The “marginal garden” explores the boundaries between the wild and the cultivated, particularly the interface of where native plant species meet naturalising garden ones. Such places have ideally achieved a reasonably stable co-existence. Marginal gardens, including Innisfree, can be exciting and surprising, and can challenge our conceptions of both what ‘nature’ and ‘cultivation’ are.
Innisfree trustee Brad Roeller believes that by learning about the environmental and biological factors which influence deer and their food choices, homeowners and professionals can implement informed strategies for deer-proofing their landscapes. Drawing on over forty years of gardening in deer country and his findings in the Deer Browse Garden he created at the Cary Institute funded by a ten-year grant from Cornell, Brad will share hard-won lessons on how to deter deer from browsing ornamental plants.
Federal Twist is set on a ridge above the Delaware River in western New Jersey, USA. It is a naturalistic garden that has loose boundaries and integrates closely with the natural world that surrounds it. It has no utilitarian or leisure uses (no play areas, swimming pools or outdoor dining) and the site is not an obvious choice for a garden (heavy clay soil, poorly drained: quick death for any plants not ecologically suited to it).
Join painter and art historian John McGiff to explore the evolution of Romantic ideals in art. In 17th century Europe, when formal baroque gardens like André Le Nôtre’s Vaux-le-Vicomte were being built that express the rational order and mathematical clarity of the Age of Reason, the fine arts began to look at nature differently.
Help us celebrate National Poetry month with poet Paul Kane, who will discuss the convergence of poetry, nature, and ecology in Romantic ideology and how these ideas can be read in the Innisfree landscape. A professor of English and Environmental Studies at Vassar College, Paul is a scholar of both American and Australian literature.
Inspired by the Japanese tradition of hanami, flower viewing, we invite you to enjoy the transient and transcendental beauty of Marion Beck’s heirloom daffodils.
Inspired by the Japanese tradition of hanami, flower viewing, we invite you to enjoy the transient and transcendental beauty of Marion Beck’s heirloom daffodils.
Join artist and naturalist Tony Henneberg to look and listen for resident and migratory birds. Tony grew up in rural settings where he developed a keen interest in the surrounding wildlife, now the primary focus of his painting
Meet with head docent Judy Carson, and Landscape Curator Kate Kerin to become part of our Docent Program.
Celebrate Mother’s Day with landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree.
Join landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree, a powerful icon of mid-twentieth century design now recognized as one of the world’s ten best gardens and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Featuring music, reflection and thanks from a myriad of religious and spiritual leaders. Don’t forget to bring your seeds to be blessed. In partnership with Grace Church and St. Peter’s Church
Join us for a festive day in this iconic, 185-acre garden when special programs will be happening throughout the day.
Meet the Authors of Cold-Hardy Fruit and Nuts
Join landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree.
Walk around the garden while being serenaded by classical Japanese instruments and music. Free for anyone who purchases admission
Join landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree.
Join us for a joyful experience taking in the wonders of the natural word with Sandrine Harris
Join Cris Caivano, to soak up inspiration from the beautiful trees and gardens around us, and learn how to move with the same effortless flow as nature. This is a fun, easy, and proven way to “de-creak” and strengthen hard-working gardening muscles and joints. Beginner-friendly, all ages welcome!
Join Team Innisfree as Landscape Explorers and investigate one aspect of nature through different lenses with carefully paired art and science activities
Innisfree will open about one hour before sunrise for photographers and other artists, birders, and anyone else who would like to experience the garden bathed in spectacular golden light.
Join landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree.
Join us for a discussion of Ways of Seeing by John Berger
Join us for a meditative walk connecting peacefulness with the wisdom of the natural world of which we all are part. Sandrine Harris, a mindfulness-in-nature facilitator, will guide us through a journey of moments, finding peace with each step and experiencing the tranquil beauty of Innisfree.
$10; $5 for seniors (65+) and kids (5-15); FREE for residents of Northeast Dutchess County, Innisfree members, and little kids (ages 4 and under)
Programs that are included with Community Day garden admission:
Morning Light: Sunrise at Innisfree | 6am
All-Ages Art Workshop - Create a Fall Forest on Paper | 10am-4pm
Docent Tour | 10:30am and 2pm
Wish Tree | all day
Landscape Frames | all day
Programs that require special registration but include Community Day garden admission:
Qigong for Gardeners | 2pm-3pm (Group size is limited. If your admission is free, this program is free, but you still need to sign up.)
Forest Ecology Walk | 2:30pm
Autumn Tasting: American Cider at Innisfree with Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo | 4:30pm-6pm
$45; $35 Northeast Dutchess residents & Innisfree members; $5 for family members under age 21
As the day winds down in what is traditionally the peak of fall in the Hudson Valley, gather with family and friends beside Tyrrel Lake to savor the beauty of Innisfree Garden and two great American ciders selected by Craig Cavallo of the Golden Russet Café & Grocery in Rhinebeck. If you would like to pair yours with appetizers or a picnic supper, bring your own basket of goodies or pre-order local, seasonal food expertly prepared with cider in mind by Babette’s Kitchen in Millbrook.
Craig Cavallo and Dan Pucci, co-authors of American Cider (Ballantine Books, 2021), engaging storytellers and acknowledged experts on the subject, will discuss the two ciders we are tasting, touching on the rich history of this ancient alcoholic beverage and the vibrant culture of farmers and makers who craft it today. They will be happy to answer questions, and copies of their book will be available.
Join landscape curator, Kate Kerin, for a lively 1.5 hour tour exploring Innisfree.
Join us for another program in our family series exploring one aspect of nature—in this case, plant structures—through both art and science activities.
Join landscape curator Kate Kerin for a lively 1.5-hour tour exploring Innisfree.