Reeves-Reed Arboretum
Encyclopedia
The Reeves-Reed Arboretum (13.5 acres (5.5 ha)) is a nonprofit arboretum
and garden located at 165 Hobart Avenue in Summit
, New Jersey
. It is the only arboretum in Union County
. The arboretum grounds are open daily from dawn till dusk, free of charge.
The property was originally traversed by Lenni Lenape
Native Americans
on their route from the coast near Elizabeth to the highlands near Schooley's Mountain
. During the American Revolutionary War
, it was farmed, and was adjacent to the site of the Old Sow cannon and the signal beacon atop Beacon Hill on the Second Watchung Mountain
.
In 1889, John Hornor Wisner, a merchant in the China trade, purchased the property for a country estate. He hired New York architects Babb, Cook and Willard
to build a Colonial Revival house, sited facing south with extensive views over the rolling hills. He and his wife, Isabelle, moved with their children to their stylish new home and called it "The Clearing." Working with noted landscape architect Calvert Vaux
, they planted specimen trees and created flower beds and a meandering path around the property. In 1916, new owners, Richard and Susie Reeves, purchased the estate. Susie Reeves expanded the gardens, guided by prominent landscape architects Ellen Biddle Shipman
(1924) and Carl F. Pilat (1924-1925), adding a rose
garden in 1925. The Charles L. Reed family became the last private owners in 1968, adding an herb
garden. In 1974, the estate was preserved as a public arboretum by the City of Summit.
The gardens are a beautifully maintained example of early 20th century landscape architecture, also known as the Country Place Movement. Italianate in character, the garden layout is symmetrical and axial, creating formal garden rooms off a main axis from the house. The Gretchen Keller Azalea
Garden (designed by Shipman and Pilat) and Rock Garden contain about 850 shrubs and 25 trees. Its peak bloom is in May, with the dogwoods, azaleas, lilacs, deutzia and crabapples. The Susie Graham Reeves Rose Garden contains 286 rose
bushes, representing over 150 varieties of roses, including floribundas and hybrid teas laid out in a traditional circle-in-a-square design. The central feature of the rose garden is a cherub fountain from the Reeves period. Old fashioned roses flank the formal garden, and climbing roses are trained on posts and chains. Over 30,000 daffodils bloom in a glacial bowl in front of Wisner House each April.
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and garden located at 165 Hobart Avenue in Summit
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
, 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...
. It is the only arboretum in Union County
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
. The arboretum grounds are open daily from dawn till dusk, free of charge.
The property was originally traversed by Lenni Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
on their route from the coast near Elizabeth to the highlands near Schooley's Mountain
Schooley's Mountain
Schooley's or, officially, Schooleys Mountain is a mountain ridge in northern New Jersey that stretches from Lake Hopatcong in the north to Hampton in the south...
. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, it was farmed, and was adjacent to the site of the Old Sow cannon and the signal beacon atop Beacon Hill on the Second Watchung Mountain
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
.
In 1889, John Hornor Wisner, a merchant in the China trade, purchased the property for a country estate. He hired New York architects Babb, Cook and Willard
Babb, Cook and Willard
Babb, Cook and Willard is a New York City-based architectural firm that designed many important homes and commercial buildings. The Principals of the firm were George Fletcher Babb, Walter Cook , and Daniel W...
to build a Colonial Revival house, sited facing south with extensive views over the rolling hills. He and his wife, Isabelle, moved with their children to their stylish new home and called it "The Clearing." Working with noted landscape architect Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux , was an architect and landscape designer. He is best remembered as the co-designer , of New York's Central Park....
, they planted specimen trees and created flower beds and a meandering path around the property. In 1916, new owners, Richard and Susie Reeves, purchased the estate. Susie Reeves expanded the gardens, guided by prominent landscape architects Ellen Biddle Shipman
Ellen Biddle Shipman
Ellen Biddle Shipman was an American landscape architect known for her formal gardens and lush planting style.Born in Philadelphia, she spent her childhood in Texas and the Arizona territory. Her father, Colonel James Biddle, was a career Army officer, stationed on the western frontier...
(1924) and Carl F. Pilat (1924-1925), adding a rose
Rose
A 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 in 1925. The Charles L. Reed family became the last private owners in 1968, adding an herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
garden. In 1974, the estate was preserved as a public arboretum by the City of Summit.
The gardens are a beautifully maintained example of early 20th century landscape architecture, also known as the Country Place Movement. Italianate in character, the garden layout is symmetrical and axial, creating formal garden rooms off a main axis from the house. The Gretchen Keller Azalea
Azalea
Azaleas 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...
Garden (designed by Shipman and Pilat) and Rock Garden contain about 850 shrubs and 25 trees. Its peak bloom is in May, with the dogwoods, azaleas, lilacs, deutzia and crabapples. The Susie Graham Reeves Rose Garden contains 286 rose
Rose
A 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...
bushes, representing over 150 varieties of roses, including floribundas and hybrid teas laid out in a traditional circle-in-a-square design. The central feature of the rose garden is a cherub fountain from the Reeves period. Old fashioned roses flank the formal garden, and climbing roses are trained on posts and chains. Over 30,000 daffodils bloom in a glacial bowl in front of Wisner House each April.