Submitted by Carol Goggi
The Mountainside Restoration Committee’s “Tour of Mountainside’s Gardens” is happening on Saturday, June 9. This Garden Tour is the third Biennial Tour of its kind and had been extremely popular in the past. The Committee has lined up six extraordinary private home gardens which will be decked out in late-spring splendor. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a special Garden Tour lunch planned at the Publick House restaurant which will open only for tour guests from noon to 4 p.m. Garden fans can start touring in the morning and lunch afterward, or lunch first and tour gardens in the afternoon in any order they wish or tour some gardens in the morning before lunch and others after lunch. A rain date of June 10 is planned.
One of the meticulously manicured gardens on the tour is a spectacular contemporary Southwest inspired garden. This garden reflects the homeowner’s love for contemporary style and he has collected these plants from within the United States, and beyond, based on their tolerance for Mountainside, New Jersey’s climate. The garden is designed to complement the clean lines of his contemporary home and features many exotic cactuses, eight species of yucca trees, monkey puzzle trees, and succulents. The backyard garden is truly a peaceful Southwest oasis.
Other garden yards on the tour are specifically themed and will feature uniquely decorated tablescapes, raffles, a boutique, special displays, and refreshments.
Advance tickets for Mountainside’s Garden Tour are $45 for Tour & Lunch or $30 for Tour Only and can be purchased online at mountainsidehistory.org; or at Christoffers Flower & Gift Shop located at 860 Mountain Avenue in Mountainside. Limited tickets will also be sold on the day of the tour at each Garden Tour location for $35 for tour and $15 for lunch. Garden locations will be made available to ticket holders.
Proceeds from the tour and lunch will be used by the Mountainside Restoration Committee for restoration and maintenance of the historic Hetfield and Levi Cory houses. The Mountainside Restoration Committee (aka, Mountainside Historic Committee) is a 501(c)(3) registered not-for-profit committee of volunteers whose purpose is to restore and maintain the Deacon Andrew Hetfield and Levi Cory Houses and collect and save historic information and items from destruction. For further information, please call (908)789-9420; or, go to: mountainsidehistory.org
(above) A section of a Contemporary Southwest-Style Garden featuring cactus, palm trees, and succulents; one of the six spectacular private gardens to be featured during the Tour of Mountainside’s Gardens.
