Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve is located in the southern Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County, NY. The gardens are an ongoing work by author, teacher, and landscape designer, Carolyn Summers. Throughout her career, Carolyn has been acutely aware of the need for clients, DIY homeowners, and designers to be able to see how lovely native plants are when used in garden settings.

The Catskills – mostly in a Zone 5 climate – makes an excellent test for fitness and hardiness. In addition to managed gardens, large areas of the property are preserved to protect native flora in their natural habitats, along with the wildlife that depend on them. The meadows at Flying Trillium include successional hayfields to which Carolyn has opportunistically added native wildflowers, as well as those similar to the Eastern lupine meadow, where she was able to seed onto bare ground. These areas of the meadow are considered “augmented” and “designed.”

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve includes over 300 trees and shrubs native to the northeast, including unusual cultivated varieties, hybrids and over 75 dwarf selections of our native conifers. Since 2000, a complete collection of trees native to the greater Catskills region is being assembled. Tour the demonstration gardens to see how to integrate plants into your landscape.

Join us for this guided tour to experience the beauty, diversity and sustainability of our native flora for yourself. Carolyn’s goal is for you to leave inspired to plant more of the same.

Event page here.

Explore three beautiful meadows at Helia Native Nursery. Learn about the importance of a meadow ecosystem, different methods for meadow building and how to maintain existing meadows to maximize wildlife benefits. Helia Native Nursery is situated on Sky Meadow Farm, a beautiful 109-acre farm in Alford, Massachusetts. Our mission is to preserve native genotypes through creating seed banks on the farm and propagating native plants in our nursery.

Helia’s land stewardship on the farm focuses on restoring wildflower meadows for pollinators. Planted 4 and 5 years ago, this tour will feature three mature meadows that demonstrate a variety of planting techniques, seeding and planting, and different maintenance strategies. There will be discussion of invasive species control, meadow mowing regimens, and meadow disturbance opportunities.

All of the meadows display rich color palettes, showing what can be achieved using native plants. The meadows are all designed with four season interest – a feature that invites frequent visits to experience the changing views.

An important feature of well-designed meadows is the opportunity for habitat restoration. Plant selections consider the various stages of pollinator life cycles and provide appropriate plants for each. Join tour guide, Bridghe McCracken to learn more.

Register here.

The Secret Garden of Celestial Happiness

These gardens represent a complete landscape renovation. The private property of tour guide and landscape designer, Jay Archer. He refers to his own landscape as an ever-evolving project!

At the heart of this project was the complete removal of the entire backyard – formerly a large lawn.

As with all of Jay’s projects, this design is based in nature-based principles and is rich with habitat features that are anchored with native plant material. This garden is a model of biodiversity, resource conservation and is a pollinator paradise!

Features include:

A native plant garden with stone, gravel and mulched paths
A constructed fish pond, waterfall and stream
A unique wetland boardwalk
Design choices based upon ecological principles, plant selections, and maintenance practices are all critical elements in creating healthy ecosystems. As a landscape ecologist, Jay Archer has successfully combined all three elements and the resulting landscape is a model of biodiversity and resource conservation.

Another key feature of healthy habitats is the way a property is maintained. Jay’s gardens are completely organically maintained for the health of people, pets, pollinators, and the planet.

Address and directions provided after registration. 

Register here.