A Visit to Rebecca & Dan’s Cairnsgrove Gardens & Apiary

Rebecca and Dan moved to this property as a young couple. One son (now married) and thirty-eight years later, the garden reflects their mutual interests in plants and wildlife. Dan is the home’s beekeeper and has about sixty hives over seven bee yards. Rebecca, a botanist, enjoys all manners of plants, the weirder the better. They make use of nearly every square foot of the 1.5-acre property, a long rectangle with woods behind. Their feisty Cairn Terriers and a low fence are enough to keep deer at bay.

As with any property, trees go up and trees come down. All the plants on the property were planted by the couple. A special addition was the Acer palmatum ‘Seiryu’ in the front yard, given to them by a friend many years ago. Among treasured shrubs is Hydrangea paniculata ‘Yuki Gessho’, with its misted foliage. Plus, there are the collections. Dozens of Epimedium thrive in the shady gardens under the roots of rare trees and shrubs. Hundreds of hostas add to the shady groundcover. Over a hundred Japanese maples are planted both in ceramic pots and in the ground. Clematis grow on trellises, through shrubs, and as groundcovers.

Other features of Cairnsgrove Gardens include a chicken coop nestled between a river birch and Magnolia ‘Ricki’, a pond surrounded by conifer troughs and backed by a 40-foot Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yoshino’, and a 25-foot Quercus dentata ‘Pinnatifida’.

Newer additions to the gardens are the narrow conifer border along the driveway and the conifer rock garden at the end of the drive. The long border was a messy line of bridal veil spirea when we moved in, but it has been transformed to a garden of dwarf conifers. The rock garden was filled with winter jasmine which rooted everywhere it touched the ground. Conifers can also be found anywhere where there’s sun – in the ground, pots, or hypertufa troughs.

Rebecca loves creating the hypertufa trough and container gardens scattered throughout the garden, having taken a special interest in mini hostas and conifers. Her troughs will be available for sale during the visit, along with Dan’s honey and the skin care products Rebecca makes using the beeswax.

Rebecca and Dan will provide snacks and drinks. Guests are welcome to bring a packed lunch. Carpooling is encouraged as there's no street parking, but there is a big driveway with parking behind the house. A neighbor will also allow parking in their driveway.

This is a Members Only event, but registration is required. $5 per attendee. Maximum number of guests is 25.

Registration opens March 24.  Registration closes May 22.

Our visit will be held on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in clear skies or light rain. If we have heavy rain, our visit will be held on our Rain Date, Wednesday, May 28.

Click here if you would like to become a member of HPS/MAG before registering for this event.

Address and parking directions will be sent to all registrants in their confirmation email.

Contact: Dawn Freeman at [email protected]