Information
Landmark: Reeves-Reed ArboretumCity: Summit
Country: USA New Jersey
Continent: North America
Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit, USA New Jersey, North America
Overview
Tucked away at 165 Hobart Avenue in Summit, fresh Jersey, the Reeves-Reed Arboretum spans 13.5 acres of historic estate and blooming gardens, serving as the only arboretum in Union County, in conjunction with this nonprofit brings horticultural education, environmental care, and cultural enrichment to life, acting as a living museum where rows of blooming plants and thoughtful landscape design draw visitors into the beauty of nature and the region’s rich heritage, mildly The Reeves-Reed Arboretum sits on land with roots deep in history, reaching back to the Revolutionary War, when the Swain family worked these fields as part of their farm, what’s more the site rose to prominence in 1889, when John Hornor Wisner-a prosperous merchant in the China trade-bought the property and built a Colonial Revival home called “The Clearing.” He worked with Calvert Vaux, the famed landscape architect behind modern York City’s Central Park, to design its first gardens, where neat gravel paths wound through freshly planted trees.They combined naturalistic plantings with carefully designed garden layouts, weaving in specimen trees and walking paths that invite you to wander beneath their shade, also in the early 20th century, the estate changed hands more than once, landing with the Reeves and later the Reed family, who brought in famed landscape architects Ellen Biddle Shipman and Carl F, roughly To breathe recent life into the gardens, adding bursts of color and carefully shaped hedges, on top of that pilat stood at the edge of the hill, wind tugging at his coat.Interestingly, These additions echoed the Country location movement, a design approach that blended clipped garden “rooms” with the soft, shaded edges of surrounding woodland, furthermore in 1974, spurred by a grassroots push to save it, the City of Summit turned the vintage estate into a public arboretum, where visitors could stroll shaded paths and learn about conservation for generations to come.Spread across 13.5 acres, the arboretum blends formal and informal gardens with quiet woodlands and wild habitats, offering visitors a changing tapestry of sights, scents, and sounds through every season, and one of the standout features is Wisner House, a stately Colonial Revival mansion at the heart of the property, its white columns and broad porch serving as both a historic landmark and a gathering site for administration and events.The Gretchen Keller Azalea Garden, crafted by Shipman and Pilat, comes alive each May as about 850 azalea shrubs and 25 trees explode in vivid color, wrapping visitors in a lush, fragrant display, after that the Susie Graham Reeves Rose Garden, laid out in its classic “circle-in-a-square” design, holds nearly 300 rose bushes from more than 150 varieties, offering a vivid mix of colors and scents all season long.Wesson Nature Grove is a peaceful stretch of woodland with winding trails and a shimmering springtime pool, home to local wildlife and perfect for quietly watching the world go by, in addition lilac Garden bursts into bloom each spring, its many lilac varieties releasing a sweet scent that drifts through the warm air.Herb Garden: A mix of fragrant culinary and medicinal plants that draws visitors in, inviting them to explore how people have used rosemary, thyme, and other herbs for flavor and healing throughout history, furthermore woodland Trails wind through stands of native trees and thick shrubs, where visitors can pause beside the rustle of leaves and feel part of the local ecosystem.At Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Educational and Community Programs aim to spark environmental awareness and grow horticultural acknowledge-how through activities designed for all ages, in conjunction with for children as young as three, there are hands-on classes, lively camps, and seasonal events where they can dig in the soil, create, and discover the natural world.Field trips give schools and scout troops a chance to step outside the classroom-whether it’s testing water samples by a riverbank or exploring a forest trail-while offering hands‑on lessons that match science and environmental study goals, while at the arboretum, you can join gardening classes, wander on guided nature walks, stretch through yoga, breathe deeply during forest bathing, or get creative in art workshops-all designed to spark wellness and inspire learning that lasts a lifetime, slightly often From the vivid yellow blooms of Daffodil Day in spring to the crisp air of Celebrate Fall and the lively summer music series “Sounds of a Summer Night,” these signature events bring people together and invite visitors to enjoy the grounds for shared cultural experiences, while the arboretum opens its gates at first light and stays welcoming until dusk, inviting everyone in for free, though a modest donation-enough for a cup of coffee-helps keep its programs and gardens thriving.The site has a visitor center where you can pick up maps, ask questions, and find clean restrooms, furthermore the grounds are built to be easy for everyone to navigate, inviting people of any age or ability to wander among blooming gardens and quiet, shaded paths, fairly Truthfully, Reeves-Reed, the only arboretum in Union County, plays a vital role in protecting plant diversity and the local ecosystem-whether it’s the rustle of oak leaves in autumn or the scent of blooming lilacs in spring, in conjunction with you’ll find a mix of historic gardens and wild, native landscapes here-radiant to wander through and full of lessons in every leaf and stone.Tucked between rows of fresh houses, the arboretum keeps its stretch of green alive, helping biodiversity thrive, bolstering climate resilience, and giving the community a setting to breathe, alternatively because the institution stays committed to the community, cares for the land, and protects its history, the arboretum keeps thriving as a cultural landmark where autumn leaves crunch underfoot.Volunteers, members, and visitors are urged to pitch in-whether it’s planting a row of flowers or sweeping a path-to keep the grounds vibrant and welcoming for everyone now and in the years to come, on top of that reeves-Reed Arboretum blends rich history, vibrant gardens, and hands-on environmental learning, all beneath the shade of century-aged oaks.It began as a grand 19th-century estate shaped by renowned landscape architects, and today it’s a public garden and learning center where you can wander past classical stone walls and blooming paths for a truly layered experience, to boot in Summit, contemporary Jersey, the arboretum offers bursts of seasonal blooms, quiet walks beneath tall oaks, and engaging programs that bring its nature and history to life-making it a location the community can’t imagine losing.
Author: Tourist Landmarks
Date: 2025-10-05
