Mar’s Garden Tour

TV Host, Author and Lifestyle Expert Mar Jennings opens his garden to support the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program.

It’s a story that will make you feel right at home. It began just over a decade ago when Mar Jennings bought a three-story colonial townhouse and turned it into a nationally publicized and featured home and garden. He added a sixteen-by-ten-foot garage in the rear of the property; it became his garden studio and complemented the home’s architectural style and curb appeal. And that was just the beginning.

This charming downtown oasis in Westport, CT, was originally created as a subdivision in 1921 but left untouched until 1995. It’s now named “Rosebrook Gardens”, due to the spectacular variety of roses that grace the gardens, and its proximity to the lovely brook which ran through the original property know as Brookside Park. This was quickly becoming a home – not just a house for him, but for millions to enjoy and MARvel. His dynamic website features many of his inspirations, how-to projects and gardening secrets.

This gracious home was completely decorated and renovated by Jennings to reflect his personal passion for casual luxury and serenity. The property includes breathtaking gardens all designed and planted by the owner. The garden design perfectly maximizes the lot, which is less than a quarter-acre. The interior design and color theme brings the gardens inside, as if Mother Nature intended it that way. The outdoor offers endless opportunities for entertaining and social gatherings.

Join us for another season of exploring gardens!

There is something for everyone in the Open Days Program!Ten years ago, author Michael Pollan, called the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program “an institution,” and predicted that “it could do more for horticultural cross-fertilization than anything to hit the American garden since…the bumblebee.”

We’re still at it! Today, our Open Days program offers thousands of people across the country hundreds of opportunities to learn and exchange gardening ideas – or to simply explore and enjoy magnificent gardens and spaces not normally open to the public. This year, more than 360 private gardens in 21 states offer you the chance to explore first-hand examples of outstanding design and horticulture.

The 2010 Open Days season begins in early April and extends through the end of October. It includes gardens from southern Maine to southern California, from the tip of Long Island, New York to Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Unlike pre-programmed garden tours, Open Days garden tours are self-guided and flexible. You can shape your itinerary and set the pace to suit your interests.

The Open Days Directoryis the only comprehensive source for descriptions of all 2010 Open Days gardens, locations, and dates. Information for a limited number of gardens (those whose owners agree to be online) will also available here on our website(see the 2010 schedule)beginning in March.

Admission to each participating private garden is $5 per person; children 12 and under are admitted free. Open Days are rain or shine events and no reservations are required.