The Historical Society of Islip Hamlet had its 4th "Secret Gardens of Islip" - Garden Walk on Saturday, June 25th and the weather couldn't have been any better - sunny and pleasantly warm.

The Weglarz Garden has many garden beds; a mix of beach grass, hydrangea, Black-eyed Susan.  A fire pit, created and installed by the family, has become a focal point of the yard.  To counteract the deer that are a constant presence grazing in their yard, they fenced in the property and now the knockout roses, peonies, day lilies and other perennials are free to bloom.

The Hanewinckel Garden contains crape myrtle, kousa dogwoods, waterfall dwarf cherries and azaleas in the front garden.  A koi pond was repurposed into a water garden planted with a variety of water plants including water lilies, water iris and water lettuce.  The gardens around the pool are slowly transitioning from a season wild flower bed into an evergreen and flowering garden.  The root cellar is one of the few remaining freestanding above ground root cellars in Suffolk County.

The Seifert Garden contains lavender, holly, vinca and Montauk daisy in the front yard.  The vegetable garden contains sweet corn, tomatoes, herbs, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, peas, cabbage, squash, radish, onions and cucumber.  Fresh Cascade, Columbia and Saaz hops are grown and used in their home-brewed ales.

The Marquardt Garden contains two rare Mockernut Hickory trees as well as a wide array of flowers, shrubs and trees such as lilac, hydrangeas, rhododendron, dogwood, crape myrtle, cardinal flower, sky pencil, elephant ear, to name a few. There are numerous roses on the property, including a tea rose that has been passed from family to family.

The Dale Garden has kept most of the area in a natural state.  Used bricks and stone donated by friends and family were used to define winding paths.  Plantings original to the property include daylilies, ferns, iris and hosta.  Ground covers include ajuga, pachysandra, periwinkle and spotted dead nettle.  Some of the trees and bushes are a Bradford pear tree, butterfly bushes, knockout roses, Rose of Sharon and a flowering cherry tree.  The property goes back 500 feet with a stream running through it; it is now a designated wetland area protected by the DEC.

The society would like to thank the homeowners, Garden Walk guides, Carolines Flower Shoppe, Project Bloom, The Junior Historical Society of Islip Hamlet, "Carols for Causes" Singers and our ticket holders in making this walk a success.
The Gardens
 
Susan Hantz-West
Est. 1992 Historical Society of Islip Hamlet