Pandemic Hobbies: Garden Collecting
Wearing Love Shack Fancy x Target dress (old), Freedom Moses sandals
Lately, I’ve been collecting garden visits. It’s like a hobby, some might say. Instead of collecting gems or shells, I’ve become obsessed with hunting down the prettiest public and private gardens around New Jersey. Thankfully there’s no shortage of these in New Jersey – we’re not called the Garden State for no reason. Some of the gardens include mansions and historic homes, while others are more modest, but what they all have in common is a spectacular array of flora and fauna – the kind to fuel all your cottagecore daydreams. Sometimes I gather the troops, other times I pick just one child to accompany me for a mommy and me garden escape date.
Just recently Atticus (and his beloved penguin) and I visited Peony’s Envy, a display garden and cut flower field that is the dreamy brainchild of Kathleen Gagan, linguist and international corporate communications consultant turned lady farmer. Besides the cut flower fields which can be found in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, Peony’s Envy also has a 7-acre manicured display garden in Bernardsville with an extensive collection of four types of peonies and over 700 different cultivars. But here at the English inspired flower fields, there are rows and rows deep of romantic peonies in the wild, waving at us in the breeze with abandoned joy, in gut-wrenchingly beautiful shades of pink, fuchsia, and white. These NJ peony fields have not been commercialized, so there were only two or three other wanderers admiring, and picking, these vibrant beauties. Never have I felt so carefree and content, and also, maybe a little like a heroine in a Jane Austen novel.
Over the last two months, we’ve visited a handful more beautiful gardens in New Jersey and many of you have requested to see a full roundup of these scenic spots. And since you all know I’ve surely taken more flower photos than I can count, I’ll be glad to deliver on that request here on the blog soon.
Do you enjoy visiting quiet gardens, or are you into more active outings?
p.s. Peonies have a relatively short blooming season, so make sure you catch these beauties by following along for bloom updates from Peony’s Envy on Instagram. $10 admission, $4 per stem.
