The Daily Dig

This past weekend I went on my first Garden Conservancy Open Days tour and I had the opportunity to visit 2 out of nearly 300 amazing private gardens that are opened to the public throughout the year.

The Garden Conservancy is the only national nonprofit organization founded to preserve exceptional American gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public and offer garden enthusiasts the chance to discover, enjoy, and be inspired by some of the nation’s most beautiful places. The Open Day’s program that began in 1995, provides behind-the-scenes access to some of this country’s finest private gardens, offering visitors the rare opportunity to experience beautiful spaces not normally open to the public.

Casa de Sueños

One of the gardens I visited (and a favorite of mine) was Casa de Sueños, the private residential garden of Sherry Merciari, a garden designer in the San Francisco Bay Area. The garden is situated on an acre over looking the San Francisco Bay. It’s hard to believe that just ten years ago this blighted property was covered in Eucalyptus trees and surrounded by a chain link fence. Fast forward to the present and you enter a magical wonderland somewhere between the jungles of Mexico and the Far East complete with ponds and pools, contemporary garden art, and statuary and architectural details from around the globe.

Although I’ve been here before, it was so much fun to see the changes that Sherry has made over the past year. A lush green lawn that grew up to the edge of the pool was replaced with a flag stone patio grouted with ground stone and dotted with drought tolerant grasses. Sheri mentioned that the lawn seemed inappropriate these days as gardeners are moving towards water-wise plants and techniques.

I love the way she plays with scale and detail and has created little intimate spaces within her garden that are all interconnected by paths. See for yourself.

Palms, agaves, and grasses planted in mass on the walk up the driveway.

More grasses and flax along the driveway.

Detail of the front gate.

The driveway at the top of the hill by the house has been converted into a Koi pond.

Another view of the Koi pond.

Agave set against a Mimosa tree.

The pool surounded by palms, Jacaranda, and grasses.

A seating area near the pool.

Shari Merciari (left) greets visitors.

One on the many paths connecting the gardens.

A bed near the house planted with begonias and ferns.

One of the many meditative spots.

A beautiful cast stone bench.

A spirit house with offerings from the garden.

Sherry in her studio.

The Garden Conservancy membership

For Membership information or other details about The Garden Conservancy please visit their website and join today. Individual memberships are only $50. with Family memberships at $75.

One of the Garden Conservancy’s most important preservation resources is the financial support provided by a growing national membership. By joining as a member, you can help ensure that America’s treasured gardens remain intact as part of our natural and cultural heritage.

All of their members are vital to them and throughout the year, they plan opportunities for members to meet and share gardening interests. Lectures, symposia, and garden tours allow contact with other Conservancy members, many of whom are the leading voices in their respective fields of preservation, landscape architecture, horticulture, and garden design.

http://www.gardenconservancy.org/index.pl?Title=Join%20Us