The Secret Garden: Avis Campbell Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey

Flowers at Avis Campbell Gardens, Montclair, New Jersey

Avis Campbell Gardens Are Known As The Secret Garden

This small but delightful garden is tucked away behind the United Way Building in Montclair, New Jersey.

I originally called this the Secret Garden in a long-deleted post from over 10 years ago.

It is even more hidden now because all the signs in the front of the building and also in the garden itself have disappeared, so someone may not know it even exists.

It is beautifully maintained by The Garden Club of Montclair:

What can we say? The Avis Campbell Gardens — our hidden garden open to the public behind 60 South Fullerton Avenue — is our pride and joy. From the first hellebores of spring to the final cleanup in November, members meet on Tuesdays from 9:30am to noon under the loving leadership of the bed captains to create one of the wonders of New Jersey.

The History Of The Garden

You can also read the Garden Club Committee Reports on this special place.

Montclair Local also reported this about the garden:

It’s been called a secret garden. That’s because even some old-time Montclair residents don’t know it’s there. Avis Campbell Gardens is one of the state’s most beautiful gardens, located behind the United Way Building at 60 South Fullerton Ave. The Garden Club of Montclair and gardening volunteers maintain it. They tend to the garden on Tuesday mornings from April to November.

They continue:

Avis Campbell was a professional landscape artist. She was known for creating lovely patterns of color and texture. She developed the design for the gardens, creating the “wheel of life” which was constructed around a fountain.

The mission of the Avis Campbell Gardens, an organization created in 1982, is to create and promote beauty and to educate the public about gardens and gardening. There is also a memorial to Essex County residents who lost their lives on 9/11.

The Avis Campbell Gardens feature many annuals and more than 100 varieties of perennials.