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James E. McGreevey |
William D. Watley |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523 |
NEW JERSEY BURSTS
WITH BLOOMS AT Trenton, N.J. ( May 2, 2003)—New Jersey, the Garden State, boasts some of the most beautiful and world-renowned gardens. This spring and summer, the New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism encourages visitors to explore the more than 40 major gardens throughout the state’s six distinctive tourism regions. “Starting in May, our state bursts into bloom,” says Nancy Byrne, executive director, New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism. “And, the blooms continue well into September and October. There are special garden shows, guided tours, workshops, plant sales and private gardens that open to the public at specific times through the National Garden Conservancy Program. Single-focus gardens are dedicated to irises, roses, greenhouse plants, herbs, trees and shrubs. There are also sensory gardens for the blind, sculpture gardens, historic gardens, environmental centers and pick-your-own vegetable gardens." Several New Jersey gardens should not be missed on any garden tour. A good place to get acquainted with most of the plants that grow in New Jersey is the State Botanical Gardens (973-962-9534) in Ringwood. Nine formal gardens, featuring statuary, are maintained according to their original design and include the Azalea Garden, the Lilac Garden, the Crab Apple Vista, the Magnolia Walk, the Annual Garden, the Perennial Border, the Peony Garden, the Rock Garden, and the Winter Garden. The Gardens also offer woodland paths. Entrance to the gardens is free. Duke Gardens (201-722-3700) in Somerville offers a stunning array of visual spectacles around eleven greenhouses, each a full-scale re-creation of a garden theme, country or period. Included are gardens representing English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian Indo-Persian, Colonial, Edwardian, American Desert and Tropical Jungle styles. Opened as an attraction for the public in 1964, the Gardens were founded in 1960 when Doris Duke donated eleven acres of her estate to the Gardens Foundation. Duke Gardens is open daily from 12 to 4 p.m. between October 1 and June 1. Advance reservations are required. The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens (973-783-5974) in Upper Montclair honors Frank H. Presby, one of America's leading horticulturists and the founder of the American Iris Society. The Presby Gardens feature a collection of six species with over 4,000 varieties of world-famous irises-some dating back as far as the 1500's. The Gardens also boast an unmatched array of well-known and rare irises. Because of its stunning visual and historical appeal, the "Iris Gardens" has been designated a National Historic Site. The 2003 Bloom Season runs May 16 - June 6. Peak bloom occurs around Memorial Day weekend. There is no admission fee. Well-Sweep Herb Farm (908-852-5390) in Port Murray is recognized as one of the premier herb farms in the United States. Touring the farm with its proprietor, Cyrus Hyde, makes for an enjoyable and highly educational experience for the whole family. Sprawled across a dazzling 120-acres, the farm offers an eye-popping collection of sights that will please all herbal newcomers eager to learn about the rich history of the herbs throughout the garden. The Well-Sweep Farm also offers classes, lectures, open houses and herb festivals. Contact the Well-Sweep Farm for hours, a mail order catalog or for more information on the site's attractions. Sayen Gardens (609-890-3543 or 609-890-3874) in Hamilton, Mercer County, is a breathtakingly beautiful attraction filled with azaleas and rhododendron brought from China, Japan and England by the late Fred Sayen. Most of the original garden areas are still intact, containing some 2,000 azaleas and 1,500 rhododendrons of hybrid and native species. Stroll along the Garden's pond to discover water lilies, birds and a wide variety of other wildlife. Covering more than 30-acres, Sayen Gardens is said to represent New Jersey's largest collection of bulbs, with 500,000 daffodils, tulips, snowdrops and many more. The Gardens are open daily from dusk till dawn and admission is free. Lambertus C. Bobbick Memorial Rose Garden in Lincroft (732-842-4000) is home to a wealth of beautiful roses. Keeping up with all of the different varieties may prove daunting, but viewing the dazzling array of colors is easy. Home to several All-American Rose Selection Award winners, tour the Garden, use the shaded gazebo to rest and take pictures, or simply sit back and admire all of the natural beauty before you. Admission is free to the Rose Garden, and it is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk. Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, Mercer County (609) 586-0616 encompasses a 35-acre sculpture park and museum with 2,000 trees in more than 100 species and cultivars, berms covered with thousands of pink, red, and white rosebushes, woodlands, marshes, and ponds. The park’s design includes regrading the flat terrain to provide gently rolling contours. Unusual conifers, blossoming crabapples and dogwoods, weeping beeches, and birches are among the hundreds of varieties of trees and shrubs that were planted. Various ecosystems, woodlands, marshes, and ponds were incorporated into the landscaped acres. Leaming's Run Gardens (609) 465 5871 in Swainton, Cape May County is the largest annual garden in the United States, with more than 30 acres of flowers, ferns, lawns and ponds. It has been featured in Architectural Digest and selected as one of the top twenty gardens in the East by Great Gardens of America. In August, hundreds of Hummingbirds are attracted to Leaming's Run by the colorful flowers. A number of special garden events, scheduled throughout spring and summer, may be found at the following website: http://calendar.gardenweb.com; http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays For a listing of more gardens in New Jersey, check the website at www.visitnj.org. For information and brochures on touring, dining, places to stay, maps and a complete vacation kit, contact the New Jersey Office of Travel & Tourism, at 800-VISITNJ (847-4865); or check the website at www.visitnj.org New Jersey’s six regions encompass less than 9,000 square miles, but are surprisingly diverse, combining the best of metropolitan sophistication with rural farmlands, rivers and mountains - all accessible within a few hours. Ocean beaches stretch 127 miles, from Cape May Point to Sandy Hook. Vast expanses of forever-green acres are exemplified in the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and 1.1-million-acre Pine Barrens Reserve. There are mountains for skiing and climbing; trails for hiking, towns for shopping and culture. While super highways, express buses, trains and ferries provide quick and direct access into New York City and Philadelphia, back roads wind through historic hamlets, farmlands and pristine forests. Along the way are botanic gardens, historic architecture, museums, sporting events, gaming casinos and kids' action parks. New Jersey is a vacation destination for the best days of your life!
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