The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~ Hanna Rion

Tucked quietly a stone's throw from our home in River Vale is Cupid's Garden. A few days ago, our local paper printed a listing of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days for Bergen county, and luckily Cupid was up for visitors on Saturday. What an inspiring delight!

The Garden Conservancy's mission is "to preserve exceptional American gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public." Through the established Open Days program, visitors are welcomed to experience 300 private gardens each year, sharing passions of the people who create them. This year, the season began in March and extends into early November. Gardens included in the registry stem from southern Maine to southern California, from the tip of Long Island, New York to Bainbridge Island, Washington.

With a background of conifers, pines, tall trees, and flowering shrubs, Cupid's Garden is part sun, part shade displaying an artistic expression of nature’s best. Under the watchful eye of Cupid, numerous birds and petite wildlife visitors inhabit the grounds in harmony with the fish in the ponds. Embellished with rocks, shells and driftwood, the garden's statuesque stone dwellers remain attentive to the medley of colorful flora surrounding them.

Visit the The Garden Conservancy's website to find a garden nearby... Perhaps you can be as lucky and find one in your back yard to enjoy on a sunny afternoon in the neighborhood... xoxo -Sonya