Events

Who doesn’t love basil? Join the Friends as they host a basil tasting and pesto making demonstration.

The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Morris County are running a trial at several community gardens in our area of eight varieties of Genovese-style (pesto type) basil that have been bred to resist a devastating disease called Basil Downy Mildew. Vote for your favorite variety, see a pesto making demonstration and watch a 30-minute award-winning documentaty called Fields of Devotion about the Rutgers basil breeding program.

Questions: email mennist@arboretumfriends.net or lbencivengo@arboretumfriends.net

This program is eligible for 1.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU.

Please join the Friends on a bus trip to Chanticleer, a 35-acre Pleasure Garden in Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley, which has been touted as one of the most beautiful public gardens in the United States. Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear; you might consider bringing a reusable water bottle, insect repellent, rain gear, and, of course, a camera! The tour will take place rain or shine.

We’ll depart the Arboretum at 10:00 AM sharp and plan to arrive at Chanticleer around noon in time for lunch. We’ll leave Chanticleer for the trip home at 5:00 PM.

There is no restaurant on the premises, so please bring your own lunch and make sure it’s easily carried as there is no provision for storing lunch bags. Please note that Chanticleer follows a strict carry-in, carry-out policy and no trash receptacles are provided. You are welcome to picnic in any of the garden’s four designated picnic areas.

Restrooms, water fountains, and water bottle refill stations are available throughout the garden. There is a small gift shop featuring books, postcards, magnets, etc.

At 1:30, following lunch, we’ll be broken up into smaller groups of 10-12 with each group assigned a guide to lead us on a 90-minute tour of Chanticleer’s distinct yet unified garden areas, each designed by a horticulturist. The first floor of the Rosengarten estate’s main house is also part of the tour. At Chanticleer, the gardeners lead the design and create ever-evolving displays rich in texture, form, and color. The gardens include, but are not limited to, the Teacup Garden, Bell’s Woodland, a Ruin Garden, a Gravel Garden, the Pond Garden, Minder Woods and more!

Please keep in mind that this is a walking tour, approximately 1-1/2 miles long over varied garden terrain, including turf, gravel, stone paths, uneven surfaces, occasional inclines and some stairs. Click here for the Chanticleer link: https://chanticleergarden.org/garden/#garden-overview

No refunds after September 11, 2026

For questions email: mennist@arboretumfriends.net