According to WILLIAM GRIMES, NYT April 25th, 2013, Stewart Hartshorn--yes that one the school and street is named after, came to out with a fortune in hand from the sales of spring-roller window shades, bought land in Millburn Township in the 1870s, envisioning “a harmonious community for people who appreciated nature.” (for article: NYT). Like him, nature lovers came to the town known as Short Hills. Some of them laid out grand estates, ranking, in size and ambition, somewhere between Gatsby’s and Hearst’s. Few remain, but one, Greenwood Gardens, has been lifted from decades of decay and decrepitude to live a second life as a public park and cultural center. It opens on Sunday.
Explore Greenwood
Astride the western ridge of the Watchung Mountains and overlooking a vast preserve of forest and meadow, Greenwood Gardens is a contemporary garden rooted in the Arts & Crafts and Classical approaches to garden design, with Italianate garden terraces, grottoes, meandering moss-covered paths, allées of sycamore and spruces, ornamental trees and shrubs, and wildflower meadows, among other features, occupying over 28 acres.
greenwood yellen gateJust 45 minutes from Manhattan, Greenwood Gardens is removed from the sights and sounds of modernity. It is a place where people can come together to spend time and relax – whether the definition of relaxation be sitting on bench or practicing yoga in the open air. A visit to Greenwood Gardens can renew your mind and spirit through tours, workshops, and other educational programs.
Entrance Drive and Forecourt
Visitors to Greenwood Gardens will enter along the Sycamore Allée and continue past a cluster of rustic Arts & Crafts cottages to the parking lot. The first feature encountered is a legacy of the Day era, an extraordinary hand-wrought iron-grill gate created by master iron craftsman Samuel Yellin. Housed in the East Pavilion, the nine-foot-high gate depicts a menagerie of flora and fauna, from birds of paradise and parakeets to vines and ferns.
Formal Gardens
Connected to the East Pavilion is the red brick Georgian house built by the Blanchard family, which serves as an orientation center, its Colonial-styled center hallway opening onto an overlook terrace, where period climbing roses grow on and around a pair of wooden pergolas. From here drop three terraced gardens: the topmost Main Terrace, with waterside iris and carrex blue zinger (Carex flacca); the Croquet Terrace, with boxwood hedges; and the culmination, in the Garden of the Zodiac, where twelve pairs of classical columns are arranged in a demilune around a former reflecting pool.
main terrace view10 18 2012_SMWhere recently the Garden of the Zodiac’s perimeter was planted with evergreen shrubs, now pink peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) and white goat’s beard (Tragopogon dubius / pratensis) thrive, as well as spikes of cream, pink, and bronze foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) and an intermittent haze of blue and white catmints (Nepeta grandiflora) and sages. A bronze sculpture of a boy holding two geese by Emilio Angela has been reinstated in the center of the pool surrounded by clematis and roses.
Summerhouse and Teahouse
Footpaths and gardens to the south and east of these main terraces lead to a pair of round perches inspired by the Belvederes built during the Arts and Craft period in Britain. The Summerhouse and Teahouse are constructed of local sandstone with copper coursings around cone-shaped roofs. Their interiors feature walls and ceilings studded with blue, green and brown seashell-shaped Rookwood tiles and floors paved with pastel-hued Fulper tiles manufactured nearby in New Jersey.
Three-foot-tall limestone chess pieces—knight, pawn, queen, and king—line the horseshoe steps leading to the upper level of the Teahouse and the South Axis garden. Here dwarf iris (Iris lacustris), pink dianthus (Dianthus caryophyllus), Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) and small ornamental onion (Allium aflatunense) may be found nestled near four huge stone frogs. Granite Foo dogs are placed at opposite steps to the Teahouse, while an Oriental paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) with little yellow flowers serves as a centerpiece connecting the walkway and the two stone follies.
Grapewalk and Cascade
The Blanchards’ taste for formal garden design may be seen as a visitor follows the Grape Walk toward the foot of the Water Cascade. From here one views the European inspired allée of plane trees and maples and two ponds that are home to swans and waterfowl—both the creation of Peter Blanchard, Jr.
Meadow and Ponds
At the terminus of this view, adjacent to the ponds and punctuating a field of wildflowers, is a fabulous wrought iron gate designed by Carrére and Hastings for the Frick residence in New York. All the outer edges of the Garden, in fact, will be devoted to natives: sugar maple (Acer saccharum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), oaks, hickories, native dogwoods, native azalea, Virginia sweet spire (Itea virginica), native hydrangeas, native wild trillium (Trillium erectum), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans), Virginia blue bells (Mertensia virginica), and coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea).
Barn and Pasture
Tucked away in the southeast corner of Greenwood Gardens is a barn and pasture that has been on site for more than a century and is home to goats and a variety of farm birds. Note: The Barn Complex is closed to visitors.
Ongoing
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 1 – November 20
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Volunteer at Greenwood Gardens
Volunteers are helping Greenwood thrive by donating their time in the garden. We welcome individuals of all levels of experience. The Greenwood Gardens Green Team meets Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 – 12:00 p.m. to work in the gardens. For more information, please contact Louis Bauer at 973-258-4026 or lbauer@greenwoodgardens.org.
Sundays, May 26 – October 29
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Guided Tours
Guided tours of Greenwood Gardens are available weekly from May through late October. Experience seasonal blooms on a 45-minute walking tour. Content will rotate weekly in horticulture, history, and conservation. Tours are available every Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Free to members; $10 non-members.
Tuesdays, June 4 – September 24
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Summer Yoga Series
The American Yoga Academy and Greenwood Gardens present Yoga in the Gardens. Classes are for everyone, whether you have been practicing yoga for many years, or this is your very first experience.
For all sessions, wear comfortable clothing (sweats, shorts, or yoga pants). All you need is a yoga mat and a towel.
Individual Yoga Class: $20
Monthly Class Packages: $60 ($15 per class)
Season Package: All Tuesday classes for $200 ($12 per class)
April
Opening Weekend
Sunday, April 28
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Join us for a lively opening day in the gardens featuring a self-guided tour, a scavenger hunt for visitors of all ages, and a 2 p.m. performance by the Princeton Katzenjammers, the nation’s oldest co-ed collegiate a capella group. Refreshments will be served on the terrace. Free admission, no reservations required.
May
Birding Walk
Thursday, May 2
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Join NJ Audubon Naturalist, Dave Hall, for a birding tour of Greenwood Gardens in search of spring migrants. Explore several habitats including hardwood forest, conifer stands, ponds and meadows. We will also venture into South Mountain Reservation to see who is stopping over. $6 members; $8 non-members.
birding walk
Hedge and Topiary Pruning Workshop
Saturday, May 4
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Learn the practices of proper pruning techniques needed to establish and maintain hedges and topiary shrubs. In Greenwood’s outdoor classroom, Louis Bauer will explain the principles, tools, and terminology, and demonstrate commonly used pruning techniques on a variety of landscape plants. Free to members; $10 non-members.
Hurricane Sandy and the Natural Assault on Trees
Sunday, May 5
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This woods and garden walk will investigate various environmental stresses on tree health, with a focus on the recent damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. This is an interpretive program seeks to enhance participants’ ability to read the natural landscape and to enjoy that process. Part of the walk will be off trail and on very uneven ground. Appropriate footwear required. Binoculars and magnifying glasses recommended. $10 members; $15 non-members.
Garden Tour: Horticulture and Design
Sunday, May 5
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Experience seasonal blooms and learn about the decisions behind Greenwood Gardens’ colorful plant palette on a 45-minute walking tour. Free to members; $10 non-members.
Garden Photography Workshop
Saturday, May 11
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This hands-on workshop will explain techniques for taking better photographs. Using Greenwood Gardens as an outdoor classroom, you can practice and receive immediate feedback from a master instructor. The workshop will include a tutorial on your camera’s function and a closing session on image editing. $40 members; $45 non-members.
Yoga at Greenwood Gardens
Saturday, May 11
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
The American Yoga Academy and Greenwood Gardens present Yoga in the Gardens with world-renowned yoga instructor, Claire E. Diab. This class is for everyone, whether you have been practicing yoga for many years, or this is your very first experience. The class will be fun, informative, and nourishing for your body, mind and soul.
This complimentary class kicks off the Summer Yoga Series at Greenwood Gardens. Space is Limited!
To buy Tickets to any of the above: Click Here
Mark Slade
Keller Williams
917.797.5059
Good Homes
Selling a Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills area home involves many steps and having an experienced Maplewood New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor®, specializing in the Bedroom Communities of New York City in Essex/Union County— Millburn, Short Hills, Montclair, West Orange, South Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Springfield, Summit, Madison, Chatham, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Cranford and Westfield--by your side will make the transaction run a lot smoother. I would love to be your Maplewood/South Orange New Jersey Area Real Estate Professional! I assist both buyers and sellers in the Bedroom Communities of New York City, mostly served by NJ Transit’s Mid-Town Direct Train Lines, offering commutes of 45minute or less to NY Penn Station, with either the purchase and or sale of residential real estate.
As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent (ABR), I have received special training to guide and educate you through the entire home buying process. From start to finish, I listen to your needs and desires in what you would like and take the information you give me to find you home. My GO-TO team can provide you the best in Real Estate advice with regard to attorney choices, Home Inspectors and Mortgage Loan Officers
As your Maplewood/South Orange/Millburn/Short Hills/Essex/Union County New Jersey listing agent I am well versed on as your local expert in all things in the Maplewood and South Orange area Real Estate Market. You can expect personalized service that includes a detailed consultation on how to best position your Mid-Town Direct home to be competitive in today’s market with training to provide my clients with an in-depth Advanced Comparative Market analysis, and advice on staging. As my office’s technology officer as well as both a Zillow Platinum Premier and Trulia Premier agent, I use the latest and most up-to-date marketing methods to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible. Being your New Jersey Real Estate Agent and Realtor ® not only involves just finding the home or selling the home, but being your guide, negotiator, advisor and advocate and making sure that your needs and goals are met. Being your New Jersey Essex/Union County area Realtor® (with a little bit of Morris County thrown in for good measure) is one of my truest passions, and “Helping You Find Your Dream Home” is my number one priority.
Mark Slade
No comments:
Post a Comment