Avon Garden Tour

Two Private Shade Gardens Open July 2, 2011

 As the holiday weekend gets underway, two special shade gardens in Avon will be open for visiting Saturday, July 2, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

 The Connecticut Horticultural Society sponsors the self-guided tour of the gardens of Kathie Sisson at 20 Buckboard Lane and Joe McGrattan at 118 Brookridge Dr. Cost of visiting the gardens is $5 per person per garden, payable by check or cash at the gardens. Children under 12 are admitted for free.

 The Sisson family moved to Avon in 1999, and after trees were cleared and drainage issues addressed, the gardens evolved, with most of the work being done by Kathie and her family. The gardens now include well over 1,400 hosta cultivars. Kathie also does some hybridizing and collects rare, hard-to-find hosta. There is no irrigation system and limited care during the growing season, so the gardens need to be pretty self-sustaining and low maintenance. Kathie hopes visitors will find her gardens to be peaceful and interesting.

 The McGrattan garden is a 20-year work in progress set on one acre among mature hardwood trees, tall pines and hundreds of feet of stone wall, with all the work done by Joe. Many of the plants benefit from being in high shade for much of the day. The wide array of plants includes almost 200 varieties of hosta, 15 varieties of Japanese maple, several hydrangeas (including five types of climbers), many rhododendrons and azaleas, hollies, distinct grasses and perennials, callas, cannas, brugmansias, pineapple lilies and other tropical plants. Very little of the property hasn’t been put to good use, Joe says, and it is always evolving.

CHS open gardens are held rain or shine. No pets please. Visit www.cthort.org for directions or call 860-529-8713. The CHS Garden Tour continues through Oct. 9 with open gardens around Connecticut.