The Garden Conservancy Open Days

What good is a beautiful garden if you can’t show it off? Five of the greenest thumbs in the city, including a few in our neighborhood, are opening their private gardens for viewing, even to those of us who don’t know petunias from peonies. The group responsible for unlocking the gates is the Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving gardens around the country. On display will be Tony Cerbone’s exotic garden at 6641 Highgate, the Hartrick Garden at 402 N. Peak, the Howell garden at 6005 Swiss, the Miller garden at 7436 Fenton, and the Gardens of the Wildwood at 4501 Wildwood. You don’t need a reservation; just show up and pay the entrance fee of $5 per garden. Visit one, or visit them all — they’ll be open rain or shine. Descriptions and directions to the gardens are available at by calling 888-842-2442 or visiting opendaysprogram.org.