Visiting Mary Jane and Victor’s Four-Season Collector’s Garden
in Coopersburg, PA

Welcome to the private retreat that Mary Jane and Victor began to develop in 1988 on their property along a busy main road.  Their impressive assortment of conifers and broad-leaf evergreens provides four-season interest as well as four-season privacy. The garden is a collector’s paradise, comprised of many rare and unusual trees, shrubs, and perennials, most of which were obtained from mail-order nurseries over the years as they were not available locally. The resulting contrasting colors and textures make for a serene retreat.

Native as well as non-native plantings create a haven for pollinators and birds. Plantings are essentially chemical-free, with a rotating composting area serving to provide compost and mulch. The garden provides cuttings for Mary Jane’s passion for Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging.

Several types of bamboo add graceful movement in addition to evergreen privacy. Mary Jane and Victor planted their first bamboo grove to screen out a neighbor’s mercury vapor flood light that created a most unpleasant glare directly into their bedroom. The beauty of this bamboo prompted the creation of additional bamboo beds, with responsible husbandry dictating underground bamboo barriers, 36 inches deep, for containment.

Black walnut trees on a hedgerow between Mary Jane and Victor’s property and the neighbors on one side were allowed to remain and are now 100 feet high. Plantings of shrubs and trees resistant to black walnut toxicity were carefully selected and have combined to make a flowering as well as evergreen hedge incorporating the black walnuts.

Highlights of the garden include 110-foot white pine trees (the only original trees on the property itself in 1988), a large collection of oak trees, evergreen magnolias, extensive hosta beds as well as swaths of bulbs across the 2.5-acre property. A large swimming pool has been landscaped with exotic conifers, flowering hedges, and uncommon perennials to create an almost tropical feel.

Mary Jane and Victor look forward to sharing their private garden retreat with you!

This is a member’s only event, but registration is required. $5 per attendee. Maximum number of guests is 15.

Registration opens May 13, 2024. Registration closes July 10. Rain date is Saturday July 20th. Click here if you would like to become a member of HPS/MAG before registering for this event.

Address and parking directions will be sent to all registrants in their confirmation email.

Contact: Dawn Freeman at [email protected]