Click on this photo to see it in the KHS photo note cards/prints gallery.Recommended upcoming New England tours

Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill (Boston, MA) Thursday, May 20, 2010 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Concord Museum 21st Annual Garden Tour (Concord, MA) Friday-Saturday, June 4-5, 2010 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

South Windsor Garden Tour & Plant Sale (South Windsor, CT) Sunday, June 6, 2010 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Farmington/Unionville Friends Kitchen and Garden Tour (Farmington/Unionville, CT) Saturday, June 12, 2010 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Guilford Secret Garden Tour (Guilford, CT) Saturday, June 12, 2010 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Newburyport Annual Garden Tour (Newburyport, MA) Saturday-Sunday, June 12-13, 2010 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Charlestown Gardens by the Sea (Charlestown, RI) Saturday, June 12, 2010

New Castle Village Walk and Garden Tour (New Castle, NH) Sunday, June 13, 2010 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour (Portsmouth, NH) Friday-Saturday, June 18-19, 2010

South End Garden Tour (Boston, MA) Saturday, June 19, 2010 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Newport Summer Secret Garden Tour (Newport, RI) Friday-Sunday, July 9-11, 2010 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Provincetown Art Association and Museum Secret Garden Tour (Provincetown, MA) Sunday, July 11, 2010 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Camden Garden Club House and Garden Tour (Camden, ME) Thursday, July 15, 2010 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

Pittsfield Garden Tour (Pittsfield, MA) Saturday, July 17, 2010 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sunday, July 18, 2010 noon – 4:00 pm

Private Gardens of the Kennebunk’s Tour (Kennebunk, ME) Saturday, July 17, 2010 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Nantucket Annual House & Garden Tour (Nantucket, MA) Wednesday, August 11, 2010 11:00 am - 4:30 pm

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days:
Connecticut: Fairfield County June 6, 26; July 18, 2010
Connecticut: Litchfield County June 13, 20, 26; July 25; August 29, 2010
Maine: York County July 24-25, 2010
Massachusetts: Marblehead June 27, 2010
Massachusetts: Martha’s Vineyard June 28, 2010
New Hampshire: Monadnock Region/Greater Manchester June 26-27, 2010
New Hampshire: Hanover June 26, 2010
Vermont: Lake Champlain Valley June 19-20, 2010
Vermont: Upper Valley June 26, 2010

Click on this photo to see it in the KHS photo note cards/prints gallery.Some landscapes enthrall visitors season after season. Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard is among them. I’ve featured gems from the 20-acre cultivated grounds before. Remember the robust outdoor fireplace?
 
During my most recent visit, I rediscovered the leathery, peeling bark of the Stewartia. The eye-catching bark is but one highlight of this stunning specie which offers mid-summer blossoms and colorful leaves come fall. Polly Hill Arboretum boasts twenty Stewartia varieties, clustered in groves and featured as specimens. 

Visit the Arboretum any day between sunrise and sunset to take in the breadth and beauty this Island respite offers. The Visitor Center is open Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, and informative daily tours are available between those dates. Mark you calendars.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Did you see The New York Times article last week about the garage retreat near Seattle?  It's a fun and sophisticated 250-square-foot getaway.

A small space of one's own, beyond the hustle and bustle of everyday life, can remind us of life's simple pleasures. Such little buildings generally tread lightly on both the environment and our pocketbooks, while recharging our spirits.

The design of small retreats, backyard and beyond would be a great topic for a book, don't you think?  I thought so and was working on such a book a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it fell victim to the publishing industry's downsizing which began in mid-2008. I still believe there's a book there, waiting to be discovered.

You can sample a Katie Hutchison Studio small retreat design by visiting the Manchester Garage/Garden Room page in the KHS architectural portfolio.

I imagine my fascination with the topic started with my childhood backyard retreat and was reinforced by my mother's current, petite summerhouse in her Connecticut village. I wrote about her garden and her little retreat in a House Garden Primer.

Get a peek at her garden summerhouse in this short Flip video.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Recommended upcoming New England tours

Concord Museum Garden Tour (Concord, MA) Friday-Saturday June 5-6, 2009 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Guilford Secret Garden Tour (Guilford, CT) Saturday, June 13, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Newburyport Annual Garden Tour (Newburyport, MA) Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Portsmouth Pocket Garden Tour (Portsmouth, NH) Friday-Saturday, June 19-20, 2009

Newport Spring Secret Garden Tour (Newport, RI) Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, 2009 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cape Ann Garden Festival and Tour (Gloucester, MA) Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, 2009. Check website for specific event dates/times

South End Garden Tour (Boston, MA) Saturday, June 20, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Jamestown Island Treasures Garden Tour (Jamestown, RI) Saturday, June 27, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (401) 423-1776

The Garden Gates of Salem (Salem, MA) Saturday, July 11, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sunday, July 12, 2009 noon - 4:00 pm

Provincetown Art Association and Museum Secret Garden Tour (Provincetown, MA) Sunday, July 12, 2009 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Pittsfield Garden Tour (Pittsfield, MA) Saturday-Sunday, July 18-19, 2009

Private Gardens of the Kennebunks Tour (Kennebunk, ME) Saturday, July 18, 2009 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Block Island House & Garden Tour (Block Island, RI) Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Recommended upcoming New England openings, tours & more

Is it here yet?Daffodil Days at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum (Bristol, RI) April 11 – May 3, 2009

Beekeeping Basics with Elisabeth Bittner Joung (Cos Cob, CT) April 15, 2009 at 10:00 am

Garden in the Woods via the New England Wild Flower Society (North Framingham, MA) Opening April 15, 2009

Garden Tours at Strawbery Banke (Portsmouth, NH) Opening May 1, 2009

Lilac & Gardening Sunday at Shelburne Museum (Shelburne, VT) May 17, 2009

Free Walking Tour at Arnold Arboretum (Jamaica Plain, MA) May 23, 2009 10:30 am - 12:00 pm