One of the nice things about being an architect is that the world is your ongoing precedent research.  Tell people — including security guards — that you’re an architect, and you may be granted special access to spaces not regularly opened to the average citizen (or perhaps even forgiven a slight trespass?).

Although the forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms, architects, landscape architects, and our fellow citizens at large are all invited into the backyards of a selection of (usually fairly upmarket) private residences in the DC area this Saturday as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Garden Open Day program.

There is a modest entry fee for each garden.  We’ve gone several times over the last five years or so (there were a couple of years where there were no DC dates), and the variety of neighborhood, house type, site, design, and foliage is great.  I love checking out what people do with their houses and gardens, and you get everything from townhouses to estates typically represented.  Check out the link above for more information.  Now if only I could get into the houses…