On Saturday, May 9th, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program for 2015 begins on Long Island, featuring six private gardens open to the public for self-guided tours in East Hampton, Montauk, and Stony Brook. Admission to each garden is $7, benefitting the Garden Conservancy.  Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required.  Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.  Additional area Open Days will take place on May 17 in East Norwich, Glen Cove, Great Neck, and Old Westbury; May 23 in Cutchogue, Flanders, and Stony Brook, June 7 in Mt. Sinai; June 21 in East Hampton and Mt. Sinai, July 11 in Cutchogue and Mattituck, and September 12 in Cutchogue and East Hampton.  Here’s a preview of the gardens on the tour:

Visitors may begin the May 9th Open Day at any of the following locations:
Biercuk & Luckey Garden, 18 Sayres Path, Wainscott; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – a four-season woodland garden of flowering shrubs and a pool designed as a pond with waterfalls.
Garden of Abby Jane Brody, 44 Glade Road, East Hampton; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – features rare and unusual flowering trees, shrubs, and groundcovers among native woodland.
Garden of Margaret Kerr, 1006 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – includes views of Accabonack Harbor, espaliered pear trees, and Kerr’s brick rug sculptures inspired by Middle Eastern carpets.

The Garden of Dianne B., 86 Davids Lane, East Hampton; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – spring bulbs galore including tulips, fritillaria, and daffodils, plus specimen trees and rare variegated conifers.  Garden of Richard Kahn & Elaine Peterson, 224 West Lake Drive, Montauk; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – designed to encourage wildlife and pollinators and to deal with the challenges of heavy wind and salt spray, this organic garden includes a potager filled with vegetables, fruit, and flowering vines.  Sue Bottigheimer’s Garden, 61 Cedar Street, Stony Brook, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – filled with exuberantly blooming azaleas and companion plants, grassy paths through sunny areas, and a densely planted bed shared with a neighbor.

The Garden Conservancy introduced the Open Days program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program, and is made possible by the work of hundreds of volunteers nationwide. For information, a complete schedule of Open Days, or to suggest gardens for inclusion in the program, visit the Garden Conservancy online at www.gardenconservancy.org