Reeves-Reed
Arboretum
Summit, New
Jersey
May 2008
In 1889, John Hornor Wisner
created a country estate on this property and built the
colonial Revival residence, now the administrative center
known as Wisner House.
He hired Calvert Vaux, a
partner of Frederick Law Olmsted in the creation of Central
Park, to design an overall landscape plan.
In 1916, the property was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Reeves, who continued to develop the property. They built
the 1925 rose garden
with connecting rock-pool
garden
in the "garden room"
landscaping style, a popular style in country estates.
Italian stone masons were hired to install stone steps in
several areas.
In 1968, the Charles L. Reed
family acquired the property. They were the last private
owners, adding the patterned herb garden, opening woodland
trails and upholding the property's design heritage.
In 1974, local citizens,
including the Reed family, raised the funds needed to
preserve the estate as an arboretum and the City of Summit,
became the property owner.
Today the Reeves-Reed Arboretum has 5-1/2 acres of formal
gardens. and about 6 acres of woodland with trails.
Our first stop was the wildflower trail. This short
woodland walk leads you through an abundance of spring
flowers.
The wildflower trail also
takes you to the hosta collection.
Very few plants were in bloom
in the Rose Garden, but one was really spectacular, a shrub
rose labeled 'Canary Bird'.
A highlight when we visited
were the Lilacs. There is a large and diverse collection,
well-labeled, and well cared for.
Beyond the formal gardens are
woodlands and wetlands, which showcase native trees and
plants.
The Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a beautiful country estate and
there's a lot to like about it. They have excellent, small
collections of lilacs, hostas and roses. Plants are
generally well-labeled and everything is well-maintained.
I'd love to see them add interpretive signage or brochures
about their major collections - why they have them and why
they're special are questions visitors would like answered.
The property is listed on the National Register and the New
Jersey Register of Historic Places.
Click here to see more photos of Reeves-Reed
Arboretum.
Click here to visit the official website of
Reeves-Reed Arboretum.