[From the 2025 Home & Garden Magazine]
Written By Barbara Lombardo | Photos provided by garden owners
“The gardens we create and the flowers and plants we grow help connect us to each other, to our community, and even to ourselves. When the world is a turbulent place, our gardens provide a place of joy, healing, happiness and beauty.”
Photos: Leslie Brennan's garden - one of nine locations featured on the 30th Saratoga Soroptimist Secret Gardens Tour set for Sunday, June 29.
Savor those sentiments from Leslie Brennan, who writes from the heart – and from experience.
Leslie’s expansive showpiece, with sun-drenched perennial terraces and secluded woody areas, is one of nine private gardens featured on the 30th Saratoga Soroptimist Secret Gardens Tour set for Sunday, June 29.
This year’s milestone event affords an opportunity to visit both past favorites and newly revealed gardens, all in Saratoga Springs. Tour-goers will discover city lots transformed by plantings and special features designed to welcome people, pollinators and even wildlife.
“I am annually amazed at the beauty of the gardens and how hard people work on them,” says Soroptimist Mary Caroline Powers, whose talent for spotting gardens and connecting with owners has been key to all 30 tours.
The event raises money to support unique hands-on programs and financial awards that empower and improve the lives of women and girls, in keeping with the mission of Soroptimist of Saratoga County, the local branch of an international nonprofit service organization. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 on the day of the tour. See soroptimistsaratoga.org for details.
“It’s a lovely way to spend the day, to see gardens you would never see otherwise. And to learn – about design, garden structure, plants,” Mary says.
The idea for a local garden tour came from a then-club member after enjoying one in New England. The Saratoga Soroptimist Secret Gardens Tour blossomed over the years into the club’s annual signature fundraiser, drawing hundreds of people and raising thousands of dollars annually from ticket sales, donations and sponsorships.
A change encouraged by garden owners this year was moving the traditional July tour date to the last Sunday in June. What they say matters. After all, the success of the tour hinges on generous garden owners.
Leslie Brennan's garden
“It’s a big commitment,” Mary says. While acknowledging the event is labor intensive for Soroptimist members, she says, “The gardeners are the ones who do the work.” Some manage their gardens themselves, while others enlist professional assistance.
For all, it’s a labor of love, and each garden has its own story.
The story behind Kathleen O’Connor’s beautifully designed garden, like several on the tour, involves family. Visitors will find four enormous rocks, an ornamental crane and a pagoda, all moved from her mother’s home in Ann Arbor. She and her mother were inspired by Kathleen’s maternal grandmother, a Ukrainian immigrant whose Michigan yard was full of flowers, plants and vegetables while most of the neighbors had mostly lawn. Kathleen and her husband, Chip Kilduff, proudly proclaim they have been “grass-free” since 2022.
“You can have a nice space in an urban setting,” says Kathleen, who engages in conversations with passers-by. “People say, ‘thank you, it’s like having a park on the corner.’”
A couple of blocks away is Monica and Mike Winn’s mostly secret backyard, also deeply rooted in family. Many of their plants were brought back in full suitcases from her mother’s incredible garden in Seattle.
Less than a mile away is Mary Martin’s ever-evolving garden, a sanctuary for bees and butterflies as well as Mary herself. She favors native plants and rich colors, with clusters of perennials and aromatic herbs. She has gradually added elements like stone paths and a small pond. Lush plantings in front hint at the secrets that await in the backyard.
Kathleen O’Connor’s garden
Jim Gold's garden
Kathleen O’Connor’s Garden
It’s nice when next-door neighbors agree to show their gardens, as is the case this year with Sean Walmsley and Michelle and Wayne McDougall. Their relatively new homes are in a historic neighborhood known as Brandtville, an African American rural farming community dating back to the 1800s. A historic marker can be found around the corner.
Michelle and Wayne’s goal was to transform their modest space into a tranquil, private oasis with a mix of tall grasses, vibrant flowering shrubs and ground cover that would integrate with their new plunge pool and create an inviting entertaining area. Garden tour participants will find a wide variety of perennials, annuals, flowering shrubs, abundant water features and strategically placed hardscaping.
Next door, Sean Walmsley, who is British, originally replicated his dream of an English garden with his partner, Sherry Bishko. Now, advancing age (both the owners’ and the garden’s) sparked a major redesign that began last summer, balancing the plants, trees, extended patio and pond. Sean’s only regret is that visitors won’t get to see the new lighting installed to enjoy his garden after dark. “It’s a whole new experience,” he says.
Ted and Sue Collins' Garden
Heather and Eric LaCoppola’s garden
Down the street is Heather and Eric LaCoppola’s home, which is surprisingly only about five years old. Much older are the plants handed down to Heather from her parents' and grandparents’ gardens in Queensbury. “Some of the peonies might be four generations,” Heather says. Displayed among their colorful plantings is her Grandpa Joe’s watering can, along with some of Heather’s artwork and eclectic antiques from shows from as near as Round Lake and as far away as Roundtop, Texas.
Barely a mile from the Gold and LaCoppola gardens are the country gardens built by Ted and Sue Collins.
Ted and Sue’s gardens were first on the tour in 1998. Twenty-seven years and five tour appearances later, their property encompasses seven acres, with an acre of gardens that subtly interact with their natural surroundings -- a wonderful ecosystem of streams, ponds, a forest, and home to an abundance of wildlife. Over the years they added a waterfall, a greenhouse, and a gazebo. Everywhere one looks, there are subtle surprises. Visitors will discover water plants, evergreen gardens, succulents, and spectacular perennials.
Mary Caroline Powers counts the Collins’ gardens among “one of the most unique I have ever seen in this area.” That’s a lot coming from a Soroptimist who’s seen plenty of gardens and is always on the lookout for more.
“Once you’re on the Secret Gardens Committee, your antennae are always up,” she says. Walking and driving through neighborhoods and knocking on doors is part of the process. “We rely heavily on word of mouth,” she says, admitting, “Sometimes we are quite brazen and peek into the backyard and approach the owners.”
So, while the focus is on the 30th Secret Gardens Tour on June 29, Mary and other Saratoga Soroptimists are already on the lookout for 2026. “I’ve got my eye on a couple. One is right down the street from me,” Mary says. “I’m ready to pounce.”
∅ The 2025 Secret Gardens Tour is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 29. Tickets are $30 in advance, online at soroptimistsaratoga.org, including a downloadable program with garden descriptions and directions. Programs (which serve as the admission ticket) will also be available for $30 in advance at Cudney’s Dry Cleaners, Adirondack Trust Co., Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs and Faddegon’s Nursery in Latham. On the day of the tour, tickets will be $35 online and from 9:30 to noon outside the Saratoga Heritage Area Visitor Center. Email questions to
∅ Special public space: While you’re in garden mode, check out 209 South Broadway, the long-neglected wedge at the southwest intersection of South Broadway and Route 50 that has been transformed into a public haven for pollinators and humans. SoBro Conservancy volunteers will be on hand during Secret Gardens Tour hours to greet visitors. Read more on page 124!
