IN PLAIN SIGHT
Annual Hidden Garden tour aims to draw large crowd
TROY, N.Y. » Troy’s popular Hidden Garden Tour returns this spring and organizers aim to draw the biggest crowd yet.
The annual event invites the public into the private sanctuaries of city dwellers from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24 throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
Now in its 19th year, the Hidden Garden Tour is a fundraiser to benefit Troy’s
Prospect Park. In previous years, the event attracted more than 700 tour-goers. This year attendance is expected to be even higher because of the growing excitement and interest in Troy.
Organizers say there’s always plenty of room for more. “Most people only ever see the facades of our brownstones from the streets,” said Peter Grimm, president of the Friends of Prospect Park, which coordinates the tour, in a news release. “This is a special kind of event that invites visitors into the hidden, green spaces of our city. It really showcases the humanity and livability of Troy.”
The self- guided walking tour, held rain or shine features approximately 30 private backyard gardens in the Historic Sage, Washington Park and adjoining neighborhoods of downtown Troy.
While most of the gar- dens are approximately the same size, about 20 feet by 30 feet, they vary greatly in style. Some of the gardens feature charming pathways, fountains and pools. Some are filled with flowers, while others have more plants and vegetables -- all lovingly tended by gardeners of all skill levels.
“I think the nice thing about the Troy Hidden Gar- den Tour is that it’s all levels of gardeners. There are amateurs. There are master gardeners,” said Rhe Potenza, who has a garden on the tour for the third year in a row. “Also, it’s about the space. We want people to see the spaces behind the houses and what they’ve done with their spaces. It’s not always about the flowers or the garden but it’s also about what kind of living space we have behind our houses, and how really private it is.”
Potenza’s personal garden is “a very colorful garden,” she said. “It’s really about color because I love color and I love laying out how the colors are going to blend together. It is very much a flower garden.”
Event organizer Nina Pattison said in the release, “Two people actually bought houses in downtown Troy as a result of this event, because they could see what was possible.”
Admission to the Hidden Garden Tour is $10. Tickets are available in advance online at troygarden. brownpapertickets.com or for cash only on the day of at the check-in-table at the Russell Sage College parking lot.
The Hidden Garden Tour is presented by local nonprofit The Friends of Prospect Park. All proceeds from the springtime event benefit ongoing improvement projects in Prospect Park, located on Congress Street in Troy.
Since 1996, The Friends of Prospect Park have worked to enhance enjoyment of the Park through annual brush- ups, playground improvements, updated signage, increased musical programming, bulb and tree plantings, new benches, with further upgrades planned.
Free event parking is provided at the Russell Sage College lot, located at First and Division streets. Additional free parking is available in lots farther south on First Street.
The gardens are small and may include stairs and unpaved or cobblestone paths.
Dogs are welcome in Troy’s neighborhoods, but not directly in the gardens.
The Hidden Garden Tour map is also a ticket for free light refreshments and a restroom stop, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Carmen’s Cafe, located at 198 First St.
Later at Carmen’s, there will be a fundraising prix fixe menu dinner benefiting The Friends of Prospect Park, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Those interested in dinner reservations at Carmen’s can call 518-3262064.
More information about Troy’s Hidden Garden Tour is available online at www.facebook.com/HiddenGardensTroy or troygarden.brownpapertickets.com, where tickets can be purchased as well.