This is your (and my) reminder to see as many Garden Conservancy Open Days as possible this year!

I recently mentioned the Garden Conservancy because I attended the premiere of a film it produced, held at the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture. But the organization is most famous for its Open Days, so let’s go there!

Open Day in Annapolis, Md.

This garden, around the Loblolly Cottage, covers a 7,000-square foot corner lot in a residential part of Annapolis.  It’s a real gardener’s garden, filled with wonderful, personally chosen plants, and well designed, so it’s no surprise that one of its creators is a professional gardener, with a long career as head gardener at the Chevy Chase Country Club.
Next, another garden in the Eastport section of Annapolis, this one about 1/3 acre, is the work of two horticultural professionals – Nancy and Pierre Moitrier. Pierre is also a master builder – see his treehouse and the lovely fence-enclosed herb garden.




And in Great Falls, Va.

Last month two very different gardens were Open in Northern Virginia. 

Here’s a pano shot of most of the buildings on Innsbruck Enclave – a 20-acre residence, mind you.

Another pano view. The greenhouse is center right and the guest house far right in this photo.

And look – some serious gardening is going on here!

The 2-acre Leigh Mill, was much more relatable – smaller and also a gardening couple’s long-time garden. 

And fun fact – these gardeners are Rant readers! My touring companion Charlotte Germane introduced us as garden writers and wham!@ The connection was made and I was chatting with regular readers about particular articles I’d posted.  It was SO FUN, I’ve decided to introduce myself as a gardener writer and hand out my card wherever I’m touring a garden. Connecting with readers IRL doesn’t happen often but when it does, boy, it’s a nice pay-off for 20 years of gardenblogging for very little money. And I’d PAY to keep doing it.