A Party "In the Garden" at John Jay Homestead

June is the perfect time to appreciate the flora and fauna of our region, and some of the finest public gardens in the area can be found at John Jay Homestead State Historic Site.

This Friday, June 11th, Friends of John Jay Homestead will host a cocktail party "In the Garden" throughout the newly refurbished Sundial and Fountain gardens at the Homestead on Route 22 in Katonah.

The outdoor party, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., will celebrate the gardens and the volunteer gardeners who tend them. The event will include farm-to-table food, local wines and cocktails, featuring a special garden drink created for the evening. Tickets are $125 and can be reserved by call the Friends office at 914.232.8119.

"So many volunteers make the Homestead gardens the local treasure they are today," said Friends Executive Director Wendy Ross. "Our garden club partners— Bedford Garden Club, Rusticus Garden Club, Hopp Ground Garden Club and the New York Unit of the Herb Society of America— provide countless hours of work in the gardens each season."

Even more importantly, these experienced gardeners bring their expertise, including extensive knowledge about garden and landscape history, to make the gardens and grounds an integral part of the visitor experience at John Jay Homestead, she added.

This year, a new partnership with Intergenerate, a Katonah-based nonprofit that works on environment and sustainability issues, enabled the historic site to launch a community garden, at which Intergenerate will work with community members on learning gardening skills.

"In the Garden" begins with a special tree dedication. A sapling grown from an acorn of the Bedford Oak will be dedicated in memory of G. Palmer LeRoy, the Founding Chariman of the Friends of John Jay Homestead, who died last year.

"We are thrilled to be able to perpetuate the iconic symbol of our town by growing a 'descendant' of the Bedford Oak," Ross said. "And it's a fitting tribute to Palmer LeRoy who did so much to preserve the character and history of our area."

The garden party, co-chaired by Amy Gallen and Heather Langham, will include a silent auction of garden-themed items including a catered dinner in your garden, a tea party, a picnic basket, and an espeliared fruit tree (pruned and trained to grow flat against a wall). The event is made possible by a generous gift from Houlihan Lawrence.

All proceeds from the event will benefit John Jay Homestead gardens and grounds projects. "The Friends have increased the amount budgeted for landscape maintenance and improvement three fold in the last five years," Ross said. "With ongoing cutbacks in state funding, the Friends have stepped up, underwriting the costs of garden expenses and projects to ensure the integrity and continued beauty of this 62-acre site and the six gardens maintained here."

Friends Trustee Kathy Moreau, a landscape and garden designer, oversees an active Landscape Committee for the Friends. She designed and planted the Homestead's Terrace Garden in 2007 and, assisted by garden history and design expert Varner Redmon, directed the complete refurbishment and restoration of the Sundial Garden last year. "These experienced garden historians have helped re-create the gardens as they were when the Jay Family lived here," Ross noted.

"We've never held an event in the garden," Ross continued, "so this will be an evening of 'firsts.' This party is not on the Friends' calendar for next year, so we don't want anyone to miss this opportunity," she said. Much like the flowers of June, the chance to party "In the Garden" is a fleeting one.

Friends of John Jay Homestead

In the Garden

Friday, June 11, 2010

6:30 to 9:00 pm

Rain Date: June 12, 2010

Tickets: $125 per person

Reservations: 914.232.8119