This weekend I made a trip to my old neighborhood where I used to live in Montclair, New Jersey. I stopped by a local community garden which I’ve never been to before called the Van Vleck House and Gardens.
The Van Vleck House and Gardens is a former private estate of the Van Vlack family who built the 12-acre property back in 1868. Joseph Van Vlack Sr. who came to Montclair from Brooklyn wanted to create an amazing landscape for his family far away from the industrial living of New York City.
On the property is a Mediterranean style villa with a U-shaped courtyard that was designed and built by the son of Joseph Sr. in 1916. Within the courtyard grows a Chinese wisteria that was planted there in 1939 and climbs around the pillars of the portico.
Surrounding the property is a botanical garden, green house, and a visitor center for public events. The garden features mostly ericaceous plants that have been developed over many generations, several named after the Van Vlack family.
