Gardeners seek inspiration from a number of sources. Many flip through the pages of their favorite gardening magazine, while others surf the net or tune in to HGTV. I use my gardening and horticulture magazines, references from authors I admire, as well as the Internet. However, I find my greatest inspiration comes from garden visits. There is nothing like a walk through a garden to get a sense of color and texture combinations or see that plant you admired in a catalog or nursery at work in an environment.  The Secret Gardens Tour of private gardens in the historic Saratoga Springs area is just the ticket for gardeners looking for “walk in the garden inspiration.”

The Secret Gardens Tour is the oldest garden tour in the Saratoga Springs area.  The 13th annual tour takes place this year on Sunday, July 8th between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.  This day-long tour features 9 unique, private gardens in and around Saratoga Springs.  The Yaddo Gardens on Union Avenue are also featured on the tour, with Yaddo volunteers available to guide you through and answer questions.  The private gardens range from woodland to city settings, formal to informal.  Tour-goers can view family heirloom plants, herb and cutting gardens, new cultivars, and familiar biennials, perennials, shrubs, and trees.  Often times the owners are present and eager to share their love of gardening, as well as their trials and tribulations with tour-goers. Here is just a sampling of the gardens on this year’s tour:

If you like Hostas, one of the featured gardens boasts 1,500 varieties!   The garden of Jim and Peg Dalton in Greenfield covers approximately 2 acres in a woodland setting.  It has been their labor of love for the past seven years.  Jim and Peg were initially challenged with barren soil, shade, and hungry wildlife.  They worked to improve their soil, developed homemade recipes for discouraging wildlife dinner parties, and respectfully worked with the special features of their property.  The result is a balance of native plants and owner-selected perennials that create a serene, relaxing home setting.

An old horse farm sets the scene for another featured garden.  Becky DeWitt in the town of Saratoga has lovingly turned overgrown horse corals and farm structures once known as the Coles Creek Horse Farm into thriving gardens.  Fortunately, the old farm offered an abundance of fertile soil for gardening.  So the real challenges began with overgrowth and blending old with new.  Becky loves to infuse new perennials with farmland wildflowers that attract birds, butterflies, and rabbits.  Her gardens are truly “all season” and blend with the lovely old things on the property.

In addition to getting your “garden fix” for the day, you will feel great knowing the proceeds from this tour help support the works of Soroptomist International of Saratoga County, a professional women’s service organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in our local community.   The tour serves as a fundraiser to support the Hope and Power project, a partnership with the Saratoga Domestic Violence Center on Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

So bring along your notebooks. The Secret Garden Tour is a great opportunity to collect ideas for your own property.  And unlike magazines and the internet, the ideas are tried and true to our Saratoga Springs area!  But the event does not end after you visit your final garden for the day.  An After-Tour Gathering takes place at Gaffney’s Garden Restaurant on Caroline Street starting at 5 p.m.  After a full day of garden visiting it’s nice to sit with a fellow gardener, enjoy refreshments, and reflect upon the offerings of the day.

Tickets for the tour are $15 in advance and $20 day of tour.  You can pick up tickets in advance at the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center located at 297 Broadway, directly across from Congress Park.  A ticket tent will also be available in front of the Visitor’s Center day of the tour.  For more information about the tour, contact Lorrie Anthony at 899-5086

Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping.  She designs, constructs, and maintains outdoor landscape and water garden features in Saratoga County.  For more information, visit chipslandscaping.net.