Press Release
THE AMENIA GARDEN CLUB PRESENTS: THE REAL GARDENS OF AMENIA
For immediate release:
Contact: [email protected]
AMENIA, NY - JULY 13, 2024
The Garden Club of Amenia will hold its annual garden tour on July 13th (rain or shine) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and will feature four private gardens and a local farm: Phantom’s Rock, the garden of Charlie Miller, the garden of Polly Pitts-Garvin and Chez Cheese, and Maitri Farm.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the Garden Club’s website at www.ameniagardens.org.
The Club’s annual tour has been a community favorite for over 25 years. The theme for this year’s tour is once again “The Real Gardens of Amenia” and will feature a wide range of gardens, including three new gardens and an old favorite. Wendy Goidell’s Phantom Rock has been on the tour a number of times. This 30-acre parcel on the south side of Macedonia Mountain is perched on a rock ledge that affords stunning views across Bog Hollow to the mountains beyond. The plentiful slabs of native rock provide structural elements to the gardens that surround the home.
The three new gardens are a study in contrast. In the 8 years Charlie Miller has been weekending in Wassaic, he has totally transformed what was originally a cornfield and then a standard house lot. Because he is a weekender, his focus has been on foundational elements - evergreens, flowering trees, and shrubs. This enables him to have a beautifully landscaped property and take care of it with no outside help. Polly Pitts-Garvin is a longtime organic gardener. The garden on her one-acre plot in Amenia provides her with an abundance of flowers and vegetables each year. Joan Feeney & Bruce Phillips of Chez Cheese have created a variety of landscapes over the thirty years they have worked their fifteen acres on the flank of Silver Mountain. The 1850’s house was originally known as “Wilson Cheese Factory.” While respectful of the land, they have made enthusiastic interventions including three new ponds, two docks, Joan’s Beach, a folly, a fenway, a dozen bridges, various weirs, 200 tons of laboriously-stacked bluestone, two courts, a hillside orchard plus a hundred other trees, a berry patch, and a mile of paths.
We are also showcasing Maitri Farm this year. The site of a former dairy farm and hay fields, it was purchased in November 2011 and has gone through a few incarnations over the years. Pigs, sheep, goats and chickens have all come through, with varying degrees of success before its current life as a developing hub for crew, neighbors and visitors alike who come together to appreciate beautiful cut flowers and delicious organic produce and enjoy the many beautiful spaces the farm has to offer. Recently, Maitri Farm began developing programs that provide opportunities for the farm to be open to the public to visit, including a seasonal farm stand, Open Farm Days and on-site events and classes, to broaden the connection between the public and where and how their agricultural products are grown.
The Garden Club of Amenia is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. In addition to its annual garden tour, the Club carries out community projects with its volunteer members.
For immediate release:
Contact: [email protected]
AMENIA, NY - JULY 13, 2024
The Garden Club of Amenia will hold its annual garden tour on July 13th (rain or shine) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and will feature four private gardens and a local farm: Phantom’s Rock, the garden of Charlie Miller, the garden of Polly Pitts-Garvin and Chez Cheese, and Maitri Farm.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the Garden Club’s website at www.ameniagardens.org.
The Club’s annual tour has been a community favorite for over 25 years. The theme for this year’s tour is once again “The Real Gardens of Amenia” and will feature a wide range of gardens, including three new gardens and an old favorite. Wendy Goidell’s Phantom Rock has been on the tour a number of times. This 30-acre parcel on the south side of Macedonia Mountain is perched on a rock ledge that affords stunning views across Bog Hollow to the mountains beyond. The plentiful slabs of native rock provide structural elements to the gardens that surround the home.
The three new gardens are a study in contrast. In the 8 years Charlie Miller has been weekending in Wassaic, he has totally transformed what was originally a cornfield and then a standard house lot. Because he is a weekender, his focus has been on foundational elements - evergreens, flowering trees, and shrubs. This enables him to have a beautifully landscaped property and take care of it with no outside help. Polly Pitts-Garvin is a longtime organic gardener. The garden on her one-acre plot in Amenia provides her with an abundance of flowers and vegetables each year. Joan Feeney & Bruce Phillips of Chez Cheese have created a variety of landscapes over the thirty years they have worked their fifteen acres on the flank of Silver Mountain. The 1850’s house was originally known as “Wilson Cheese Factory.” While respectful of the land, they have made enthusiastic interventions including three new ponds, two docks, Joan’s Beach, a folly, a fenway, a dozen bridges, various weirs, 200 tons of laboriously-stacked bluestone, two courts, a hillside orchard plus a hundred other trees, a berry patch, and a mile of paths.
We are also showcasing Maitri Farm this year. The site of a former dairy farm and hay fields, it was purchased in November 2011 and has gone through a few incarnations over the years. Pigs, sheep, goats and chickens have all come through, with varying degrees of success before its current life as a developing hub for crew, neighbors and visitors alike who come together to appreciate beautiful cut flowers and delicious organic produce and enjoy the many beautiful spaces the farm has to offer. Recently, Maitri Farm began developing programs that provide opportunities for the farm to be open to the public to visit, including a seasonal farm stand, Open Farm Days and on-site events and classes, to broaden the connection between the public and where and how their agricultural products are grown.
The Garden Club of Amenia is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. In addition to its annual garden tour, the Club carries out community projects with its volunteer members.