Events & Programs at the Arboretum

Click here to get printable registration forms: - Winter '10

Mon Mar 1
and Mondays Mar 8, Mar 15 and Mar 22
9:30a - 10:30a

Tai Chi with Brian Coffey

Instructor Brian Coffey has been practicing Chinese Medicine and Tai Chi in Central New Jersey for more than a decade.

He is a graduate of the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a licensed Massage Therapist specializing in Clinical Qi Gong.

People throughout the world appreciate the practice of Tai Chi as a means of building strength and familiarity with the body's remarkable capacity for movement. The slow, graceful movement of Tai Chi is a favored recreation for people of all ages and abilities. It is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-do and safe recreation which builds awareness of the connection between body, mind and spirit. What better place to practice this artful activity than on the beautiful grounds of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

Please register by February 15th.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Members $40; non-members $50.

Tue Mar 16
10:30a - 2:00p

Ladies Choice

Admit it - the surfeit of gardening catalogues arriving daily is overwhelming! How to select plants that work and reflect your personality? Horticulture professionals share their top picks in categories like "My BFF- Best Foliage Friend)", "Scents to Render One Senseless, and "My Kind of Red." More than a shortcut to great plants, this program offers insight into the reflective process that results in great gardens.

Three great speakers:

  • Designer Susan Cohan, APLD, specializes in the creation of beautifully crafted outdoor spaces for gracious living.
  • Nurserywoman Heidi Hesselein is a fourth generation nurserywoman.
  • Garden Writer Valerie Sudol was staff garden writer for The Star-Ledger for more than a decade.

Please bring a bag lunch. Dessert and beverage will be provided.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$30 Members; $35 Non-members

Thu Mar 25
10:00a

It Starts with The Soil

Mark Zukovich, Associate Professor at County College of Morris and President of Sterling Horticultural Services in Morristown will be giving a talk on soils. In this class he will discuss the basics of soil composition, what your plants need in order to grow well and the fundamentals of fertilizers. Rutgers soil test kits will be on hand for sale.

Please register by March 11th.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$10 members; $15 non-members

Sun Mar 28
1:00p - 3:00p

What's Cooking, with Chef & Master Gardener Cynthia Triolo

Chef and Master Gardener Cynthia Triolo has cooked and baked at many New Jersey restaurants and has been teaching children and adults the joys of food for just about two decades. A wide range of topics will be covered but the focus of Cynthia's Cooking Series will be on seasonal, locally-grown food. Recipes will be given as well as a tasting of each of the items made in class.

Sunday, March 28 Pate au choux Éclairs, profiteroles, gougere, paris-brest...these are all the things we will demonstrate how to make using one simple dough. Samples and recipes accompany each class.

Register by March 14

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$15 members / $20 non-members

Thu Apr 1
10:30a - Noon

Growing Small Fruits

Grow strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and other small fruit in your own backyard! Peter Nitzsche, Morris County's Agricultural Extension Agent and our resident tomato and small fruit expert will show you how. Learn which varieties grow best in our area, how to plant and maintain them and proper layout practices so you will enjoy the "fruits" of your labors for years to come.

Register ASAP!

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$10 members; $15 non-members

Thu Apr 1
7:30p

Frelinghuysen Arboretum Gesneriad Society Annual Propagation Workshop

Annual propagation workshop using seeds, leaves and cuttings.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Thu Apr 1
through Apr 30

In Our Gallery: East Asian Brush Painting Exhibit

The Sumi-e Society of America, New Jersey Chapter, exhibits nature related brush paintings and calligraphy. East Asian brush painting consists of many styles of painting which originated in China centuries ago and spread throughout Japan and Korea. Sumi-e Society member artists use a variety of styles, from representational to abstract and from purely oriental to a combination of Western and East Asian.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free.

Wed Apr 7
1:00p - 3:00p

The 11th Annual Blackburn Scholarship Tea

This year's presenters are acclaimed floral designers Debbie Budd and Mary Ryan from The Rose and Radish in Whitehouse Station. Debbie and Mary bring their extensive art backgrounds to their work of creating signature pieces with a European feel. Their floral designs have been fea- tured at Mansions in May, The Ryland Inn, The Pluckemin Inn and the Bernards Inn along with a plethora of private parties and corporate functions. Please join us to greet spring with this charming and entertaining afternoon program followed by a fabulous tea of finger sandwiches, punch and dessert.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Benjamin C. Blackburn Scholarship awarded annually by The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

Click on the image on the left for more information. Please register as soon as possible.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$55 members, $60 non-members

Fri Apr 9
7:00p

New Jersey State Chrysanthemum Society Monthly meeting and discussion

Monthly meeting and discussion of how to grow spray blooms for exhibition at mum shows.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: NJCS

Free.

Sat Apr 10
1:30p - 4:30p
and Sun Apr 11
11:00a - 3:30p

African Violet Club of Morris County 14th Annual Show and Plant Sale

The theme of this years' show is "Violets Play Games" and features a collection of African Violets and related plants as single specimens and incorporated into fabulous displays. Plants and growing materials will be on sale and experts on hand to answer your questions.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: AVC

Free.

Sat Apr 10
and Saturdays through June 26

Branching Out - Spring Session

children"Branching Out!" is the hands-on horticulture and gardening program for young people ages 5 to 13. Beginning on Saturdays in April through June, each gardener will begin working in their own garden, planting, tending and harvesting, as well as taking part in many other gardening, plant and nature related activities. Those who continue on into the summer session (July and August) will garden twice weekly throughout the summer while learning about plants from garden to table through cooking, crafts and other activities.

"Branching Out!" sessions are divided by age to insure that every young gardener has a fun and educational experience. Gardeners may register for one or both sessions:

  • Spring - Saturdays, April 10 through June 26
  • Summer - Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 6 through August 19

For more information and a registration form, click the image on the left or call 973-631-5004.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

See registration form.

Sun Apr 11
2:00p - 4:00p

New Jersey Mycological Association

This meeting will be held at Willowwood Arboretum with guest speaker Dr. Tom Volk, Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and the creator of the website tomvolkfungi.net.

Location: Willowwood Arboretum

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Tue Apr 13
10:00a - 12N

Pruning Roses with Paul

Pruning your roses properly can make all the difference in the number of blooms and the overall vitality of the plant. Who wants a bunch of thorns? Learn some rose genealogy from Superintendent Lesley Parness and then learn how to prune your rose bush properly with Plantsman Paul Ippolito.

Register by April 1

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$10 members / $12 non-members

Wed Apr 14
7:30p

African Violet Club of Morris County

The basics of growing African Violets

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: AVC

Free.

Fri Apr 16
1:00p - 4:30p
Sat 4/17 & Sun 4/18
10:00a - 4:30p

North Jersey Orchid Society Show -- Orchids in Wonderland

The North Jersey Orchid Society's 45th annual show. Come see exhibits filled with great orchids in bloom. Orchids will also be available for purchase from some of the area's premier professional growers. For more information, go to www.njorchids.org or contact Ron Midgett at 973-570-3930.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Sun Apr 18
2:00p - 2:30p

Peak Bloom Bliss Walk at Willowwood

Daffodils in the dozens, Flowering Cherries by the score, Magnolia blossoms to drown in -- this is the week when Spring announces itself at Willowwood Arboretum. Enjoy a leisurely stroll around the grounds with Manager of Horticulture, John Morse. Bring your camera, wear comfortable walking shoes and prepare to be overwhelmed by the beauty of Nature once again.

Register by April 5

Location: Willowwood Arboretum

Sponsor: Friends

$10 members / $15 non-members

Mon Apr 19
10:30a - Noon

Sensational Succulents with Ray Rogers

Endlessly fascinating in their range of color and form, cacti and other succulents satisfy beginning gardeners with their easy?going nature and inspire seasoned gardeners to grown them into sculptural works of art. Learn the basics as well as the finer points that will enable you to produce your own masterpieces with author, lecturer and Plantsman extraordinaire Ray Rogers.

Register by April 5th.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$15 members / $20 non-members

Mon Apr 19
and Mondays 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 6/7 and 6/14
9:30a - 10:30a

Tai Chi in the Moment

Instructor Brian Coffey has been teaching at the arboretum for many years. He is a graduate of the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is trained in Qi Gong as well as Tai Chi. Awesome setting, awesome instructor -- take this class, you'll feel better! This is a class with 8 Monday sessions.

Register by April 5

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$70 member per session $80 non-member per session

Fri Apr 23
2:00p - 4:00p
and Sat 4/24 - 10:00a - 3:00p

34th Annual New Jersey Daffodil Show and American Daffodil Society Northeast Regional Show

Enjoy familiar trumpet daffodils, fragrant jonquillas, lush double daffodils, and more, and discover the intriguing diversity among the miniature and historic selections. The show also includes cut and potted specimens of trees, shrubs, and other plants that bloom along with daffodils. For more information contact Ray Rogers at (732) 249-9282 or ayro@optonline.net.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: NJDS

Free.

Sat Apr 24
1:00p - 3:00p

Arbor Day Walk

Join John Morse, Manager of Horticulture, for a Curator's Tour of spring flowering trees and shrubs on the grounds of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Some of the highlights in the collection include Magnolias, Japanese Cherries and Crabapples. Following the tour, there will be a tree planting demonstration and each family will receive a tree seedling to take home and plant.

Please call 973-326-7603 to register for this program.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free

Sun Apr 25
12N - 4:00p

Garden Art Swap and Lecture

Everyone has some kind of unwanted decorative garden object and the Garden Art Swap is the place for them. Objects can include decorative containers, pottery, garden signs, statues, etc. And yes, pink flamingoes but nothing over 40 pounds, please!

Swap items will be accepted from Noon - 1 pm at which time you will be given Trading Points.

At 1 pm, Pegi Ballister-Howells, author of "New Jersey Gardening Guide" and "Month by Month Gardens in New Jersey" and radio host of WCTC-AM's "The Garden Show", will give a talk on "Four Seasons of Color".

From 2 pm - 4 pm you can exchange your Trading Points for others' gently used treasures.Register by April 11

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$3

Fri Apr 30
4:00p - 7:00p

Friends Annual Plant Sale Members-only Party & Sale

Save the date for the Members-Only Party & Sale for the best plant sale of the year.

Click on the logo on the right to go to the Plant Sale Page for more details.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Admission details to be announced.

Sat May 1
9:00a - 3:00p

Friends Annual Plant Sale - the Main Event

Save the date for the Friends Annual Plant Sale, the best plant sale of the year.

Click on the logo on the right to go to the Plant Sale Page.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free.

Sat May 1
through May 31

In Our Gallery: The HUB Camera Club Photography Exhibit

The HUB Camera Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 and is dedicated to promoting photography as an enjoyable recreational endeavor for all skill levels, beginner to advanced. Through competitions, critiques, talks, and demonstrations, members learn to improve both technical and artistic image making skills. Please visit our website at www.hubcameraclub.org for our schedule of events and the location of our meetings.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free.

Thu May 6
7:30p

Frelinghuysen Arboretum Gesneriad Society

Quentin Schlieder, former head of the Morris County Park Commission, will present his program on 'Smithiantha', a rhizomatous genus of the Gesneriad family. He will discuss growing requirements as well as propagation methods.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Wed May 12
7:30p

African Violet Club of Morris County 2009 AVSA Convention

A slide program of the convention in Reno, Nevada will be shown.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: AVC

Free.

Wed May 12
8:00a - 8:30p

Bus trip to Ladew Topiary Gardens.

The place you've always wanted to visit, but didn't want to drive to!

Join The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum on the road to Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Maryland. Ladew is well known for its topiary and flower gardens. Upon arriving, enjoy a catered luncheon, then a guided tour of Henry Ladew's gardens and Manor House featuring his extensive collection of decorative arts. There will be a rest stop in the morning, and a dinner stop (at your expense and with numerous choices) on the way home. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear.

Register by April 28

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$125 members / $135 non-members

Mon May 17
7:00p - 8:30p

Backyard Composting

Turn those kitchen scraps into gold for your garden and go green in the process. Join Virginia Lamb, environmental educator and former recycling coordinator for Monmouth County and learn simple, effective ways to turn organic waste into compost. Reduce waste in our landfills, create a great garden resource and help slow global warming just by using these simple and effective techniques.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$10 members / $15 non-members

Wed May 26
1:00p - 3:00p

Solving Slopes

Everything about gardening on a slope -- access, erosion control, planting and maintenance -- is a challenge. But tilted sites offer drama and gardening opportunities that flat land can't match. Connecticut based garden writer, lecturer and photographer, Karen Bussolini shares the solutions she has worked out over 20 years of gardening on a breakneck mountainside and shows how other gardeners' building and planting schemes turned unruly slopes into satisfying gardens. Inspiring and instructive examples by both landscape professionals and home gardeners highlight strategies that homeowners can do themselves.

Register by May 12

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$20 members / $25 non-members

Tue Jun 1
through June 30

In Our Gallery: Nature's Point of View Photography Exhibit

Local artists Arthur Lee and Jordan Basem, exhibit their nature inspired photographs. Mr. Lee has received 2 first Place Medal awards from the NJ Federation of Camera Clubs in addition to several merit and honorable mention awards.

Mr. Basem has a special love of flower photography and has participated in many exhibitions. His photographs have appeared in many NJ newspapers.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free.

Sat Jun 5
10:00a - 3:00p

Great Swamp Bonsai Society Open House

See a fabulous collection of plants trained and groomed in traditional Bonsai style. Programs are offered throughout the day so you may learn how to create and care for your own Bonsai plant. Tools and materials will be on sale and Bonsai experts on hand to answer your questions.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: GSBS

Free.

Sun Jun 6

A Day in the Country -- Bus Trip

Be a part of a very limited number of guests as we head to Sussex County's back roads in the Great Limestone Valley. Here, glacial topography creates great views and a variety of enchanting and dramatic garden sites. We'll visit three gardens: a garden on an island in the middle of the Paulinskill, a hillside garden of many rooms overlooking a glacial lake, and a "gentleman's farm" with borders of boisterous blossoms and friendly critters. Wear shoes suitable for walking on slopes and other natural elements of uneven terrain.

The Garden of Ken Druse and Louis Bauer

The Paulinskill encircles this 2.6- acre island property, while a small canal slices through it. About 1.3 acres of gardens are composed of a U-shaped gravel garden, a streamside garden next to an arched stone bridge, and a woodland garden with two beds: one filled with Sussex County wildflowers and the other with analogous species from Asia.

In this mostly shady garden, the gravel garden close to the house is the sunniest spot where Mr. Druse plants a lot of different things that he likes, "design be darned." With a curved wall of stone slabs and a straight side as long as the house, this garden is packed with flowers, cacti, and plants with interesting foliage. Specimen trees and shrubs make for grandeur on this unusual topography. Ken will be selling his books and plants propagated from his garden.

The Garden of Marty Carson

On a limestone ridge tucked in the valley, 30 acres of elaborate English- style gardens surround an early 1900s house mod- ernized in the '80s. Only plants adapted to alkaline soil grow here. A Mark Ward greenhouse made from parts of New England estate greenhouses holds orchids and tropicals.

This hillside property contains many "rooms," often hidden from immediate view: gardens by color, a vegetable garden, pool garden with potted tropicals, courtyard garden, an up close waterfall above a ruins garden, cottage garden, "lady pond" with water lilies, sculpture and surprise elements, shale outcrop with Juniperus procumbens 'Nana,' and a miniature Stonehenge next to a monarda garden. A dramatic slope garden with a four-foot high ground cover of Sargent's crabapple leads to a glacial pond and a 60-foot waterfall.

The Garden of Susan Knutsen -- Whitehall Farm

This historic property on Main Street, Stillwater, showcases a house constructed over three centuries on 30 acres of bucolic landscape. Once the abode of the owner of the grist mill across the street (now a National Historic Landmark), the house now stands serenely among three acres of gardens, designed and created by the owner.

Meet a friendly menagerie of four alpacas, Red Golden pheasants, Guinea hens, chickens, three Scottish Highlander cattle, four goats, a pair of Mandarin ducks, geese, honeybees, cats, and three dogs -- all pets -- waiting for your attention. Between critters, relish beds bursting with perennials, wild flowers, herbs, shrubs and ancient apple trees. Enjoy knot, herb, cottage and veggie gardens, and mixed borders splashing color across embankments above a spring-fed pond.


Bus #1 will depart promptly at 8:30 am and return to the arboretum at approximately 5:45 pm. Bus #2 will depart promptly at 10:15 am and will return to the arboretum at approximately 7:30 pm. A delicious lunch, catered by Zagat-rated Krave Caterers of Newton will be served at the garden of Marty Carson.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. We will make every effort to accommodate your time preference. Your confirmation will include your bus number.

Call 973-326-7603 to register

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$85 members / $95 non-members

Sun Jun 6
12:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Alpine Trough Day

Troughs are containers for plants, usually fairly large or deep. Alpine plants need to have good drainage in winter and to be able to sink deep roots to sustain them through droughts in the summer. A trough is a way of creating just the right conditions for alpine plants and succulents.

The Watnong chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society will present "Trough Day" on June 6. There will be a display of member's troughs with explanations of the plant material and soil types used. There will be a sale of plants, with emphasis on small rock garden plants suitable for troughs.

At 1:00 pm, author, Judy Glattstein, current president of the club, will present a slide show on troughs.

Then at 2:00 pm, there will be a demonstration of trough planting, and discussion about watering and fertilization.

At 3:00 pm, Mike Wilson will talk about the giant alpine trough just outside the Haggerty Education Center.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: NARG

Free.

Sat Jun 12
12N - 4:00p

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center Open House

The Morris County Park Commission is proud to announce the completion of the water features phase of the historic garden restoration at Bamboo Brook. Bamboo Brook was the home of Martha Brookes Hutcheson, one of the first female landscape architects trained in the United States and author of the influ- ential landscape text -- "The Spirit of the Garden."

To celebrate, the Morris County Park Commission welcomes the public to an open house featuring tours to showcase the history of the gardens that Ms. Hutcheson created right here in Morris County and the extensive construction process that was undertaken to restore these gardens to their former glory.

Register by June 1

Cost: FREE, please call 973-326-7600 to register or for more information.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Sat Jun 19
10:00a

Tri-State African Violet Council

Tri-State African Violet Council

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Other

Free.

Sun Jun 27
1:00p - 3:00p

Cooking Series - Give Peas a Chance

Our cooking classes are conducted by Cynthia Triolo, chef and Master Gardener. Cynthia has cooked and baked at many New Jersey restaurants, including her own, and has been teaching children and adults the joys of food for just about two decades. A wide range of topics will be covered, but the focus of Cynthia's cooking series will be on seasonal, locally grown food. Samples and recipes accompany each class.

Sweet, sugar snaps, snow and split. Peas are at their peak in June in New Jersey. Take this opportunity to sample the different varieties grown by local farmers in four inspired recipes guaranteed to move you beyond the tried and true.

Register by June 13

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

$15 members / $20 non-members

Tue Jul 6
and Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs through Aug 19

Branching Out!

children"Branching Out!" is the hands-on horticulture and gardening program for young people ages 5 to 13. Beginning on Saturdays in April through June, each gardener will begin working in their own garden, planting, tending and harvesting, as well as taking part in many other gardening, plant and nature related activities. Those who continue on into the summer session (July and August) will garden twice weekly throughout the summer while learning about plants from garden to table through cooking, crafts and other activities.

"Branching Out!" sessions are divided by age to insure that every young gardener has a fun and educational experience. Gardeners may register for one or both sessions:

  • Spring - Saturdays, April 10 through June 26
  • Summer - Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 6 through August 19

For more information and a registration form, click the image on the left or call 973-631-5004.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

See registration form.

Sun Jul 25

Save the Date Sunday, July 25 -- Fairy Day

It's move-in day for the Frelinghuysen Fairies.

July 25 marks the 4th annual Fairy Day at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum and building sites are at a premium. There is no real-estate bubble for Fairy House construction sites so mark your calendars and act quickly when spaces become available. Reservations for Fairy Day will begin June 21 and building lots sell out quickly.

Location: Haggerty Center.

Sponsor: Friends

Free.

   
 

Please note that bus trips are open to all. Please see Bus Excursion rules and general information for more details.



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