With Franklin County being home to beautiful gardens tucked behind private homes and carefully cultivated over decades, The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program is offering a chance for residents and visitors alike to step beyond the garden gate and explore two such spaces in Greenfield and Gill.
The nationwide initiative invites the public into private gardens while raising money to support The Garden Conservancy’s mission of preserving exceptional gardens for future generations. According to Cliff Weathers, the nonprofit’s director of communications, the Open Days program has grown dramatically since 1995, expanding from just a handful of gardens to more than 350 across the United States this year.
While the program supports conservation efforts, Weathers also finds that it creates opportunities for gardeners and visitors to exchange ideas, discover new plants and appreciate different styles of landscape design.
“People see these gardens, and they’re all very different,” he said. “It’s a quiet way of strangers hearing information about something that they love and that they do.”
This year’s Franklin County tour features two gardens: Phoenix House Gardens in Greenfield, owned by Elise and Laura Schlaikjer, and Whimsical Shaded Hillside Gardens in Gill, owned by Deb Loomer.
The gardens will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, for registered guests. Tickets are $10 per person or $5 for members of The Garden Conservancy. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted for free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Visitors are reminded that no pets are allowed.
All registrations must be processed online through The Garden Conservancy’s website at gardenconservancy.org/opendays.
While the gardens represent their owners’ individual personalities, both share a common goal of creating a place where visitors can slow down and reconnect with nature.
The Phoenix House has been evolving since 2008, when Elise Schlaikjer moved to Greenfield and began transforming what was largely a blank canvas into a peaceful retreat. Elise, now 91, is not able to do the physical work herself, so her daughter Laura and some friends help maintain the property and preserve her mother’s vision.
At the center of the garden is a labyrinth, inspired by Elise’s background as a labyrinth facilitator. Pathways lead visitors through an archway, trees, shrubs and a small orchard.
The mother-daughter duo has participated in The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program for three years. Laura, who serves as president of the Greenfield Garden Club, said the opportunity came after the club became involved with The Garden Conservancy and regional ambassador Sarah Chadwick began seeking local gardens to feature.
Environmental stewardship is also central to the property’s philosophy. The family steadily replaced non-native plants with native species that better support pollinators and wildlife.
“Global warming is happening,” Laura Schlaikjer said. “We’ve been working to have more native plants in the garden.”
She believes Greenfield provides the perfect setting for gardeners because of the community’s appreciation for local agriculture and landscapes.
“Greenfield is really keyed into gardening in general,” she said. “It’s great to be in a community that appreciates gardens and gardening.”
In Gill, visitors will discover an entirely different experience at Loomer’s Whimsical Shaded Hillside Gardens.
Loomer and her late husband bought the property about 48 years ago, envisioning a home nestled among towering pine trees. What began as a simple landscape gradually transformed into a collection of themed outdoor “rooms,” each with its own colors, memories and personality.
Guests can wander through the “Blue Garden,” inspired by a ceramic frog her son purchased some years ago in Philadelphia, along with the “Red Garden,” the “Teal Garden,” a “Mexican Garden” filled with colorful pottery, and the “Forgotten Garden,” where nature is allowed to take its own course.
“It all starts with a plan of separate rooms,” Loomer said. “Every room has its own theme.”
For Loomer, the garden is about much more than flowers. Nearly every path, ornament and plant carries a story. Slate patios were salvaged from her great-grandmother’s New Jersey home before it was sold. Shrubs, daisies and rhododendrons trace their roots to generations of family gardens. Birdbaths, statues and pottery collected during decades of road trips to botanical gardens across the country add another layer of personal history.
“When I walk around my garden,” Loomer began, “I see my birdbath, I see my grandmother’s chair, I remember the blue frog. Everything has a story.”
This is Loomer’s first year participating in The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. Prior to her participation, she had handrails installed throughout the hillside to make it easier and safer for herself and visitors to get around. Ultimately, she hopes guests leave with more than gardening ideas.
“I’d like them to know a garden is a place to be happy,” Loomer shared. “No matter how small your garden is, take a deep breath and relax.”
Weathers said the generosity of homeowners is what makes the Open Days program possible. Opening a private garden to the public requires months of preparation, but participants willingly share spaces they have spent years, even decades, creating.
“They put a lot of effort into making sure their gardens are at their peak,” he said. “Every bit of credit for what visitors see goes to them.”
No matter if visitors are drawn to the quiet spirituality of the Phoenix House or the colorful storytelling woven throughout Loomer’s hillside retreat, this year’s Open Days program offers a rare chance to experience landscapes that are normally hidden behind private gates and perhaps leave inspired to cultivate a little more beauty at home.
