Garden Conservancy News PRESERVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING AMERICA’S GARDENS DECEMBER 2020 Greenwood Gardens’ restored Reflecting Pool Terrace, with the D-shaped pool completely rebuilt and once again functional, and the sculptures of leaping dolphins restored. The circular beds surrounding the pool feature colorful perennials, annuals, and shrubs that celebrate the Arts & Crafts history of the garden. Greenwood photos are courtesy of Greenwood Gardens. Greenwood Gardens: Pathway to Preservation By Tovah Martin Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, NJ, recently undertook a major phase of renovations to the gardens’ main axis and fountains, completing the final piece of the main axis—the Garden of the Gods—just in time to reopen to the public on September 13. We asked longtime Garden Conservancy member and prolific garden writer Tovah Martin to provide a perspective on this most recent transformation of the Arts & Crafts garden. Visitors to Greenwood Gardens can now brush by columns bowered in ultra-fragrant roses and file between borders bedded in dianthus to experience bountiful gardens like they never savored before. Rebooting this lushness and bringing it into the public arena did not happen overnight. When visitors arrive at Greenwood Gardens, they sail past an allée of London plane trees before parking and stepping into a verdant experience that feels strikingly patinaed. Abby O’Neill, the executive director of Greenwood Gardens, recalls how perfectly that allée set up the saga when she first visited the Short Hills, NJ, estate in 2014. Abby had traveled to Greenwood for meetings in the house over- looking the gardens when their restoration was merely a goal in the future. At that time, many view lines had not been pruned clear. The fountains were not functional. And yet, she was impressed. It made an impact. Years and a whole lot of hard work later, it is all coming to fruition. And now that she is part of the project, Abby O’Neill is one facet of a unified, extremely dedicated team. As everyone involved will reaffirm: the path to restoring straight axes and impressive allées is not a straight line. Even more so—going from a private to a public garden is rarely streamlined. It is circuitous; it is fraught with decisions and possible setbacks that can be downright dicey. That said, fulfillment energizes every step along the way. And that is what preservation is all about. Greenwood Gardens is now stepping into its fruition stage and the public is enthusiastically invited to share the fruits of a second phase of major renovation, the “main axis project” that was recently completed in September. Fountains have been restored, paving stones reset, walls repaired, and perennials installed. The splendor and splash of fountains ringed with plantings and framing the view of further fountains is electrifying. But it is far from finished. Greenwood Gardens has come a long way, but there are still miles to go. Deputy Director Rich Murphy, who has been actively continued on page 4