Go Check Out Laurelwood Arboretum

by Alice Magdziak • November 29, 2010 • Garden State, Newsy Jersey, Passaic • Comments (0) • 2235

Walking trails, acres of space, rare species not usually seen in New Jersey… all things to find at Laurelwood Arboretum. The Arboretum has been in existence since the 1930s but has gone basically unknown until recently.

Photo by Bob Shine, via LaurelwoodArboretum.org

It’s tucked away at 725 Pines Lake Drive West in Wayne which is off the Hamburg Turnpike. Admission is free and open from dawn to dusk.

A few weeks ago, the Passaic County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund gave the Arboretum about $450,000 in grant money along with additional funds from the Wayne Lions Club. Moneys will be used to refurbish the grounds and create a Sensory Garden for blind and handicapped people. A Sensory Garden focuses plantings that have a strong smell or have an unusual texture or taste along with wind chimes, running water features and other things that create sounds, feels and smells to enjoy without using your sight. There will also be raised beds and wheelchair-friendly paths for people with limited-mobility to enjoy the area.

The Lions Club is planning on creating more of these types of gardens all over the country for people who wouldn’t normally be able to enjoy a garden or park-like setting.

Check out the Laurelwood Arboretum’s website here.

via Wayne’s secret garden soon to be discovered – NorthJersey.com.