#OpenDays25
A QUARTER CENTURY OF AMERICA'S GARDENERS AND THEIR GARDENS
Click here to view the full book online.
"We should be doing this in America," Page Dickey recalls thinking in the early 1990s, after several very personal and charming visits, many complete with tea and crumpets, to gardens that opened to the public as part of the United Kingdom's National Garden Scheme.
In 1995, Page and her friend and fellow gardener Pepe Maynard made Page's idea a reality: they co-founded Open Days under the aegis of the Garden Conservancy, recruiting 110 private gardens in Connecticut and New York to welcome visitors for an "Open Day."
In 2020, Garden Conservancy Open Days, now a thriving program that has opened more than 4,000 private gardens in 41 states across America, marks the anniversary of its first 25 years in the United States, having welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors.
We are delighted to mark this important milestone in the Garden Conservancy's beloved Open Days program with a beautiful publication, the culmination of a year's efforts to explore and celebrate the gardens and people who have made Open Days possible. #OpenDays25: A Quarter Century of America's Gardeners and Their Gardens, a 66-page oversize book with sophisticated drawings by Marian McEvoy and stunning photography by Christine Ashburn and Brian Jones, will be published this month. It features profiles of just a few of the many wonderful people who have made it possible for us to share and celebrate America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public.
Order a copy of #OpenDays25 online.
Below is a list of the individuals who are profiled in this commemorative publication. They are a small sampling of the more than 4,000 generous Open Days garden hosts and regional ambassadors who, together with thousands of avid garden visitors, have created a dynamic community of people across the country, sharing ideas and inspiring each other.
PROFILES
Casey Boyter, Austin, TX
Panayoti Kelaidis, Denver, CO
Mikel Folcarelli and John Gwynne, Little Compton, RI
Bruce Gangawer, New Hope, PA
Judith Tankard, Edgartown, MA
Dale Sievert, Waukesha, WI
Shobha Vanchiswar, Chappaqua, NY
Bob Hyland and Andrew Beckman, Portland, OR
Maureen and Mike Ruettgers, Carlisle, MA
Michael Judd, Frederick, MD
Lynde Uihlein, Milwaukee, WI
Frank and Mary Watson, Jacksonville, FL
Craig Bergmann, Lake Forest, IL
Linda Skyler, Bainbridge Island, WA
Barbara Israel, Katonah, NY
Keeyla Meadows, Albany, CA
Edwina von Gal, East Hampton, NY
Gordon and Mary Hayward, Westminster West, VT
Margaret Roach, Copake Falls, NY
Debbie Davis and Marty Whaley Adams, Charleston, SC
Jon Carloftis, Lexington, KY
Bunny Williams, Falls Village, CT
Dennis Schrader and Bill Smith, Mattituck, NY
Cynthia Hosmer, York, ME
Hitch Lyman, Trumansburg, NY
Elena Shoch and Martyn Belmont, Pasadena, CA
Page Dickey photo by Christine Ashburn Photography
Publication art by Marian McEvoy
Design by Kat Nemec; editing and project management by the Garden Conservancy staff
"I've gotten lots of plants. I've also killed a lot of plants. It is all experimentation and this is my laboratory."
"[My mother] always told me that I must 'bloom where I am planted', sound advice I have always lived by wherever I have made a home."
"When you find something marvelous and beautiful, you can't help but want others to share in the experience."
"One does not own a garden. One listens, looks, and absorbs what the landscape has to say."
“When you pass through a hedge or open a door, an unexpected whole world is revealed on the other side. Gardens should be fun.”
"She who plants a garden creates mindfulness."
"[Gardening] is a brilliant teacher. It leaves no doubt who is in charge (hint: not you)."
