Behind the brownstone in downtown, you might find a surprising bloom of lavender as Troy’s Hidden Garden Tour returns today for its 26th year.
Hidden behind, through, and in front of the city’s historic brownstones and carriage houses are gardens. Unlike many properties in the city, some homes have enough greenspace for residents to grow lavish gardens that are typically unseen by passersby.
Gardens included in the tour are between Broadway to Adams St. and River Street to 5th Avenue. Peter Grimm, a Rensselaer County Legislator and a member of the group’s steering committee, says the area is limited to keep the tour accessible.
“In the earlier years, we kind of took every garden that kind of showed up, but it turned into that our tour-goers were getting a little upset because they they'd have to walk so many blocks to go to one garden, and it takes up so much time,” Conroy said.
The event started in in the late 90’s as a way to bring people into a less-visited part of Troy while raising money. Proceeds from the self-guided tour support The Friends of Prospect Park, a nonprofit aimed at advancing improvement projects in the park on Congress Street.
Homeowner and organizer Phyllis Conroy says the tour is easy to follow using the Hudson River as your guide, along with a paper map.
“And then those people in their gardens, will have a sign that they put out in the alleyway or on the street, so it identifies the entrance into the garden for all the tour-goers. And when 7:30 comes, they just pull the sign in and close their doors,” Conroy said.
Grimm says each garden shows off its grower’s personality. Grimm, whose grounds are featured on the tour, says his shade garden represents the comfort his home brings him.
“The city gets warm in the summer,” Grimm said. “So, for me, I have a lot of spring flowering specimens in my yard, but everything after the end of June turns green, and that gives me that kind of cool comfort. I have a large deck off the back of my house that I set, set up and I use as a summer room, essentially during the summer, which is, is great.”
Grimm says this isn’t a one-time sight-seeing opportunity.
“Every garden is always evolving. You know, things grow, things change. You know, we, we, we nurture and take care of little things,” Grimm said. You know, to help them grow, help them grow. And then years then years after, we're taking, you know, saws and sickles to them, because they've overtaken the garden. But they change every year, so people come back to see them every year.”
More than 40 homes are included this year. But Grimm and Conroy say the visuals and entertainment don’t stop there.
“Sometimes people have musicians in their gardens playing, and one of our sponsored programs in the park in the summer is Shakespeare and Company type of [production] and it's called Will Kempe’s Players, and they come in costume, and they go from garden to garden in character, which is, is fun,” Grimm said.
“People look at us because they're doing Shakespeare,” Conroy said.
Heather Hamlin Martin is a real estate agent with Keller Williams. She gives out dozens of tickets for free to potential homebuyers. Martin says it’s an “introduction” for those who could join the neighborhood.
“We have beautiful, beautiful architecture and beautiful yards, but it's our community,” Hamlin Martin said. “I think that they get the real spirit of what Troy is about, and that encourages them in their decision. They feel stronger about it, or just helps them kind of make up their mind to take the leap to move here.”
Visitors are encouraged to stick around after they take in the gardenscapes and “enjoy Troy.”
Tour-goers can check in after 4 p.m. at the Russell Sage College parking lot on First Street and view gardens until 7:30.
