Snow still lies thick on the ground but, for the organizers of the 26th annual Trade Secrets extravaganza, spring is already here. The actual event will be held Saturday, May 16th, and Sunday, May 17th, but behind the scenes there is a buzz of activity.

Trade Secrets—one of the Northeast’s most celebrated garden events—brings together tours of exceptional gardens and a notable sale of rare plants and garden antiques in support of Project Sage, an organization that works to prevent relationship violence and to educate children and adults about healthy interactions.

“For many people, Trade Secrets is their first introduction to Project SAGE,” said Kristen van Ginhoven, executive director of Project SAGE. “This event allows us to connect with the community through something life-affirming—gardens, creativity and care—while reinforcing that safety and support should be accessible to everyone.”

Project SAGE services include a crisis hotline, emergency shelter, counseling and safety planning, criminal and civil legal advocacy, transportation and referrals as well as educational programs for children, adults, professionals and community groups.

Over the past quarter century, Trade Secrets, the largest annual fundraiser for Project Sage, has raised more than $5 million to support the service.

It is an event filled with inspiration for gardeners and a chance to fulfill their visions with high-quality artifacts and premium plants. The inspiration can come from tours of elegant gardens, some of which have been evolving for decades under the creative eyes of their owners.

Returning this year will be perennial favorites such as designer Bunny Williams’ and John Rosselli’s Falls Village estate; the “fractured fairytale” of Michael Trapp’s West Cornwall haven and Christopher Spitzmiller’s and Anthony Bollomo’s multi-room garden at Clove Brook Farm in Millbrook NY.

Continuing the tradition of offering something different every year, seldom-seen gardens—Broccoli Hall in Amenia, NY, Haroldhurst Farm in Valatie, NY, and the gardens of Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer in Stanfordville, NY —have been added to the May 16th tour itinerary.

Williams and Rosselli are mainstays of the annual event. Indeed, Williams—working with Naomi Blumenthal and guided by horticulturist Deborah Munson—was a Trade Secrets’ founder when they held a plant sale in 2001 to support Project Sage, then known as Women’s Support Services.

The event grew from there and Williams and Rosselli have invited visitors annually to tour their estate’s 12 acres filled with a variety of gardens that range from woodland enclaves, to an orchard, to vegetable gardens and perennial borders.

A mowed path through the orchard and meadow leads to their pool house, a Greek Revival folly made with rustic oak columns. Uphill from the pool lies Williams’ studio with its impressive view of the Berkshire hills and from the studio, paths weave through the Woodland Garden, past carpets of ferns, wildflowers, woodland peonies and an understory of dogwoods and redbuds.

The Woodland Garden opens into Elizabeth’s Circle, a calming space where large boxwood balls tumble down the hill from the woods edge. Stone steps lead down to the Parterre, located behind the conservatory and guest barn. Brick walkways, covered in moss, are surrounded by patterned boxwood hedges that edge seasonally planted beds, allowing for a different color scheme each year.

Other attractions include Belgian-style swooped yew hedges framing a mass planting of hydrangeas; a sunken garden filled with mixed borders and box-edged beds, a granite-edged koi pond; a Birdhouse Village where William’s collection of antique birdhouses is displayed amidst native plants, pines and apple trees.

The gardens can be toured from 10AM to 3PM and takse about 60 to 90 minutes to explore.

The Trapp garden in Cornwall is accessed through a shuttered gate that sequesters the fractured fairytale that this renowned designer/antiques dealer forged. Paths lead through a cobbled labyrinth of spaces staged with Corinthian capitals, huge slabs of stone set as dining tables, Roman fountains and towering topiary spires.

Stairs are swathed in wisteria and espaliered apples run along Gothic ruins. There is a grotto beside a lap pool and a “cabinet of curiosities” filled with books and natural artifacts.

A tour takes approximately 20 minutes. The garden is open 10AM to 4PM.

At Clove Garden in Millbrook, NY, Spitzmiller and Bellomo have spent 12 years creating a garden of interconnected spaces, beginning with a horseshoe-shaped garden near the house that is surrounded by a clipped hornbeam hedge and anchored by a dovecote. The garden features a spectacular show of tulips and sweet peas in the spring.

A few years ago, another large garden "room" was added that centers on an oval swimming pool and neoclassical style pool house. Continually evolving, the garden also includes perimeter beds filled with various herbaceous perennials, starting with poppies in early spring, then peonies, roses, lilies and finally dahlias.

The garden is open from 10AM to 3PM and takes about an hour to tour.

Katie Ridder and Peter Pennoyer’s garden in Standfordville, NY, includes a hornbeam-enclosed flower garden with formal bluestone paths framing 14 flower beds. The garden centers on a small terrace with a fountain bowl and a wisteria-draped pergola.

Their landscape architect, Edmund Hollander, designed their property with simple hedgerows and trees, reserving the flower garden and woodland path for Ridder to unleash her own approach. The principal elements align from east to west: meadow, flower garden, greenhouse, woodland path, cutting garden, and finally the corn field of the neighboring farm.

It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to view the property, and it is open 10AM to 3PM.

New to the tour this year is Broccoli Hall—the garden of Maxine Paetro in Amenia, NY. Created over more than three decades and inspired by English gardens, it is set on an acre and a half, with the landscape unfolding as a series of connected garden rooms, each with its own mood and seasonal focus.

Visitors move from a boxwood-lined cottage garden into a brick courtyard, then on to a secret woodland garden that blooms with crabapples and drifts of white and pink daffodils in Spring.

A 300-foot June border features roses, peonies and tall bearded irises. Koi ponds and a whimsical five-sided pink treehouse punctuate the landscape.

It takes approximately 40 minutes to tour the property with tours offered between 10AM and 4PM.

Haroldhurst Farm is a 187-acre former dairy farm owned by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz. The property originally included an 1825 Greek Revival house that burned following an extensive restoration and was later rebuilt on a nearby knoll.

Working with landscape architect Jamie Purinton and master gardener Judith Meier, the owners began to rebuild in 2023. The main garden spans 1.1 acres and was inspired by Mount Vernon’s colonial kitchen garden. Ten garden beds are arranged along grid-like paths within historic hedgerows and an original farm road.

Deer-resistant plantings, an orchard of fruit trees, grape arbor, brick patios and perennial beds structure the garden which includes vegetables, berries, herbs, dahlias, peonies and self-seeding annuals.

Around the house the landscaping is intentionally restrained to highlight its historic character. A dry-stacked stone wall, young trees planted for future shade and a sunken memorial garden created from the original foundation complete the landscape.

A tour takes about 30 minutes and the gardens are open 10AM to 5PM.

Some of the garden tours tend to sell out annually and all have limited numbers of admissions, available on a first-come, first served basis. Underwriters—individual, corporate and foundation supporters whose contributions range from $300 to $15,000—can select the gardens they wish to view as of March 2 and enjoy early access.

Ticket sales open for the public at midnight on April 1. If a garden sells out, a waitlist will be available and, if a spot opens, those on the waitlist will be notified. Tickets are $25 per person per garden and must be purchased in advance.

The tours are followed on Sunday, May 17th, by the Rare Plants & Garden Antiques Sale at Lime Rock Park, 60 White Hollow Road. The sale brings together growers and dealers, offering rare plants, heirloom specimens and heirloom-quality garden antiques. Many pieces are available only at Trade Secrets.

More than 50 vendors from along the Eastern Seaboard are expected to attend. In addition to the plants and antiques, there will be three book signings by prominent garden authors during the sale. Margot Shaw, author of Flowering Outdoors will be present, as will Tim Johnson (with Fernando Wong), The Young Man and the Tree.

Again underwriters get early admission, from 7:30 to 9AM. (breakfast included) with tickets starting at $300. Early buyers, who also receive breakfast, are admitted from 9 to 10:30AM for $150. Regular admission is from 10:30AM to 12:30PM, for $50 and Late Bloomer tickets, sold only on the day of the sales event, are available after noon for $25. The sale ends at 2 PM.

Breakfasts and lunches will be available for purchase and parking is free with a shuttle available from remote areas of the lot. Accessible parking is also available.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Trade Secrets CT or call 860-364-1080.