GARDEN TOUR RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS
The Rumson estate of Kim and Tom Widener is one of the featured stops on this year’s Two Rivers Garden Tour. See our post on Book It! Events from earlier this week to find out what cool things Kim is up to in the great indoors. (Photos by Patricia Burke Photography)
By DOROTHY CREAMER
Sometime after “in the beginning…” and “let there be light,” the Garden of Eden sprang into existence — and Monmouth County is teeming with gorgeous grounds that could give Adam and Eve’s Old Testament haven a run for its forbidden fruit. Some of these natural wonders, six to be precise, can be viewed May 30 and 31, as stops along the annual Two Rivers Garden Tour.
This Saturday and Sunday, the perennial late-spring treat takes lovers of the lush and verdant on a behind-the-scenes journey through some of the most impressive landscaping in the state of New Jersey — from a cozy 100-year-old cottage in the historic section of Fair Haven, to the sprawling estates of Rumson.
The tour began life as a benefit for the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center at Monmouth Medical Center, which, when it opened in 1994, was named among the top ten breast centers in the country by Self magazine. In order to raise money, a group of area women conjured up a fund-raiser with a seemingly simple premise — that people who lavished a great deal of attention on their gardens would love for them to be appreciated by other likeminded souls, and that anyone with an interest in landscape engineering and horticulture would love an invitation to view some of the area’s most beautiful backyards.
What was originally called the Garden and Pool Showcase was the fruit of their labor and a rousing success — and the seed was planted for what would eventually evolve into the Two Rivers Art/Antiques Show & Garden Tour.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the event is returning to its roots as strictly a garden tour — with the Art & Antiques Show component having been postponed to 2010 due to the unsavory financial climate.
Lu-Ann Russell, director of special events for the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation, is nonetheless excited about the prospect of this simplified anniversary celebration.
“Going back to the idea of just being a garden tour seems to be appropriate with the economic times and the anniversary of the event,” Russell states. “The admission cost is even rolled back to what it was 15 years ago!”
The Gooch estate in Rumson (left) and the Pritchard gardens in Fair Haven are among the must-see points upon the tour map. (Photos by Patricia Burke Photography)
For the retro, low price of $20, attendees can wander the impressive Rumson and Fair Haven properties of a select group of MMC supporters. One of the featured homes is the residence of this year’s honorees, Diane and Michael Gooch, owners of The Two River Times. The Gooches were generous enough to open their amazing rose gardens, featuring hybrids imported from Mickey Gooch’s native England, to the public.
Entry to the gardens is permitted between the hours of 9am and 4pm on Saturday, and 11:30am to 3:30pm on Sunday. Volunteers will welcome visitors to each of the featured gardens, and tour guides will be on hand to identify the featured flora. The estates are not handicap accessible, and children under the age of 12 are not encouraged to attend.
“You don’t have to do the gardens in any particular order,” explains Russell. “We recommend viewing the lengthiest ones last. The smaller ‘gardeners’ gardens’ won’t take as much time to wander through, but they are the ones that people might find easier to take ideas away from to try to duplicate on their own property.”
Normally the antique show preview party would be the traditional start of the weekend’s offerings, but it wouldn’t be the Garden Tour without a soiree to kick things off. This year’s Friday night gala (held at the home of Marshall and Janice Knopf in Red Bank) will celebrate 15 years of philanthropy to the breast center. The picturesque Navesink will be the backdrop for the evening’s festivities that will include food catered by Mumfords Culinary Center in Tinton Falls, an open bar, a small auction and a raffle.
Mitzi Perdue — yes, the widow of famed chicken man Frank — has generously donated an exclusive and very unique piece of art for the raffle. In keeping with her husband’s claim to fame, she has become known for designing glamorous Faberge style egg purses. Some famous recipients of Mitzi’s egg purses include the Queen of Spain, the Queen of Thailand and the Smithsonian Museum.
The anniversary party will take place from 6:30 to 9:30pm on May 29. Advanced registration is required and tickets can be purchased ahead of time for $125, or at the door for $145. Garden Tour tickets can be purchased at the gardens, or in advance by calling the foundation office at (732) 923-6886. All proceeds go to the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center.
Featured Gardens:
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gooch, West River Road, Rumson
Sue Rastelli and Bill Grabowski, Riverlawn Drive, Fair Haven
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pritchard, Fair Haven Road, Fair Haven
Mrs. Ernest Thompson, Fair Haven Road, Fair Haven
Mr. and Mrs. Todd Thompson, Doughty Lane, Fair Haven
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Widener, Buena Vista Road, Rumson
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May 28, 2009
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