On Saturday, June 25 and Sunday June 26, non-profit Branford Arts & Cultural Alliance (BACA) and Branford Garden Club (BGC) opens the garden gate “Art in the Garden.” The new collaboration blends works of local artists into the beautiful backdrops of 16 Branford gardens, public and private.

“I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how we can display the art in a natural setting,” said Frank Carrano co-founder of BACA and a long-time member of BGC.

Tickets, available for a $15 donation and can be purchased at Branford Art Center (1229 Main St.) or by contacting members of BACA or BGC, or purchased at the Blackstone Memorial Library on tour days. Ticket holders will receive a brochure listing locations and interesting details about all of the gardens on the self-guided tour. Gardens will be open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on June 25 and noon to 4 p.m. on June 26.

Branford’s iconic Blackstone Library’s landscape, filled with 30 different specimen trees from around the world, is one of the public gardens on the tour. As with each garden, art on display could include sculpture, paintings, photography and more. At Branford’s historic Harrison House, another tour stop, Carrano said some of artist Marc-Anthony Massaro’s impressive American figure portraits will be displayed on the grounds, which include the Alta Newton Memorial Herb Garden, established by BGC in 1985.

There are several shoreline gardens on the tour and many others spread throughout Branford’s wide variety of neighborhoods. Carrano is among the BGC members offering his garden for the tour; it incorporates serene, Japanese-style garden rooms.

Carrano said some private gardens on the tour were selected not only for unique beauty, but to inspire even beginning gardeners.

“Some of the gardens are tiny, because we want to show gardens to help anyone who has in an interest to think, ‘I can do that in my backyard,’” said Carrano.

BGC vice-president (and incoming president) Paula Inglese will share her downtown Branford garden on the tour. It features a 1500 gallon koi pond with aquatic plantings and dozens of varieties of perennials, often punctuated by whimsical garden embellishments -- from a colorful red pitchfork backing plantings of red and white flowers to a tiny Fairy house anchoring a tree trunk.  Tucked behind the Inglese’s Victorian-style home, the garden is within walking distance from the Blackstone Library.

“It’s an in-town garden – a tiny yard with a big impact,” said Inglese.

She said she’s excited to see art added to her garden and will be there June 25 and June 26 to greet garden guests. Each garden on the tour will be hosted by its designer or a docent ready to answer gardening questions from guests.

For more information call (203) 464-4766 or email f.carrano@att.net ; or call (203) 488-6063 or email eunice.lasala@gmail.com