Garden enthusiasts and flora lovers should put down their spades and head over to Boscobel (Garrison, NY) on Arbor Day, Friday, April 29 at 2pm for a presentation by Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner, authors of the new coffee table book, Gardens of the Hudson Valley. Buy the book in the Gift Shop at Boscobel (optional), have it signed, and then tour Boscobel’s gardens lead by the authors themselves.

Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner live in Cold Spring and New York City where they are long-time volunteers at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. They have lectured widely and are also authors of Garden Guide: New York City.

The book’s photographers Steve Gross and Sue Daley selected twenty-five gardens between Yonkers and Hudson that included famous estates, like Boscobel, as well as private gardens that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. Susan and Nancy describe each of the gardens in full detail with focus on the history of the site and the strategies for design and plant materials.

In the book’s foreword, Gregory Long, president of the New York Botanical Garden, praises the book’s collaborators for assembling a monograph that depicts the Hudson River Valley as “a living museum of American domestic garden design . . . a fulsome survey of the styles that American landscape designers have created and promulgated from the early 1800s until today.”

This is a rain or shine garden tour, so dress accordingly. The presentation and tour are free with grounds admission: Adults $9, Seniors (62+ )$8, Children (6-14) $5, Children (under 6) Free, Family of Four $25 (additional $5 per person). No fee for Friends of Boscobel members. Though reservations are not necessary and walk-ins are welcome, indoor presentation space is limited.

Boscobel is located on Route 9D in Garrison New York just one mile south of Cold Spring and directly across the river from West Point. From April through October, hours are 9:30am to 5pm., the last tour at 4:00pm. The House Museum and distinctive Gift Shop at Boscobel are open every day except Tuesdays, May 15, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit Boscobel.org or call 845.265.3638.

This post is brought to you by Cheap Flights to New York.