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The Peony Garden at NJ State Botanical Garden»
The Skylands section of Ringwood State Park in northern New Jersey consists of the historic Skylands Manor, Shepherd Lake and the New Jersey Botanical Garden. In 1966, the State of New Jersey purchased the estate to form its State Botanical Gardens.
The gardens are open to the public every day of the year and are on 96 acres in the Ramapo Mountains. They are maintained by the non-profit Skylands Association.
In the 1920s-50s, Skylands was owned by Clarence Lewis. Lewis was a wealthy investment banker who was also a trustee of the New York Botanical Garden. He collected plants and employed 60 gardeners to work his estate.
The Peony Garden is on the last tier of the manor’s terraced gardens with a memory bench at the far end that was originally intended as a vault for the family’s ashes. The sides of the garden are bordered with Tree Peonies. These Peonies are from China and are known as the King of Flowers because of their large size.
Ringwood Posts:
- Merry Xmas from Ringwood NHL
- Ringwood Manor NHL District
- Ringwood State Park: Skylands
- Jungle Habitat
- Long Pond Ironworks
- Victorian Xmas at Ringwood Manor
- NJBG: Lilac Garden
- NJBG: Perennial Garden
- Cupsaw Mountain Loop
- Shepherd Lake
- Skylands Manor
- NJBG: Peony Garden
- NJBG: Octagonal Garden (Coming Soon)
Location: 2 Morris Rd, Ringwood, NJ 07456
Designation: State Park
Date designated or established: 1966
Date of my visit: May 21, 2020