Van Vleck House and Gardens is a former private estate run as a non-profit community resource in
Montclair in
Essex County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States. It features a public botanical garden of mostly
ericaceous plant
The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...
s that has been developed over several generations. The display of
rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
s and
azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Octob ...
s shows numerous hybrids, several named after members of the Van Vleck family.
The property had been in the hands of the Van Vleck family until 1993 when it was turned over to
The Montclair Foundation
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. The main house, built in 1916 by Joseph Van Vleck Jr. as a Mediterranean villa, is available for events by non-profit organizations. A Chinese
wisteria
''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north o ...
that was planted in 1939 climbs around the pillars of the back
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
.
Gallery
Official site
See also
* Howard Van Vleck Arboretum The Howard Van Vleck Arboretum is a arboretum located on the grounds of the Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The arboretum is open daily without charge.
The arboretum first be ...
Botanical gardens in New Jersey
Houses in Essex County, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
Tourist attractions in Essex County, New Jersey
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