Hidden Gardens in the City

With summer finally here, that urban jungle just might have more seasonal surprises to offer than meets the eye. 

By John Rossheim for MSN City Guides

A riddle for summer: You can find them in the South, the North, the West and the East. They’re on the outskirts, between the houses or sometimes right in the middle of it all, but hidden behind eye-high walls. You can tour them with fellow travelers or find your own way through and among them, whether you stroll, jog or perhaps ride your wheelchair. Their specimens may originate right where you see them or on the other side of the world. And although your visit is more likely free or cheap, you might pay $25 or $40 for the privilege.

What are they? The thousands of gardens in American cities accessible to the public, but obscure in one way or another.

Whether summer has arrived where you live or is still on its way, this is a good time to find out about the hidden gardens that you’ve been missing. Here are several of our secret pathways to paradise, from Los Angeles to Buffalo, N.Y.

Gardening gets weird in Austin, and gets national notice
If the United States has a national corps of gardeners, it must be the Garden Conservancy. And its Open Days program, hopscotching the country and rolling through the growing seasons, is the organization’s parade day.

Almost the last but certainly not the least of the Open Days is in Austin, Texas, where Southern eccentricity fuses with Texas independence. One of the gardens you might see when the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program rolls into town features 200-year-old live oaks with chandeliers hanging from branches and South African bulbs in border gardens. You might also see a fashionable rain garden or two on the tour, as Texas gardeners look to conserve water more than ever before.

In 2008, Open Days comes to Austin on Oct. 4. The Open Days programs here and across the country are $5 per garden or $25 for six.