Colonial Park Gardens(Adult) There is no need to leave the county to enjoy this wonderful garden trip. Join our own rosarian for a tour of the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden which won the 2015 World Federation of Rose Societies Garden of Excel-

lence Award. Pique your senses in the sensory and fragrant garden and stroll through the perennial garden. Enjoy lunch under the picnic pavilion, please bring a bag/picnic lunch. $25 per adult/$20 per seniorCourse Code: 51829 (Registration begins May 16) EEC-01 Thursday, September 20 9:00am-1:00pm

Boscobel (Adult)Situated 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. Enjoy a tour of the mansion and the well manicured grounds. Explore the Herb Garden, Orangery, circular Rose Garden or relax on the front lawn taking in the gorgeous views. You will be contacted shortly after registration to choose a boxed picnic lunch which is provided. After lunch we will have time to wander and admire the landscape from the walking paths, through hilly terrain with many steps. $70 per adult/$60 per seniorCourse Code: 51724 (Registration begins September 12) EEC-02 Tuesday, October 2 8:45am-4:30pm

Grounds for Sculpture(Adult)Located in Hamilton, New Jersey, Grounds for Sculpture is 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. Please bring money to purchase a lunch. $60 per adult/$50 per seniorCourse Code: 56502 (Registration begins September 12) EEC-3 Thursday, October 11 9:00am-4:30pm

2018

GARDEN DISCOVERY

TOURS

**Please be sure to check the Somerset County Park Commission website, www.somersetcountyparks.org for additional botanical programs and trips throughout the 2018 calendar year!

The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center is committed to environmental sustain-ability. This brochure is printed on 100% recycled paper. Please do your part and recycle when finished.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

908 766-2489 WWW.SOMERSETCOUNTYPARKS.ORG

CANCELATIONS: The Environmental Education Center will refund program registration fees if notified a minimum of seven days prior to the start of the program.

REGISTRATION: For more information or to register for any of these programs, please call the Environmental Education Center at 908 766-2489 or visit our website somersetcountyparks.org.

If you have individualized needs due to a disability, please call 908 526-5650 and we will be happy to arrange reasonable accommodations. Three weeks notice is required to ensure that appropriate accommodations can be provided.

https://www.facebook.com/EECscparks

New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show (Adult)New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show is our final Garden Discovery trip of the year. Each November the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is transformed for a few weeks for this well-loved event. Join us and be captivated by model trains zipping around famous New York landmarks and marvel at the creativity of buildings made of plant parts such as nuts, bark, seed pods, and leaves. $60 per adult/$50 per senior Course Code: 51181 (Registration begins September 12) EEC-52 Thursday, December 6 9:00am-4:30pm

Philadelphia Flower Show (Adult)The 2018 Flower Show theme, Wonders of Water, was chosen to celebrate the beauty and life-sustaining interplay of horticulture and water. Be prepared to be wowed by renowned floral and garden designers’ interpretation of tropical jungles, temperate forests, native woodlands, and arid landscapes. Wander at your own pace. Bring your own lunch or bring money to buy locally at the Flower Show or the Reading Terminal Market. Visitors may re-enter the show with a hand stamp. Inclement weather reschedule date is Wednesday, March 7. $85 per adult/$75 per seniorCourse Code: 56495 (Registration begins January 17) EEC-20 Tuesday, March 6 8:00am-5:30pm

New York Botanical Garden Orchid ShowEscape to a world of spectacular color and delicate beauty! This show, the largest orchid exhibition in the nation, features 300 types of orchids and 5,000 individual plants. Marvel at rare orchid species in naturalistic settings in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Enjoy their beauty and colors as you wander past thousands of orchid blossoms, from miniatures to giants! $60 per adult/$50 per senior Course Code: 51181 (Registration begins January 17)EEC-50 Thursday, April 12 9:00am-4:30pm

Secrets in Somerset County – Bluebell Magic(All Ages)Meet at the playground kiosk at Duke Island Park and head out for an exploratory hike with a Naturalist. Identify some local trees and search for early blooming wildflowers along the Raritan River. Find one of Somerset County’s best kept secrets, the bounty of blooming bluebell wildflowers of Duke Island Park. Pre-registration is required.

FREE Course Code: 51729 (Registration begins January 17) DIP-06 Friday, April 20 10:30am-11:30am

Woodland Wildflowers (All Ages)

In the springtime woodland wildflowers are at their peak, carpeting the forest floor with color in the dappled sunlight. Join a Naturalist for a leisurely walk through Lord Stirling Park in search of these spring beau-

ties. Pre-registration is required. FREE Course Code: 51751 (Registration begins January 17) EEC-05 Friday, May 4 10:30am-11:30am

Stonecrop(Adult)Stonecrop Garden is located in the Hudson Highlands and incorporates a diverse collection of gardens and plants into their 12-acre property. Tour will include at least two hours of walking through rolling hills and steps. Display areas consist of woodland and water gardens, grass gardens, cliff rock gardens, raised alpine stone beds, and an enclosed English-style flower garden. Join us and be inspired with ideas for your own garden. Please bring a bag lunch. $50 per adult/$40 per seniorCourse Code: 56501 (Registration begins January 17) EEC-4 Thursday, May 10 9:00am-4:30pm

Presby Memorial Iris Garden (Adult)Prepare to be inspired. Join Naturalists for a visit to Essex County’s famous Presby Memorial Iris Garden, which contains over 14,000 irises of approximately 3,000 varieties and produce over 100,000 blooms over the course of the season! Whether you are interested in classics or contemporary, antiques or heirloom, tall or dwarf there will

be irises here for you to see. After our visit to the garden we will be stopping at the Jersey-famous Applegate Farm Dairy for some amazing home-made ice cream. $40 per adult/$30 per seniorCourse Code: 51181 (Registration begins January 17) EEC-27 Tuesday, May 22 9:00am-3:00pm

Leonard J. Buck Garden – A Somerset County Park Commission Gem!(Adult)Join us 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. Please wear good walking shoes and you may want to bring a camera. $25 per adult/$20 per seniorCourse Code: 51828(Registration begins May 16)EEC-01 Tuesday, June 5 9:00am-Noon

Shopping at Well-Sweep Herb Farm(Adult)Come with us to Well-Sweep Herb Farm to shop for your 2018 garden. Well-Sweep has a large variety of plants, from herbs to natives, and lots of special varieties that are not seen at the large nurseries. Two Naturalists will assist you in navigating through their spectacular garden beds. You will soon be on your way to the garden of your dreams. From sun to shade, wet to dry, animal resistant plants, you name it; Well-Sweep has it. Take the day off for shopping in the morning and go home to plant in the afternoon.Suggested Donation: Plants (valued at $25) for the gardens at the Environmental Education Center.Course Code: 51450 (Registration begins May 16) EEC-9 Wednesday, June 6 8:30am-Noon

New York Botanical Garden presents Georgia O’Keeffe Hawaii(Adult)Georgia O’Keeffe 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. Yet plants and flowers were a subject she returned to throughout her career. 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, this is a trip not to be missed. $60 per adult/$50 per senior Course Code: 51181 (Registration begins May 16) EEC-51 Thursday, September 6 9:00am-4:30pm

Join Somerset County Naturalists for this exciting series of day trips and garden-themed programs.

Van transportation, admission fees, and all interpretation included. Please book early, as these

limited space trips fill rapidly!