Write-up: Mary Pat Connors
Leader: Mary Pat Connors
Co-Leader: Kathy Countryman

Nineteen Tramps attended the Summer Solstice Garden Tour & Craft Sale at Sycamore Hill Gardens in Marcellus, NY. The weather had been threatening, so many started out with umbrellas and raincoats. As luck would have it we were soon shedding our coats and enjoying a lovely warm summer day.

The grounds of Sycamore Hill are truly spectacular. It was such a pleasure to stroll the grounds seeing the beautiful sights in the many nooks and crannies. Owners Karen and George Hanford are to be commended for their vision, design and hard work.
“The nearly 40 acres of privately-owned land west of Marcellus include diverse statuary, koi ponds, stonework, a formal garden, a hedge maze and more. Recent plantings of 10,000 trees and shrubs have turned the land surrounding the garden into one of New York State’s largest privately held bird sanctuaries.” (sycamorehillgardens.com)

The hedge maze proved to be too daunting for most of us. However, Kathy Countryman reports, “Thanks to Sharon Kaelin’s excellent instructions on how to find one’s way out of a maze, Francis Roy and I managed to easily reach the “prize” at the center and still make it out before dark. The trick is to keep one hand on the hedge wall all the way in, around the center, and back out. I garnered some funny looks by doing that, but we also ended up with some grateful followers!”

Many of us purchased lunch from the “Chicken Bandit Food Truck & Eatery,” picnicked at tables with tablecloths with a musical duo to entertain us. Not our usual grub or experience on hikes.
Thank you to Deb Cantales for letting me know of this hidden gem, and for helping us find some of the not-so-obvious treasures.

The gardens are only open to the public on a very limited basis, thus far only Mother’s Day and this summer solstice day, a fundraiser for the CNY Land Trust.
This is a worthy cause as the Land Trust currently protects 2800 acres in 48 nature preserves within Onondaga and Oswego Counties.
More information, including the history of the development of the gardens, may be found at sycamorehillgardens.com. You can also be placed on a mailing list for any additional events.

Many more photos may be found in Gallery 2018: June.