Meadowburn Farm garden to open to public

VERNON — The historic estate gardens at Meadowburn Farm will be open to the public on Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program.

This privately owned historic garden is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and sits at the heart of Meadowburn’s 590 acres of preserved agricultural land. The gardens at Meadowburn Farm were designed and built by Helena Rutherfurd Ely, a pioneering figure in American horticulture at the turn of the 20th century and founding member of the Garden Club of America. Ely built her gardens surrounding the main residence at Meadowburn over the course of a 40-year period with the help of her loyal gardener, Albert Furman. Today, the gardens are in the process of restoration and rehabilitation.

The gardens have changed very little through time: visitors can still stroll the grass walks of the formal garden, become lost in the blooms of heirloom phlox and dahlias in the picking garden, and find respite in the quiet of the evergreen garden.

Tours will be self-guided. Admission is $7 per person, and supports the Garden Conservancy, a non-profit organization that “saves and shares outstanding American gardens for the education and inspiration of the public”.