Open Days is an ingenious fundraiser for the Garden Conservancy. You pay $5, which goes toward helping “preserve exceptional American gardens,” and you get to go behind the garden gates of some really fancy, and also very inspiring, private gardens. This Sunday, we visited two gardens. One of them was Pretty Penny, the Nyack house famous for its famous residents. For many years, Helen Hayes and Charles MacArthury lived there; more recently, Rosie O’Donnell owned it for a spell.
The front of the house faces North Broadway, but you can’t see it from the street. Too bad. It’s such a majestic facade:
When you walk around the side of the house toward the back, you are treated to this beautiful view of the Hudson River. Too bad it was so cloudy this day.
The new owner of Pretty Penny is really into evergreens.
The garden is terraced down to the river. Here’s a mid-point with a fountain in the center of the formal garden:
Looking back up the hill:
And down toward the river, the pool:
It started raining pretty hard, so I didn’t get too many other photos. One thing I was a little disappointed about: Helen Hayes was known for her beautiful rose garden. We did see the roses, but none were in bloom; it’s too early. I hope they open the garden again someday when we can see those, too.
I’l leave you with this: on eitherside of the walk-out basement door, a bas-relief of comedy and tragedy.
A good fit for the actors and playwright who once called Pretty Penny home.
Pingback: Open Days Garden Tour | Sour Cherry Farm