Leonard J. Buck Garden facts for kids
The Leonard J. Buck Garden is a special public garden in Far Hills, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. It covers about 33 acres (13 hectares) and is managed by the Somerset County Park Commission. This garden is famous for being one of the best rock gardens in the country.
You can see many different plants here, both local ones and those from other parts of the world. They grow naturally among woodlands, streams, and large rocks. A rocky, wooded valley in the garden is home to many wildflowers, flowering trees, and shrubs. The best time to visit the garden is in the spring when most plants are blooming.
History of the Garden
The Leonard J. Buck Garden began in the 1930s. A geologist named Leonard J. Buck, who was also a leader at the New York Botanical Garden, met a landscape architect named Zenon Schreiber. Together, they started creating the garden.
The garden was shaped from a valley that was once a glacial stream. This area, called Moggy Hollow Natural Area, used to have waterfalls. These waterfalls left behind interesting rock faces, large rocks, ponds, and a stream. Mr. Buck and Mr. Schreiber worked together without detailed drawings. Mr. Schreiber planned where the plants would go, and Mr. Buck worked with the rocks. Their goal was to make a woodland garden with many smaller, unique garden areas inside it.
After Mr. Buck passed away in 1974, his wife, Mrs. Buck, gave the garden to the Somerset County Park Commission. The garden then opened to the public in 1977, so everyone could enjoy its beauty.
Plants You Can See
The Leonard J. Buck Garden is home to a wide variety of plants. Here are just some of the many types you might find:
- Aconite
- Anemone
- Azalea
- Beech trees
- Birch trees
- Bloodroot
- Boxwood
- Chinese fringe tree
- Columbine
- Cyclamen
- Daffodils
- Dawn redwood
- Dogwoods
- Enkianthus
- Forget-me-nots
- Forsythia
- Geraniums
- Grape hyacinth
- Heathers
- Herbs
- Hornbeam
- Hydrangea
- Japanese maple
- Japanese painted fern
- Japanese peonies
- Labrador violets
- Magnolias
- Mahonia
- Maidenhair fern
- Maples
- Mountain laurel
- Narcissus
- Oak trees
- Ostrich ferns
- Primroses
- Rhododendron
- Saxifrage
- Shagbark hickory
- Siberian squill
- Skimmia
- Snowbell
- Star magnolia
- Sweet woodruff
- Trillium
- Viburnum
- Violets
- Virginia bluebells
- Wind anemones
Visiting the Garden
The Leonard J. Buck Garden welcomes visitors. They ask for a small donation to help maintain the garden. You can also access the lower part of the nearby Moggy Hollow Natural Area through the garden if you ask.
