2019 Members' Garden Tour-Greater Cherry Hill, New Jersey

12:00 – 4:00 pm Saturday, June 29, 2019
Reception follows from 4:30 – 6:00 pm at the Lavender Nest Garden: The garden of Lyn and David Steinberg. 

Volunteers are needed for this event, click here to see job openings.

We will be touring the greater Cherry Hill, New Jersey, area to visit some wonderful gardens. 

Garden of Stephen and Lorraine Coan
The habitat garden on Lawnside Avenue in Collingswood, designed and owned by Stephen Coan, a nature-inspired landscape designer, is considered a pocket garden but feels much larger with the breakup of it into rooms. It’s an extensively planted garden throughout with four seasons of interest, starting with a dense spring bulb layer that evolves into the perennial layer of late spring, into the summer, and fall with many plants that bloom into the late fall to feed the late-season pollinators. The winter interest layer consists of the green leaves of many Hellebores and the brown, taupe, and tan colors of the dried remains of the perennial layers.
The garden is used as a trial garden for the different plants, both native and expitcs, that he uses in his designs and installations for his different projects, many of which are habitat gardens. The garden is full of pollinators, birds, and other wildlife throughout the year and is a Certified Pollinator Habitat through the Xerces Society and a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the NWF. It’s also part of the Collingswood, NJ Community Wildlife Habitat Project. There are a number of native bee shelters for Mason bees, Leaf Cutter bees, and Bumble bees, as well as other native bees and pollinators. You will also find a small frog pond and a Koi pond with a waterfall.

Garden of Kathleen and Richard Aregood
The garden on Lees Avenue in Collingswood, designed by Stephen Coan, was done with four season interest using sustainable green practices. Since the backyard is tiny the main garden and destination spot for our enjoyment was put into the large front yard. The desire was to be able to sit out in nature, attract butterflies, other pollinators, and birds using native and beneficial plants. The gardens are full of them throughout the year and are a food source for them throughout the seasons. The gravel path, which crunches underfoot, lines up the central fountain, more sound, that line up with the yellow Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’ shrub, which lines up the background old oak tree, which in turn all line up with the sunset of the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. There are a number of other marker/plants, designations throughout the gardens that line up with celestial events throughout the year designating the passage of time and space. For privacy, the plantings were place on top of a circular mound that surrounds the circular gravel patio area blocking the unwanted views and creates an allegorical council ring. As a result of the extensive garden installations the property has been designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation and is part of the Collingswood, NJ Community Wildlife Habitat Project.

Garden of Robin Potter and Peter Gould
A half-acre town garden located in the heart of historic Haddonfield, ours is a mature garden edged by shade trees, conifers and tall shrubs. Come, wander through the series of garden rooms that surround our Victorian home. This is an all-year garden with flowers blooming ten months of the year, tall native seed pods and berries for fall migrators, attractive bark in the winter, and layers of intricate foliage. Robin became fascinated with plant propagation while studying in the Barnes Arboretum course and has grown many of the shrubs and smaller trees from seed. An active Camden County Master Gardener, member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Board, and chair of the borough’s Shade Tree Commission, Robin relies on a complex web of hardy plants, requiring regular maintenance, of course, and very few annuals and tender perennials. This is a garden to be lived in.

Garden of Robert Kumlin
A shade garden arranged around a typical ¼ acre suburban lot in a 1973 development in a mixed oak and hickory forest where most of the trees were left standing. The subsoil is fine sand which gives perfect drainage but requires frequent watering.
A collector’s/landscape garden including a wide variety of spring ephemerals, trillium, epimedium, primula, arisaema, hosta, ferns, and hellebores. Understory trees include stewartia, magnolia, and a rare Acer pennsylvanicum. Shrubs include camellia, hydrangea, rhododendron, kalmia, peony (tree and deciduous and including 2 Joseph Rock), Cornus, and Ilex.
As with all shade gardens, the big show is in the spring and little will be in bloom for the tour. Complicating matters in this garden is the recent removal of a 3 stemmed oak over 80 feet tall which promises to change the shade profile and will require, I think, some plant moving. 

Garden of Vince and Angelica Bordo
Members of the Delaware Valley Water Garden Society, the centerpiece of this striking garden is an elegant pond filled with dozens of mature koi. Upon arriving at the Bordo residence, visitors immediately take note of the walkways and meticulously landscaped garden beds, featuring a variety of perennial and annul flowers, verdant trees and bushes, and decorative boulders. Along the sides of the home, visitors are treated to a brief but pleasing nature-walk leading to a breathtaking view of the idyllic back yard, which features a lush lawnscape, flowers and fruit trees, a quaint potting shed, and a secret, organic vegetable garden. The experience culminates at the hardscaped patio, where visitors can relax and enjoy the sights and sound of nature alongside the beautiful pond and waterfall.

Lavender Nest Cottage and Gardens: The Garden of Lyn and David Steinberg
Since childhood, Lyn dreamed of having a small cottage of her own. In 2009 after they lost a beautiful old Japanese maple tree, she helped a friend build Lavender Nest Cottage where the tree had been. The cottage was so sweet, but the surrounding ground was simply a stretch of ivy-covered ground begging to become something special. This was her chance to really make the magic begin.
With 5 children Lyn needed an outlet; gardening seemed to fill that void. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she had a vision of what she wanted. During the day she was momma, at nighttime she built all the paths and stone wall guided by moonlight. Soon she became completely ensconced in the gardens surrounding the cottage. She has an insatiable need to garden almost every day from spring through late fall.
All that you see here was only ivy. Now it is Lyn’s magical space where she paints and writes. Never could she have imagined she would be so blessed with such a special spot.

Don't miss this varied, beautiful group of gardens and then stop by Lavender Nest Cottage to relax at the reception after the tour.

There will be a raffle of unique items at the reception so bring your check book or cash. We cannot accept credit cards.

Registration is required and the deadline to register is June 22. Since this is a members' only event we will be prepared to sign up your guests.  Dues are $35.00 for one year and $60.00 for two years.  Membership includes two members of the same household.  Payment by cash or check only, payable at the first garden you visit. 

Registration is now closed for this event.

Questions email: HPS Vice President, Nora Sirbaugh, [email protected], or 609-730-8354.