Hope Springs Eternal

Easter Sunday was beautiful with sun and a high of 56 degrees.  Such a blessing after the meteorological roller coaster of March.  Early spring perennials were beginning to make an appearance in the beds.

Bleeding Hearts

Hellebores

Then there was the first day of April.......

Mother Nature has quite a sense of humor

Fortunately, help was on the way with my mailman's delivery of The Open Days Directory from the Garden Conservancy 

YIPPEE!!!!!

Generous gardeners from around the country open their properties each year for viewing.  These gardens range from formal estate gardens (with people), to tiny back yard gardens designed and cared for by the owners themselves. 

Formal beds surrounding a grand estate in Cooperstown, NY

Every pond should have a swan

Small, raised beds chock full of perennials

Great use of a small space

Decades old beds leading down to Otesaga Lake

Great combination

Foliage plays a starring role in this "in-town" shade garden

 Columbia County, NY always offers a number of first class gardens to enjoy.

The gardens of Margaret Roach @ A Way to Garden

One of many lushly planted pathways

Where Begonias summer at Margaret's

Some gardens flow simply through the property.

Eighteenth century farmhouse property

A beautifully designed & maintained property

The moss garden.  They have people

All this tramping through gardens can work up quite an appetite.  As home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Cooperstown area offers a huge selection of restaurants.  Personally, I love dining on the patio at the Otesaga Resort Hotel overlooking the lake, weather permitting.  Another fun place on the water is The Blue Mingo Grill.  They have unbelievable Martinis!  

When touring Columbia County, I love to stop in at The Old Chatham Country Store in Old Chatham, or Crossroads Food Shop in Hillsdale.  Both offer an amazing menu with locally grown produce.