A Visit To One Sandy Hook Woman's Garden Paradise

When Jean Sander and her husband moved to their home -- the 1748 Benjamin Curtis House in Sandy Hook -- ten years ago, the terrain wasn't very interesting.

"There was nothing here," she says. "No French doors, no shrubs. The ground just sloped down ... It was totally barren."

Today, her garden is a treasure trove of delights to spur any gardening enthusiast's imagination -- from the pergola with its climbing hydrangeas to the centerpiece, a highly structured English garden filled with pink rose bushes surrounding a centerpiece. The grounds are surrounded by woodlands Sander designed herself, with winding paths that carry the visitor among the trees (with a nice view of the Pootatuck River in the background.)

And if you'd like to see the garden, this weekend is your chance. As part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program, she'll open her garden to visitors from across the state and beyond. (Open Days is a program encouraging residents with amazing gardens to open them to the public for a day. For more details, see their website.)

How did she get to that point? About six years of intense work. Sander, a retired garden designer, decided to put her skills to work in her retirement. She excavated the ground -- up to two feet in the main garden -- brought in stones for gravel gardens, building the paths through her woodlands, and planted the wide variety of plants that grace the garden.

Today, Sander says she spends about seven hours a day in the garden, and estimates she's put "about 95 percent" of the work into making it look as good as it does.

"You have to be willing to really really work," she says. "But that's my love. I love to work in the garden. It's my therapy."

You'll find all sorts of hidden treasures in this garden and its winding paths: a stone sundial, a shaded bench for relaxation and contemplation, birdhouses, handmade trellises and rare mushroom-shaped stone stoddles (once used to hold up grain bins at mills, they make excellent additions to the garden.)

There's much more, of course -- browse around above and take a look at some of the most beautiful sights from Sander's garden (but remember, only the tour will do it justice.)

Want to go?

Where: 211 Walnut Hill Road. (House is on the corner of Glen Rd. and Walnut Hill Rd. Street access on the shoulder of Walnut Hill Rd.)

When: Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: $5.