FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2016
Media Contact: Gina Hyams, PR Consultant
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Spencertown Academy Arts Center Celebrates Hidden Gardens
Highlights: Columbia County private gardens tour and cocktail party; Garden Market on The Green; Adam Wheeler lecture on deer-proof landscaping; “From the Garden: Still Life” art exhibition
Spencertown, New York– Spencertown Academy Arts Center’s 12th annual Hidden Gardens Tour, an annual gateway to summer in Columbia County, is scheduled for Saturday, June 18. It includes an array of events designed to inform, inspire, and intrigue garden enthusiasts. The theme of this year’s Hidden Gardens Tour is “Artful Landscapes: Village and Country Gardens.” Broken Arrow Nursery’s Adam Wheeler will give a morning lecture about deer-proof landscaping. Shoppers can pick up items at the Garden Market on The Green and take a workshop about hummingbird-friendly planters. The “From the Garden: Still Life” art exhibition will be on display at the Academy and the Twilight in the Garden Cocktail Party will take place at a bucolic private home. Spencertown Academy Board members Madaline Sparks and Vivian Wachsberger are co-chairs of Hidden Gardens; proceeds benefit the Academy.
The festivities kick off with the Academy’s annual Twilight in the Garden Cocktail Party on Friday, June 17, 6:00pm to 9:00pm at “Falling Waters,” the historic home of John and Denise Dunne in Spencertown, New York. The property, with its stacked stonewalls slicing through rolling green meadows, punctuated by grazing sheep, is reminiscent of a charming farmstead in the Irish countryside. Derek Grout of Harvest Spirits will concoct a signature cocktail for the event called “Twilight Splash” that will incorporate the Valatie distillery’s farm fresh, small batch spirits. It will be served along with sparkling wines and a light buffet supper. Party tickets are $80 in advance, $90 at the door. Directions will be sent once tickets are purchased.
The centerpiece of the Hidden Gardens weekend is the self-guided tour celebrating the art of the garden on Saturday, June 18 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Included on the tour are in four gardens in Spencertown, two in Kinderhook, and one in Austerlitz—the restored grounds and gardens of 20th century American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay at Steepletop. In Kinderhook, tour-goers will enjoy sweeping views of the Catskills and Berkshires from Galloway Hill and Windy Hill Farm. In Spencertown, visitors will have access to several village properties hidden behind houses and privacy fences, designed and cared for with great enthusiasm by their owners.
The tour will take place rain or shine. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of; various package rates involving multiple events are also available. To purchase tickets for Hidden Garden events, go to www.spencertownacademy.org. Day-of garden tour tickets and maps will be available at the Academy at 8:30am and at the Market on The Green beginning at 9:00am.
The Garden Market on The Green will take place on Saturday, June 18 from 9:00am to 3:00pm at the Spencertown Village Green across the street from the Academy. This year’s market will showcase more than 20 vendors, including both new dealers and popular returnees from last season. Shoppers will find herbs, annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees from multiple local nurseries and farms, as well as hand-crafted garden trellises, garden-related vintage treasures, handmade pillows and cushions for outdoor furniture, birdhouses, tableware, note cards, and soap. All proceeds from a “white elephant” sale of garden paraphernalia and new and used garden books benefit the Academy.
Garden designer Heather Grimes of Pondside Nursery will offer a free demonstration on planting and caring for a potted succulent garden at the market in the afternoon. At 2:00pm, Zema’s Nursery will lead a workshop on how to make your own hummingbird-friendly planter. Advance registration for participation in the workshop is required, as space is limited; tuition is $65 (including all materials). Pre-made Zema’s hummingbird planters will also be for sale.
On Saturday, June 18 at 9:00am, Adam Wheeler, propagation and plant development manager of Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, CT, will give an illustrated talk about a diverse assortment of plants that show strong resistance to deer browse. These varieties include native plants, as well as some exotics. Wheeler has worked at Broken Arrow since 2004 and holds a BS degree in Urban Forestry and Landscape Horticulture from the University of Vermont. He serves as an adjunct lecturer at Naugatuck Valley Community College and the Berkshire Botanical Garden. He is a recent recipient of the Young Nursery Professional Award from the New England Nursery Association. Lecture tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of and include a light continental breakfast, featuring homemade goodies. Doors open at 8:30am. This event is sponsored by Ward’s Nursery and Garden Center in Great Barrington, MA.
“From the Garden: Still Life” art exhibition, in which eight regional artists masterfully focus on the art of the still life in pastel, watercolor and oil, inspired by botanical subjects, will be on display in the Spencertown Academy Arts Center Gallery on Saturday, June 18 from 9:00am to 4:00pm and on Sunday, June 19 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. The artists include Susan Crofut, Ann Getsinger, Patricia Munson Gravett, Katarina Holbrook, Karen A. Hummel, Nina Lipkowitz, Alain J. Picard, and Peter Seltzer. Admission is free and the artworks are for sale.
Housed in a restored 1840s Greek Revival schoolhouse, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information about Hidden Gardens events, see www.spencertownacademy.org or call 518-392-3693.
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