The Naturalists at the Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center, located at 190 Lord Stirling Road in basking Ridge, New Jersey, have scheduled a series of unique, entertaining, and educational programs throughout the year. Information and registration is available at www.somersetcountyparks.org or calling 908-722-1200 x5322. Among the upcoming offerings are:
New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show - Thursday, April 12. 2018 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Escape to a world of spectacular color and delicate beauty at the largest orchid exhibition in the nation featuring 300 types of orchids and 5,000 individual plants. Marvel at rare orchid species in naturalistic settings in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Pre-registration is required. Fee is $60 per adult/$50 per senior
Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Secrets in Somerset County – Bluebell Magic – Friday, April 20, 2018 from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
Family and friends of all ages will head out for a Naturalist-led exploratory hike through Duke Island Park to identify local trees and search for early blooming wildflowers along the Raritan River including one of Somerset County’s best kept secrets, the bounty of blooming bluebell wildflowers of Duke Island Park. The program is free and pre-registration is required.
Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Woodland Wildflowers - Friday, May 4, 2018 from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
Family and friends of all ages will join a Naturalist for a leisurely walk through Lord Stirling Park in search of woodland wildflowers that are in their glory in the springtime, carpeting the forest floor with color in the dappled sunlight. The program is free and pre-registration is required.
Stonecrop - Thursday, May 10, 2018 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Adults will enjoy a Naturalist-led trip to Stonecrop Garden in the Hudson Highlands to visit a diverse collection of gardens and plants in the 12-acre property. The tour will include at least two hours of walking through rolling hills and steps. The display areas consist of woodland and water gardens, grass gardens, cliff rock gardens, raised alpine stone beds, and an enclosed English-style flower garden. Fee is $50 per adult/$40 per senior. Pre-registration is required.
Presby Memorial Iris Garden - Tuesday, May 22, 2019 from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Adults will join a Naturalist for a visit to Essex County’s famous Presby
Memorial Iris Garden with over 14,000 irises of approximately 3,000 varietiesproducing over 100,000 blooms over the course of the season! On display will be
classics and contemporary, antique and heirloom, tall and dwarf. Following the visit to the garden will be a stop at the Jersey-famous Applegate Farm Dairy for some amazing home-made ice cream. Fee is $40 per adult/$30 per senior. Pre-registration is required.
Leonard J. Buck Garden – A Somerset County Park Commission Gem! - Tuesday, June 5, 2018 from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon
Adults will join a Naturalist and Buck garden staff for a formal tour of Somerset County Park Commission’s own Leonard J. Buck Garden. Known as one of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United States this 13-acre alpine and woodland garden is situated in a wooded stream valley. The garden contains a series of planted rock outcroppings, planting beds, a fern garden, and glimmering ponds and streams. Tucked among the rocks are rare and exotic rock garden plants. The wooded trails connecting the outcroppings are lined with beautiful wild flowers that have flourished and multiplied through the years. Fee is $25 per adult/$20 per senior. Pre-registration is required and begins May 16, 2018.
Shopping at Well-Sweep Wednesday, June 6 from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 Noon
Adults will join Naturalists on a trip to Well-Sweep Herb Farm to shop for plants for the spring garden. Well-Sweep has a large variety of plants, from herbs to natives and special varieties that are not seen at the large nurseries. Suggested Donation of plants valued at $25 for the gardens at the Environmental Education Center. Pre-registration is required and begins May 16, 2018.
New York Botanical Garden presents Georgia O’Keeffe Hawaii - Thursday, September 6, 2018 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Adults will enjoy a Naturalist-led trip to the New York Botanical Garden for Georgia O’Keefe’s Hawaii. She was a pioneering American modernist painter renowned for her ability to convey a sense of place; from the stark New Mexican landscape to abstract New York cityscapes with plants and flowers a feature of her works. This major exhibition will feature more than 15 O’Keeffe paintings from her time in the Hawaiian Islands (1939) paired with a lush flower show that evokes the gardens and landscapes of Hawaii, Fee is $60 per adult/$50 per senior
Pre-registration is required and begins May 16.
Colonial Park Gardens - Thursday, September 20, 2018 from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Adults will join the Colonial Park Garden rosarian for a tour of the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden which won the 2015 World Federation of Rose Societies Garden of Excellence Award. Also tour the Sensory and Fragrance Garden and stroll through the Perennial Garden. Fee is$25 per adult/$20 per senior. Pre-registration is required and begins May 16.
Boscobel - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 from 8:45 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Adults will join a Naturalist to Boscobel on the Hudson River. Boscobel dates back to the early 1800’s and contains a magnificent collection of furniture and decorative arts from the Federal period. Tour of the mansion and the well manicured grounds, exploring the Herb Garden, Orangery, and circular Rose Fee is $70 per adult/$60 per senior and pre-registration is required. Registration begins September 12, 2018.
Grounds for Sculpture - Thursday, October 11 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Adults will join a naturalist on a trip to Hamilton, New Jersey, and the Grounds for Sculpture, a 35-acre magnificently landscaped garden featuring over 250 contemporary sculptures. Take a tour, enjoy the fall foliage, shop the museum, and leave with a better appreciation of art. Fee is $60 per adult/$50 per senior and pre-registration is required. Registration begins September 12, 2018.
New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show - Thursday, December 6 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Adult will enjoy a Naturalist-led trip to the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show. Each November the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is transformed to captivate visitors with model trains zipping around famous New York landmarks, displayed with remarkable creativity of buildings that are made of plant parts including nuts, bark, seed pods, and leaves. Fee is $60 per adult/$50 per senior and pre-registration is required. Registration begins September 12, 2018.
For information on these and other Somerset County Park Commission programs and activities, call 908-722-1200, or log onto www.somersetcountyparks.org.
