IN FALL FLOWER: This 6.5-acre spread of English-style beds, meadows, and an arboretum is among the gardens to be on view as part of the September 13 Princeton Garden Tour, a new collaboration between the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden. (Photo by Nancy Erickson)
By Anne Levin
In pre-COVID-19 days, the Historical Society of Princeton’s (HSP) annual fall house tour was a way for the organization to raise funds, and an opportunity for the public to get a look inside some of the town’s grandest homes. The popular event, which usually had a theme, went virtual during the pandemic.
It is back in person — with a partner and a different focus. The HSP is collaborating with Moven Museum & Garden on what is billed as the Princeton Garden Tour, being held Saturday, September 13, rain or shine, at seven private gardens around town. Participants begin at the HSP’s headquarters on Quaker Road and finish up at Morven on Stockton Street. The tour is self-guided, and the gardens can be visited in any order.
The offerings range from the lavish spread outside a 1912 Colonial Revival residence on Rosedale Road to a sustainable rain garden that serves as a living classroom at Johnson Park Elementary School. Beautiful roses and more are behind a house on Library Place. A historic garden at the National Historic Landmark Maybury Hill, a hidden gem of a garden on Morven Place, a “knot garden” on Pretty Brook Road, a spread of densely planted beds on Prospect Avenue, a garden designed by local landscape architect Holly Nelson at the Woodrow Wilson House, and a special bonus: the gardens at Drumthwacket, New Jersey’s official governor’s residence, are all part of the tour.
“The house tour has been such a success, and so popular. People are yearning for that sort of thing again,” said HSP Executive Director Elizabeth Monroe. “There is a real interest in all different kinds of gardening in Princeton. We thought we’d test the waters to see if people are looking for opportunities to see private gardens.”
The HSP reached out to Morven, known for its own historic and beautifully maintained garden, on a possible collaboration.
“They came to us a while back and invited us to the table,” said Morven Executive Director Rhonda DiMascio. “We thought, maybe we should try something different. It’s a new venture for us. We’ve never done anything like this before. And we have a garden that many people don’t know about. It’s a nice way for us to reach out to new audiences.”
The Johnson Park Elementary School rain garden is described in a press release as “a vibrant example of eco-friendly gardening in action.” Guests can park at the school and take a shuttle bus to nearby Rosedale House, which was designed over a century ago by the Philadelphia architecture firm McGoodwin and Hawley, and was originally part of a 57-acre estate.
“Since 2004, the current owners have expanded and revitalized the gardens — now spanning 6.5 acres — featuring English-style beds, meadows, and an arboretum, with original elements like the 1912 pergola and fountain still intact,” the release reads.
The gardens behind a 1905 Tudor Revival home on Library Place “unfold in quiet splendor: in front, a shade garden rests beneath an old beech while a walled English garden lies tucked behind. From the sidewalk, a reclaimed stone path draws visitors past Iris, Helleborus, Rhododendron, chrysanthemum, holly, and native wildflowers — colors for any season.”
Asked which garden she likes best, Monroe declined to play favorites. “I will say that I am really excited to see the way people are using native species,” she said. “But one garden, in particular, is at a heritage Princeton home that has been in sort of the public imagination. To be able to see the back yard, and what owner after owner has put together and lovingly tended, is really exciting.”
The tour, which is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs either $100 (including morning refreshments at HSP, a sustainable gardening discussion with Blue Sky Green Earth, and a cocktail hour at Morven) or $75 (choose either morning refreshments or the cocktail hour), benefits both organizations. Visit morven.org or princetonhistory.org for more information.
“It’s a lovely partnership,” said DiMascio. “People get to support the local nonprofits, and we get to, hopefully, expand our audience.”