Arboretum at Penn State
Summer is the time to find gardens in their full glory.
Some find gardening to be a relaxing escape while others prefer to wander through the beauty planted and tended by others. Either way, gardens tingle the senses and draw humans into the natural world. Central Pennsylvania is the perfect place to jump into gardening—or to explore others’ creations.
Whether you’re a gardener looking for tips or just someone who loves to wander among natural beauty, Pennsylvania is home to many nationally respected public gardens featuring both native and exotic plants.
Locally, Hershey Gardens offers 23 acres of a wide variety of flowers and shrubs, rare and signature trees, seasonal displays, themed gardens, a children’s garden and a butterfly atrium. First opened in 1937 as a garden of roses, it now features more than 115 varieties of roses and is a highlight of the gardens. Residents know it’s spring when tens of thousands of tulips in almost every hue, pattern and shape explode in color in beds west of the rose garden. Hershey Gardens is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sept. 1. For more information, visit www.hersheygardens.org.
Although for some, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square might be a bit of a drive, it’s a drive well worth taking. The variety of gardens and plants, indoor and out, is breathtaking. With a huge conservatory full of exotic plants (and one of the world’s most beautiful bathrooms), meadows, trails, an Italian water garden, a fountain garden, an oak and conifer knoll, an open-air theater and theater garden, an orchid house, woods, a rose garden, a topiary garden and so much more, Longwood offers something for everyone with miles of walking. It is worth a visit—or two or three—each year. More information is available at www.longwoodgardens.org.
The new Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State’s University Park campus sits within the Arboretum at Penn State. The Arboretum features the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, 10 acres of themed garden space and 14 acres of meadows and walking paths. It includes seasonal gardens, specialty gardens, water features and a children’s garden. Three acres include plants chosen to attract birds and pollinators. The Arboretum is free every day from dawn till dusk. Go to www.arboretum.psu.edu.
Closer to home is an extraordinary new garden, The Bower, in Shermans Dale. Opened in 2021, The Bower sits on 36 acres of meadows and woodlands owned by Bill and Jane Allis, who met as students at Dickinson College, married young and bought the undeveloped property in Perry County, where they built a home and raised their children. After years away, the Allises returned in 2016 with their dream for The Bower, which would incorporate their love of art into the landscape. A Philadelphia art gallery dealer they had worked with put out a call for art while the Allises worked with a landscape architect on the space.
The sculptures, created by artists from around the world, as well as many from Pennsylvania, were selected to best fit in with the native plant landscape. The scale varies from small to large, and they are created from a variety of materials. A Vermont artist created “The Kiss,” a curvilinear wall with a 9-foot arch built from local sandstone and Pennsylvania bluestone. Philadelphia artist Rebecca Rutstein designed another wall-like abstract from thick, plasma-cut Corten steel. “Transcending Tides,” a steel and aluminum piece by Allentown artist Jeff Kahn, reminds the Allises of the flow of waving grasses on their property. They are among 13 sculptures along The Bower’s trails.
Through Oct. 18, The Bower will host open visit days on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when visitors can arrive anytime between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. without appointment. A calendar for individual or group scheduled visits is also available. While visits are free, donations are appreciated. For more information on The Bower, see www.thegardenbower.com.
At Wildwood Park north of Harrisburg, Dauphin County Parks & Recreation hosts “Art in the Wild,” with artists using natural materials that blend into Wildwood’s natural setting. This year’s theme is “Pathways” and will be exhibited through Sept. 30 along the trail through the park.
For those who like an adventure, the Hudson Valley north of New York City offers many beautiful gardens, estates and museums, including the Storm King Art Center, a 500-acre outdoor museum in New Windsor, N.Y. It includes more than 100 sculptures by artists including Alexander Calder and Maya Lin. More information is available at www.stormking.org.
For gardens and trails that incorporate architecture into the landscape, a day trip to Grace Farms in New Canaan, Conn., is like an architectural garden, where educational buildings, a museum, cafes and entertainment venues snake through the meadows. The main building, called The River, was designed to blend in with the landscape and appears to float along the surface of the ground. The mission of Grace Farms is to explore nature, arts, justice, community and faith on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape. Learn more at www.gracefarms.org.
Further north, The Path of Life Garden in Windsor, Vt., is 14 acres of wonder inspired by a famous Japanese garden in Kildare, Ireland, called “The Life of Man.” Eighteen works of various sizes and materials symbolize the journey from birth to death and beyond. It includes a hemlock maze, a large granite Buddha for contemplation, and a “Tunnel of Oblivion.” For more information, go to www.greatriveroutfitters.com/pol.
In summertime, nature is at her most colorful. There may be no better way to explore this beauty than a trip to one of the fabulous gardens, near and distant, mentioned above.
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