Duke Gardens
Encyclopedia
Duke Gardens in Somerset County
, New Jersey
were among the most significant glass house collections in America. Created by Doris Duke
herself, the aerial view http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.548211&lon=-74.627423&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/121142/Duke-Gardens confirms they were larger than the New York Botanical Garden
's Haupt Conservatory, and were open to the public from 1964 until they were closed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation http://www.ddcf.org as of May 25, 2008. All plants, trees and shrubs will be removed.
estate built by James Buchanan Duke
, founder of the American Tobacco Company
and benefactor of Duke University
. Duke Farms is located on U.S. Route 206
, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) south of the Somerville Circle
, in Hillsborough
in Somerset County
, New Jersey
. The Gardens were designed and installed by Doris Duke
herself, therefore several alternative names are used: The Doris Duke Indoor Display Gardens at Duke Farms, Duke Farms Indoor Display Gardens, The Doris Duke International Display Gardens, The Duke Gardens Foundation. Officially, the Gardens were The Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc, a 501(c)(3) Private Operating Foundation established 1960.
Miss Duke developed these exotic display gardens in honor of her beloved father James Buchanan Duke
, Inspired by DuPont's Longwood Gardens
, each of the eleven Duke Display Gardens is a full-scale re-creation of a garden theme, country or period. Display construction began in 1958. Miss Duke both designed the displays and labored on their installation, sometimes working 16 hour days. In 1960 she donated 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of her estate, including the greenhouses, to the Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc http://www.state.nj.us/travel/2003_releases/p2003-0502a.htm.
The Duke Farms website stated that "Doris Duke had long been personally involved in the construction, repair and remodeling of her properties, and she was directly involved in the physical design of the Indoor Display Gardens. Although she lacked specific botanical knowledge, she had a clear vision of the spaces and features she wanted to create. According to the New York Post, she designed all but one of the gardens, incorporating her interests in color, design and fragrance."http://web.archive.org/web/20040722102235/http://www.dukefarms.org/page.asp?pageId=282 (Following the closure, this text is no longer present on the website http://www.dukefarms.org/page.asp?pageId=282).
Doris Duke continued her involvement with her gardens throughout her life, bringing designers with her to modify them during the summer season when they were closed to tourists. In the 1970s she added extensive night-lighting, and introduced public tours of the gardens at night. A rediscovered image of the stunning nightlighting of the French Gardens http://www.flickr.com/photos/femme_makita/2513492712/ was used as one centerpiece of social protest against the closure.
and constructed 1909-17. The other three sides were formed by greenhouses in styles that are still manufactured. The greenhouse over the English Garden was installed in the 1990s.
Duke Gardens were visited in the following sequence:
Although the Duke Farms website states that "The Indoor Display Gardens reveal the interests and philanthropic aspirations of Doris Duke
, as well as an appreciation for other cultures and a yearning for global understanding", representatives of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) more recently stated that the Gardens are "perpetuating the Duke family history of personal passions and conspicuous consumption."
"The jewel-like gardens will remain open until May 25, after which they will be dismantled. According to DDCF sources, the day of the display gardens is past. They consume an inordinate share of financial and staff resources, they would require a very expensive modernization, and they no longer reflect the vision of Duke Farm’s future. A video record has been made for archival purposes."
The current garden tours are closing partly to use the building as a staging area for plants, while the other conservatory building is emptied and renovated, officials said. As for the plants there, [Executive Director Tim] Taylor said some may be used in the new gardens, though the concept will be different. "It will not be replicated in terms of the gardens of the nations. We'll put a different spin on them, and come up with a logical connecting story of native horticulture to exotic horticulture," he said. Leftover plants will be donated to other botanical and display gardens, Taylor said. "We're not destroying anything."
In April 2008, opposition to the closure and dismantling of the Display Gardens started to emerge. Open letters appeared in the local press. A website, www.SaveDukeGardens.org http://www.savedukegardens.org was established, allowing protest emails to the Trustees. A usergroup to display images of the Gardens, "Save Duke Gardens" was formed on the photography web service flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/nosha/2433029770/. The ongoing web campaign has received local and metropolitan coverage, and resulted in hundreds of letters to the eleven DDCF Trustees http://www.ddcf.org behind the decision: Joan E. Spero, (President), Nannerl O. Keohane
(Chair), John J. Mack
(Vice Chair), Harry Demopoulos
, Anthony Fauci
, James F. Gill, Anne Hawley
, Peter A. Nadosy, William H. Schlesinger, John H.T. Wilson and John E. Zuccotti.
Following the closure of Duke Gardens on May 25, 2008, the website www.SaveDukeGardens.org http://www.savedukegardens.org initiated a campaign asking New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
to discuss New Jersey's interest in the matter with the eleven Trustees http://www.ddcf.org behind the decision to terminate Duke Gardens.
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
were among the most significant glass house collections in America. Created by Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
herself, the aerial view http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.548211&lon=-74.627423&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/121142/Duke-Gardens confirms they were larger than the New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
's Haupt Conservatory, and were open to the public from 1964 until they were closed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation http://www.ddcf.org as of May 25, 2008. All plants, trees and shrubs will be removed.
History
Duke Gardens were part of the 2700 acres (10.9 km²) Duke FarmsDuke Farms
Duke Farms is an estate that was established by James Buchanan Duke, an American entrepreneur who founded Duke Power and the American Tobacco Company. It is located in Hillsborough, New Jersey.-History:...
estate built by James Buchanan Duke
James Buchanan Duke
James Buchanan Duke was a U.S. tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for his involvement with Duke University.-Personal life:...
, founder of the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
and benefactor of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Duke Farms is located on U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 is a long north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delaware River into New Jersey, where it is the remainder of the route...
, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) south of the Somerville Circle
Somerville Circle
The Somerville Circle is a traffic circle located on the border of Bridgewater Township and Raritan, New Jersey, United States. The circle is at the intersection of U.S. Routes 202 and 206, and New Jersey Route 28...
, in Hillsborough
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,303....
in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The Gardens were designed and installed by Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
herself, therefore several alternative names are used: The Doris Duke Indoor Display Gardens at Duke Farms, Duke Farms Indoor Display Gardens, The Doris Duke International Display Gardens, The Duke Gardens Foundation. Officially, the Gardens were The Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc, a 501(c)(3) Private Operating Foundation established 1960.
Miss Duke developed these exotic display gardens in honor of her beloved father James Buchanan Duke
James Buchanan Duke
James Buchanan Duke was a U.S. tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for his involvement with Duke University.-Personal life:...
, Inspired by DuPont's Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley...
, each of the eleven Duke Display Gardens is a full-scale re-creation of a garden theme, country or period. Display construction began in 1958. Miss Duke both designed the displays and labored on their installation, sometimes working 16 hour days. In 1960 she donated 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of her estate, including the greenhouses, to the Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc http://www.state.nj.us/travel/2003_releases/p2003-0502a.htm.
The Duke Farms website stated that "Doris Duke had long been personally involved in the construction, repair and remodeling of her properties, and she was directly involved in the physical design of the Indoor Display Gardens. Although she lacked specific botanical knowledge, she had a clear vision of the spaces and features she wanted to create. According to the New York Post, she designed all but one of the gardens, incorporating her interests in color, design and fragrance."http://web.archive.org/web/20040722102235/http://www.dukefarms.org/page.asp?pageId=282 (Following the closure, this text is no longer present on the website http://www.dukefarms.org/page.asp?pageId=282).
Doris Duke continued her involvement with her gardens throughout her life, bringing designers with her to modify them during the summer season when they were closed to tourists. In the 1970s she added extensive night-lighting, and introduced public tours of the gardens at night. A rediscovered image of the stunning nightlighting of the French Gardens http://www.flickr.com/photos/femme_makita/2513492712/ was used as one centerpiece of social protest against the closure.
Description of Gardens
Duke Gardens formed four sides of a quadrangle, and took at least one hour to view. The entry fell on the side formed by a Conservatory designed by Horace TrumbauerHorace Trumbauer
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University...
and constructed 1909-17. The other three sides were formed by greenhouses in styles that are still manufactured. The greenhouse over the English Garden was installed in the 1990s.
Duke Gardens were visited in the following sequence:
- Central entry into an Italian courtyard - statues amid lush plantings in the Romantic style, including a replica of Antonio CanovaAntonio CanovaAntonio Canova was an Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice who became famous for his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh...
's sculpture The Three Graces. - Colonial Garden - representing gardens of the South Atlantic United States, with camelliaCamelliaCamellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s, azaleaAzaleaAzaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s, magnoliaMagnoliaMagnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
, and crepe myrtle. - Georgian Garden (Fern and Orchid House) - fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s and orchids - French Parterre - flowers planted in a geometric parterreParterreA parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/femme_makita/2513492712/. - English Gardens - five miniature gardens, including a topiaryTopiaryTopiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, perhaps geometric or fanciful; and the term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. It can be...
; a rock gardenRock GardenThe Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
and herbaceous borders; an Elizabethan knot gardenKnot gardenA knot garden is a garden of very formal design in a square frame, consisting of a variety of aromatic plants and culinary herbs including germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina...
of the 16th and 17th centuries; and an 18th century succulent garden. - American Desert - cactiCactusA cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
and succulents, including barrel cactusBarrel cactusBarrel cacti are classified into the two genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus, both of which are found in the Southwest Desert of North America. Their pineapple-shaped fruits can be easily removed but are not recommended for eating. The barrel cactus may reach over a metre in height. Its ribs are...
, giant aloeAloeAloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
, and crown of thorns, with desert apple, aloe veraAloe veraAloe vera, pronounced , also known as the true aloe or medicinal aloe, is a species of succulent plant in the genus Aloe that is believed to have originated in the Sudan. Aloe vera grows in arid climates and is widely distributed in Africa, India, Nepal and other arid areas.The species is...
, mother-in-law's tongue, etc. - Chinese Garden - koiKoior more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
stream and rock formations, with bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, camphor treeCamphor LaurelCinnamomum camphora is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20–30 metres tall. The leaves have a glossy, waxy appearance and smell of camphor when crushed. In spring it produces bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers...
s, bleeding heartBleeding heartA bleeding heart is an informal label applied to someone regarded as excessively sympathetic, liberal in a political sense, or both. It is typically considered a derogatory remark...
, hybrid tulipTulipThe tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s, and jasmineJasmineJasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...
. - Japanese Garden - tea house with bonsaiBonsaiis a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
trees, red mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s, etc. - Indo-Persian Garden - water course, fountains, and carved marble screens, with orange trees, Mediterranean cyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, and a Persian roseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
garden. - Tropical Garden - tropical trees and vines.
- Semi-Tropical Garden - papyrusPapyrusPapyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
, fiddlehead fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, Bird of Paradise, etc.
Closure and removal of Duke Gardens
In March 2008 Duke Farms announced "an expansive and bold new vision for the 2740 acres (11.1 km²) property, in which it will refocus its programs and operations to become an environmental showcase and learning center. The first major change will be the conclusion in May 2008 of tours of the 11 indoor display gardens".Although the Duke Farms website states that "The Indoor Display Gardens reveal the interests and philanthropic aspirations of Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
, as well as an appreciation for other cultures and a yearning for global understanding", representatives of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) more recently stated that the Gardens are "perpetuating the Duke family history of personal passions and conspicuous consumption."
"The jewel-like gardens will remain open until May 25, after which they will be dismantled. According to DDCF sources, the day of the display gardens is past. They consume an inordinate share of financial and staff resources, they would require a very expensive modernization, and they no longer reflect the vision of Duke Farm’s future. A video record has been made for archival purposes."
The current garden tours are closing partly to use the building as a staging area for plants, while the other conservatory building is emptied and renovated, officials said. As for the plants there, [Executive Director Tim] Taylor said some may be used in the new gardens, though the concept will be different. "It will not be replicated in terms of the gardens of the nations. We'll put a different spin on them, and come up with a logical connecting story of native horticulture to exotic horticulture," he said. Leftover plants will be donated to other botanical and display gardens, Taylor said. "We're not destroying anything."
In April 2008, opposition to the closure and dismantling of the Display Gardens started to emerge. Open letters appeared in the local press. A website, www.SaveDukeGardens.org http://www.savedukegardens.org was established, allowing protest emails to the Trustees. A usergroup to display images of the Gardens, "Save Duke Gardens" was formed on the photography web service flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/nosha/2433029770/. The ongoing web campaign has received local and metropolitan coverage, and resulted in hundreds of letters to the eleven DDCF Trustees http://www.ddcf.org behind the decision: Joan E. Spero, (President), Nannerl O. Keohane
Nannerl O. Keohane
Nannerl "Nan" Overholser Keohane is an American political theorist and former president of Wellesley College and Duke University. Currently Keohane is the Lawrence S...
(Chair), John J. Mack
John J. Mack
John J. Mack is the current Chairman of the Board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Mack announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer on September 10, 2009, which was effective January 1, 2010. Former Co-President James P...
(Vice Chair), Harry Demopoulos
Harry Demopoulos
Harry B. Demopoulos, MD is an pioneer in the medical aspects of free radicals, especially in the areas of ischaemic injury, the toxicity of anticancer drugs, and in spinal cord injury...
, Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci
Anthony S. Fauci is an immunologist who has made substantial contributions to research in the areas of AIDS and other immunodeficiencies, both as a scientist and as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .-Education and career:Anthony Stephen Fauci was born on...
, James F. Gill, Anne Hawley
Anne Hawley
Anne Hawley is the Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. She was appointed Director in 1989 after the departure of her predecessor Rollin Van N. Hadley in 1988. With museum attendance in decline, and both the building and its collection in...
, Peter A. Nadosy, William H. Schlesinger, John H.T. Wilson and John E. Zuccotti.
Following the closure of Duke Gardens on May 25, 2008, the website www.SaveDukeGardens.org http://www.savedukegardens.org initiated a campaign asking New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
to discuss New Jersey's interest in the matter with the eleven Trustees http://www.ddcf.org behind the decision to terminate Duke Gardens.
Other gardens on Duke Farms site
The Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc, established in 1959 and now part of Duke Farms Foundation, must "maintain a horticultural and botanical establishment for the purpose of scientific experimentation and public education and enjoyment". With closure of Duke Gardens, the Duke Farms Foundation will create new indoor and outdoor display gardens, scheduled to open in 2010. The indoor Gardens will be configured in a renovated Lord & Burnham conservatory (c.1900), currently known as the Orchid Range http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.548211&lon=-74.627423&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/11152128/ORchid-Range-at-Duke-Farms. Press releases state that the new Gardens are both "eco-friendly" and handicap accessible, and that adjacent to the site, outdoor gardens will highlight the ecological advantages of using native plants in garden designs.External links
- Duke Farms website
- Doris Duke Charitable Foundation website
- Save Duke Gardens website
- Photographs of the Gardens: a public collection
- The Gardens at Duke Farms
- Sundance Outdoor: Dukes Farms and Gardens
- French Gardens at Duke Farm, lit for night viewing
- Final tax filings for the Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc
- Satellite view of Doris Duke's Gardens
- Satellite view of Conservatory for future display