One of my longtime favorite summer activities is visiting gardens. Often towns will organize a garden tour through several private gardens in the area and you pay one price and go from garden to garden in that town. Once, about 25 years ago (omg I’m old!), my sister and I went to Martha Stewart’s East Hampton garden. That was exciting!

The Garden Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that has made it possible for the general public to visit some really amazing private gardens. You can check their Open Days calendar to see if there are any gardens in your area. There is a small fee (usually between $7-10) for each garden, and the money goes towards saving and sharing outstanding American gardens for the education and inspiration of the public.

For a little summery change of pace, I thought I would share with you a delightful garden I visited last weekend. This is the garden of Connie Cross in Cutchogue, NY, which is a rural-ish and waterfront hamlet on the north fork of Long Island’s east end. Connie Cross is a garden designer and owner of Environmentals, a wholesale nursery. Her 23-year-old, 5-acre garden has been featured in magazines.

The garden is my favorite kind, full of shaded winding paths, little ponds and waterfalls and many separate intimate areas. Lots of small charming buildings acting as pool house, play house, chicken coops, etc., were delightful finds as you came upon a bend in the path or around a planting of hydrangea. The natural pool was magnificent…and on as hot a day as it was, hard to stay out of! And I’m a sucker for a charming vignette.

But rather than me blah-blah-blahing you to death, I’ll just let you enjoy pictures from the day….

I wish my sister could have visited this garden with me, as well.