2025 TRADE SECRETS GARDEN TOURS

Garden tour tickets are available exclusively for Underwriters starting March 1, 2025

All tickets will be available for purchase to the general public on April 1, 2025.

VISIT EXTRAORDINARY NEW ENGLAND GARDENS THIS MAY

The Garden of Bunny Williams & John Rosselli

The property of Bunny Williams and John Rosselli encompasses twelve acres of varied gardens, including woodland, vegetable, parterre, orchard, perennial borders and many container displays that surround the 1840’s Federal home. A mowed path through the orchard and meadow leads to the pool house, a Greek Revival folly made with rustic, locally harvested oak columns. Uphill from the pool is Bunny’s Studio: an inspiring contemporary place with an impressive view of the Berkshire Hills. From the Studio, paths weave their way through the Woodland Garden, past carpets of ferns, wildflowers, woodland peonies, and an understory of dogwoods and redbuds. The Woodland Garden opens up into Elizabeth’s Circle, a contemplative and calming space where large boxwood balls tumble down the hill from the woods edge. Stone steps lead down to the Parterre, located behind the Conservatory and guest barn. Brick walkways, covered in moss, are surrounded by patterned boxwood hedges that edge seasonally planted beds, allowing for a different color scheme each year. Beyond the Conservatory, which showcases tropicals, a pergola leads visitors around the main house to a series of Belgian-style swooped yew hedges that frame a mass planting of hydrangeas. Just past the hedges is a sunken garden, filled with bold mixed borders and box-edged beds, brimming with perennials, annuals, and bulbs, including a granite edged koi pond. In the middle of the property is also a vegetable & cutting garden; a great variety of organic vegetables and herbs are grown along with tulips, peonies and dahlias from spring through fall in symmetrically designed square beds, edged with antique terracotta tile. Unused produce makes its way to the chickens, which are housed in an extraordinary octagonal coop. Visitors will most likely have the pleasure of meeting Bunny and John, as they enjoy sharing their garden with their guests.

Terrain Description: This garden features pathways of gravel, cobblestones, grass, and mulch. While most areas are relatively flat with mild inclines, some steps are present but can mostly be avoided. Seating is available throughout the garden, as well as in the barn and studio.

The Garden of Michael Trapp

Venture through the shuttered gate that sequesters Michael Trapp’s garden and step into the fractured fairytale that this renowned designer/antique dealer has forged. Slender paths lead through a cobbled labyrinth of idiosyncratic spaces staged with wonderful Corinthian capitals, huge slabs of stone set as dining tables, Roman fountains, and towering topiary spires that have been sculpted personally by Michael over decades. Stairs are swathed in wisteria, deft espaliered apples run their limbs along Gothic ruins, thoroughly lovable lions slumber. There is a craggy grotto beside a sparkling lap pool and a “cabinet of curiosities” filled with fading books and strange natural artifacts to be discovered. All the while, the scenic Housatonic River runs languidly below the balustrade, combining with the panoply of spring bulbs planted in the terraced beds to add a little levity to the ambiance. Michael Trapp’s pocket-sized garden fills minimal space with the full gamut of experiences. Deliciously odd, it reflects the insights of an extremely talented artist with a poignantly noir imagination.

Terrain Description: This garden features narrow cobblestone paths with uneven surfaces and multiple sets of stairs.

Twin Maples

Twin Maples is a large property with beautiful views of the Litchfield Hills. It features a Georgian style house built in the 1990’s, wildflower meadows, formal gardens, and a greenhouse surrounded by cutting beds. In the spring, visitors will enjoy the plantings of daffodils, tulips, mertensia, flowering shrubs, and a woodland garden. This historic property was a land grant to the Selleck family by King George II of England in 1746. The present owners are only the third recorded owners of the land.

Terrain Description: This garden has a small hill with stone steps and is mostly grassy and flat, with seating available on the West Porch and Front Terrace. Shuttle buses will take you to and from the parking area, and please note that drop-off is not permitted.

Clove Brook Farm

The garden at Clove Brook Farm was begun in 2014 following a full restoration of the circa 1830s Greek Revival farmhouse on the property. The garden has quickly grown into a series of interconnected spaces, beginning with a horseshoe-shaped garden near the house that is surrounded by a clipped hornbeam hedge and anchored by a dovecote. It's this garden where a spectacular show of tulips and sweet peas emerges in spring, followed by towering dahlias in late summer. A few years ago another large garden "room" was added which centers on an oval swimming pool and neoclassical style pool house. This garden is also bounded by a hornbeam hedge and includes perimeter beds filled with various herbaceous perennials which evolve throughout the growing season, starting with poppies in early spring, then peonies, roses, lilies, and finally dahlias. A large kitchen garden has also been added, designed in a formal style, and planted with a large variety of vegetables during the growing season. The garden continues to evolve as embellishments to the formal garden spaces are added, and informal and naturalistic plantings are installed at the edge of the property. The evolution of the garden has been documented in A Year at Clove Brook Farm (Rizzoli, 2021), with foreword by Martha Stewart.

Terrain Description: This garden features mostly grassy paths, a set of stone steps, and a fairly steep slope leading to the Pool Garden. Seating is available throughout the property for occasional rest.

Innisfree Garden

Enjoy a peaceful stroll through a world-class garden in Millbrook, New York.

Innisfree Garden in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley is an oasis of living experiential art that encourages visitors to connect deeply with essential qualities of nature and fundamental cultural ideas of peace, awareness, and beauty. By preserving this legacy of our inspired founders and sharing poetic design, innovative nature based landscape practices, site-specific and global inspirations, as well as engaging outreach, Innisfree, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, contributes to a healthier, richer society. Encompassing 185 acres of designed and natural landscapes around a serene glacial lake, this mid-twentieth century landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for exceptional national significance. The garden’s remarkable choreography invites exploration, contemplation, and renewal, making each visit a unique experience.

Terrain Description: This garden features steep and uneven terrain with some steps. Walking surfaces include gravel, lawn, pine needles, and packed earth, with no paved paths. Seating is available throughout the garden with chairs and benches.

2025 TRADE SECRETS GARDEN TOURS MAP

CT Garden Tours

  • The Garden of Bunny Williams & John Rosselli: 1 Point of Rocks Rd, Falls Village, CT

  • Twin Maples: 101 Selleck Hill Rd, Salisbury, CT

  • The Garden of Michael Trapp: 7 River Rd, West Cornwall, CT

NY Garden Tours

  • Clove Brook Farms: 857 North Clove Rd, Millbrook, NY

  • Innisfree Garden: 362 Tyrrel Rd, Millbrook, N