Gardens of New York City, the Hudson River Valley, & the Hamptons.
A Pacific Horticulture tour    Limited to 22 guests.   Trip Completed.  
May 9-16, 2011                        Escorted by Greg Graves                                                  
Special Guest Guide:   Nancy Berner, author of  Garden Guide: New York City

Join Pacific Horticulture Board member Greg Graves on a fabulous trip visiting riverside estates in New York. In
New York City, we include the Metropolitan’s exquisite Cloister Garden, innovative community and pocket
gardens, exciting new developments along the harbor, and theater evening. Enjoy private guided visits to Wave
Hill’s 28 acres of exuberant plantings overlooking the Hudson River, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Vanderbilt
Mansion with spectacular views of the Hudson River, Rockefeller's lovely, Kykuit Estate, and special luncheon at
the Culinary Institute.   We have coveted invitations to private gardens designed by Richard Hartlage, and two
artist’s gardens in the Hamptons; Madoo, Robert Dash’s ever-changing masterpiece, subject of his book, and
Jack Larsen’s Longhouse Reserve, housing great sculpture and ethnic art.
Watch Welcome Video
Monday, May 9: New York City. Morning flights from various departure cities to New York. Check into the New
York Helmsley Hotel for a seven night stay. The hotel was recently refurbished and is known for its excellent
service. It is located near the shops of 5th Avenue,
the theater district and Grand Central Station.
Meet the other guests at Harry’s New York Bar
at 6:30PM for a  welcome drink, followed by
dinner at Mindy’s Restaurant, both conveniently
located in the hotel. Dinner,drinks.

Tuesday, May 10: New York City/Hudson River Valley.  Today we board our private coach for a visit to the
Vanderbilt Estate, set on the banks of the Hudson River in Hyde Park. Enjoy a stroll through the magnificent
mansion reminiscent of the Gilded Age. We will have a private guided tour of the breathtaking Italianate gardens
which include annuals, perennials, pools, statuary, greenhouses, woodland and cherry tree walks. We will dine
on a sumptuous lunch at the famous Culinary Institute’s Caterina de Medici Restaurant followed by time to
peruse the restaurant’s herb garden. Later we have added a stop at a small, gem of a garden, Bellefield,
designed by Beatrix Farrand. Beatrix was a famous landscape architect whose designs included Bal Harbor
estates, the White House Colonial Garden, and Dumbarton Oaks. Breakfast/lunch

Wednesday, May 11: New York City /Brooklyn. We depart the hotel  a visit to the enchanting, colorful
Brooklyn Botanic Garden which should be at the height of spring bloom.  The garden is often described as “many
gardens within a garden”, because there are 14 specialty gardens linked by a winding stream. They include a
fragrance garden, Japanese Hill and Pond garden, conservatory with formal and informal gardens.
We will have a guided tour, followed by free time to meander down the paths. If we are in luck, we may even see
the deep pink blossoms of the cherry trees in bloom. We will enjoy a box lunch al fresco in a park. Later, on the
advice of Nancy Berner, we will stop at the High Line, a new park (not to be missed!) built along an elevated
railroad line and take a 1.2 mile stroll down Battery Park. The park includes designs by well-known landscape
designers including Oehme, Van Sweden; Michael Van Valkenburgh; Lynden B. Miller; and Piet Oudolf, as well as
works by great artists. The rest of the day is free for independent activities. Tonight we will enjoy a top  theater
performance in the city. Breakfast, lunch.

Thursday, May 12: New York/New Jersey . We will have a
private guided orientation tour of the city en route to Wave Hill,
internationally acclaimed garden and art center. The property
was once the home of Mark Twain and summer residence of
Teddy Roosevelt. The English style informal garden has
remarkable river views, rolling lawns, huge old trees, rock,
aquatic and herb gardens, as well as woodlands and sculpture.
We have included the Glyndor Gallery which houses changing
horticultural displays. Later, we will stop for lunch and a visit to
the Cloisters Gardens which are inside a branch of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art.  After lunch we will head to the
private gardens of Graeme Hardie and Silas Mountsier, across the street from each other in Nutley, NJ.   Each
designed by Richard Hartlage, the gardens are polar opposites.   Mr. Hardie’s 60 foot square garden is a densely
planted tropical fantasy, while Mr. Mountsier’s is well over an acre and features more than 180 outdoor art
objects.  Some 30,000 flowering bulbs provide waves of spring and summer color.  We’ll toast the day with a
glass of wine in these delightful gardens.  Day 4 Video

Friday, May 13: New York City/Hamptons.  This morning we
have an early start traveling to the famed Hamptons to visit
two artist’s gardens. Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack,
is Robert Dash’s garden featuring a water garden with
Chinese bridge, rose and laburnum walks, potager, knot
garden, gingkos grove and hundreds of bulbs. Lunch will
be in the sea-view dining room at Gurney’s Inn.
After lunch, we travel to East Hampton to Longhouse Reserve
the creation of Jack Larson, textile designer.  We will have a
hance to visit the modern house as well as the innovative
landscape which includes dune gardens, ponds, specimen conifers, roses and sculpture. We will have a bit of
free time to explore the shops and boutiques in East Hampton before returning to the City. Breakfast/lunch.

Saturday, May 14: New York City. Today we visit the small, elegant Frick Collection and Garden in Manhatten.  
The indoor courtyard with central fountain has Ionic columns, colonnades, pool with bronze sculptures and
marble walkways planted with tropicals. The outdoor garden was designed by Russell Page. This garden is an
example of his philosophy. He believed a city garden should exude tranquility, much like an oasis. We will have
time to independently enjoy the museum galleries, laid out like the private living quarters they once were. They
include paintings by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Turner and other great artists. Admission includes an
informative video. Afternoon free. Suggestions will be provided xxxxxBreakfast.

Sunday, May 15: New York City/ Hudson River Valley.  We will be met at the hotel this morning by our private
coach for a transfer to Kykuit, (Dutch for lookout). The property is magnificently situated with sweeping views of the
Hudson. It has been one of the Rockefeller family homes for four generations. The Georgian mansion has stone
terraces and formal gardens containing Nelson Rockefeller’s superb collection of 20th century sculpture,
including works by Brancusi, Giacometti, Matisse, Calder and Moore. The Beaux Arts landscape, designed by
William Bosworth, is considered one of the finest examples of American landscape design.
Later, we will stop at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. It is a farm, a kitchen, a classroom, a
laboratory, and a campus. Following is a short tour of Tarrytown, inspiration for Washington Irving’s “Legend of
Sleepy Hollow”. Free time for lunch in the local restaurants.
Back in the city, en route to the hotel, we’ll enjoy panoramic views of Hudson River Park, a riverside oasis, called
the most dramatic and innovative open space project developed since Central Park. Tonight we will gather for our
farewell dinner at Cibo, a Tuscan-American restaurant near the hotel. Breakfast/Dinner

Monday, May 16: Departure. Free morning for individual sightseeing. Transfer independently to the airport.
Breakfast.        
Recommended Reading
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