire, swamp azalea, winterberry with iris, blue-eyed grass, sweetgrass, turtleheads and lobelias; developing shade gardens under mature maples.
July will feature a patch of beautiful native lupines, native flowering shrubs, and some early perennials. With late summer comes the big display of asters, mountain mints, rudbeckia, coneflower, culver’s root and many more. For anyone interested in starting from scratch, this is a good example of working with native plants that are easily propagated from cuttings, divisions, and seed. Most have been collected from other generous gardeners. Self-guided tour. Owners will be available for questions and discussions.