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WILD GARDENS

Imitate Nature

by Mary Jasch

The best place to see wild flowers is, of course, in the wild. So head to a park, slightly civilized, with maintained paths where trees and shrubs are clipped back from the paths, allowing in sunlight.

This is a great time to see wild flowers, even in the densest deciduous woods, while the sun reaches the forest floor before the leaves fill out.

In New Jersey, the southernmost range of DIG IT! territory, things are blooming. A walk in Hacklebarney State Park in Chester, New Jersey, reveals a true wild garden.
This popular park is close to Routes 80, 206, and 287 - easy to get to. Lightly graveled paths are easy walking and safely done without a buddy.

From the parking lot take the white trail downhill. Turn left on the red trail and descend stone steps into a glacial valley, making a grand entrance among flowers and ferns. Cross the Trout Brook. Yellow, purple, and blue and white violets, buttercups, spring beauties, and Jack-in-the-pulpit bloom under white, red, and black oak and regenerating American beech. Spotted trout lily leaves and arching stems of Solomon's Seal signal impending bloom.

“There's a moth that when in flight looks exactly like a violet." - Kathleen Casey, hiker.

Along the gravel red trail, swaths of daylily leaves under berry brambles line the path. As the path descends, sounds of the Black River filter through this denser understory. The red trail flanks the river, becoming a rock-and-root-hopping adventure through some of nature's prettiest gardens. Violets and ferns tuck into protective crevices and up against warming rocks and hosta, an escapee, sprouts in muck near the river. What landscape architect could do better?

Cross the Trout Brook again on boulders or bridge and continue to follow the red along the river. The woods appear like a painting -- silver tree trunks, vivid green spring leaves, spotty white dogwood blossoms.

If you want to cut the hike a little short, take the blue trail uphill on gravel and turn right on white. Wood anemones spotted with wild geranium line the path here, and uphill a bank of trout lily.

Go see nature's blossoms. Pack a lunch and water.