By JOSE GERMAN-GOMEZ
For Montclair Local
Montclair has a gardening tradition that dates back to the early days of its incorporation in 1868. The city’s natural landscape already seemed heavenly to many New York families who chose Montclair as a refuge from the smells, crowds and noise of Manhattan. . Lots of bucolic at the end of 19e– Century Montclair scenes are shown in the paintings of George Innes.
In the second decade of the 20e century, the city is experiencing a transformation in the use of public space and the creation of new gardens. The iconic Edgemont Park was established in 1906, and in 1924 Charles Keck created the magnificent World War I memorial obelisk topped with the Winged Victory.
The Van Vleck Gardens trace its origins to the early years of the canton. Joseph Van Vleck moved from Brooklyn to Montclair in 1868 with a vision for a landscaped estate. Gardens have evolved over the decades, Howard Van Vleck following in his father’s footsteps in horticulture and gardening. He left a legacy of hybrid rhododendrons that he himself created, some of which still impress visitors. He also designed the First Congregational Church Memorial Garden on South Fullerton Avenue, of which he was a member; some of the original plantations remain in place. The 1940 arboretum of the Montclair Art Museum was also the project of Van Vleck.
The Olmsted company, founded by Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted, has planned the development of most of Essex County’s parks, including Anderson and Brookdale parks. Anderson Park was the first park in the Essex County system.
One of Montclair’s unique gardens, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, was established in 1927 to honor Frank Presby, a recognized horticulturalist and founding member of the American Iris Society. With around 10,000 individual plants, representing six species and over 3,000 different named iris varieties, it’s a spring highlight in Montclair.
The Montclair Garden Club, founded in 1926, has pursued its mission of educating “its members and the public in the knowledge and practice of conservation, horticulture and floral design” for nearly a century. Landscape architect and member of the Montclair Garden Club Avis Campbell installed the beautiful garden that now bears his name in 1952.
Montclair has been the home of several pioneers in ecological approaches to gardening over the past decades. As a child, in the early 1930s, Bob McClean began growing his own vegetables on Gordonhurst Avenue; he never stopped gardening until his death at the age of 86 in 2011. Besides growing organic vegetables, McClean early on embraced the new eco-friendly gardening movement using native plants and by creating a rain garden.
McClean was an inspiration to her Gordonhurst neighbor, Pat Kenschaft, who has produced her family’s vegetables organically in her own backyard for decades. His tours of open gardens have inspired many Montclair owners to start growing their own food.
In 2003, a new gardening movement arrived in Montclair: the Montclair Backyard Habitat Project, led by David Wasmuth. This project is part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program, which encourages homeowners to manage their property as wildlife havens, with the goal of maintaining healthy and diverse animal habitats and ecosystems. Over the course of five years, the Backyard Habitat Project promoted eco-friendly gardening in the city until Montclair became the first municipality in New Jersey to be certified by the Wildlife Federation as a community wildlife habitat and the ninth community certified. its size in the country. Most schools and parks in Montclair, as well as more than 200 homes and several places of worship, have met requirements for certification of native plant use, providing essentials for beneficial wildlife, avoiding pesticides, and following guidelines. sustainable gardening practices.
Lackawanna Plaza’s Crane Park Demonstration Garden is the city’s newest garden on public land. In 2017, a group of neighbors led by myself, along with members of the Northeast Earth Coalition, decided to turn the pocket park into something special. Crane Park has since become a pollinator habitat at the Montclair Center, with over 65 native plant species selected to attract pollinators and birds.
The garden has been nominated for the 2021 Bowman’s Hill Land Ethics Award and is used as an open classroom to educate the community and visitors about the importance of native plants, pollinators, wildlife habitat, and food production .
Building on the work of more than a century of pioneering gardening, Montclair officially joined the Northeast Pollinator Pathways Project last year, which aims to create a corridor for pollinators from Maine to Virginia by encouraging homeowners. and public spaces to adopt conditions favorable to pollinators. gardening practices.
The passion and love for city gardening has continued from the beginning, evolving to meet new circumstances; As our environmental challenges have become more severe, gardening has taken on new importance as a means of providing both sustainable food for people and crucial links for beneficial wildlife.
Jose German-Gomez is an environmental activist, Essex County Certified Master Gardener and a resident of Montclair. He is the founder of the Northeastern Earth Coalition.