2025 Southwest Summer Series Garden Tour – Hooper

Lucy & Bruce Hooper, 509 Kings Highway, Mickleton, NJ

Let us take you on a journey through our yard. Most of the garden is behind our house built in 1882. Over the past 30 years, we have been gradually replacing the lawn with native plants on this long narrow just over an acre property. Blooms in the beds behind the house change weekly starting in April with Eastern columbine, Jacob’s ladder, Eastern bluestar and Fernleaf phaecelia culminating in asters and goldenrods in the fall. At least 13 species of sedges have been added to the property over the past 8 years. As you progress through the yard you will pass an old vegetable garden which also doubles as a native plant nursery. On the left you will pass a bed full of spring wildflowers, beyond which is a former goat pen now housing a raised bed vegetable garden. Next the native meadow garden comes into view. Lastly there is a small wooded area with ferns and Mountain Laurel where a large colony of bloodroot welcomes the growing season in March. Virginia bluebells and trilliums come on the scene in April. Along the way you will see many native shrubs, trees and perennials.

Parking info:

We live on a main road and parking is limited in our driveway to only a few cars so we recommend parking in the Mickleton Park parking lot at 51 Democrat Rd, Mickleton. Google maps recognizes Mickleton Park as a location, so if using that app, you will not need to put in an address. Our address is 509 Kings Hwy, Mickleton. It is only ~7 minute walk from the park. Walk down Democrat Rd past the Little Red School House on the left to Kings Hwy. Turn right onto Kings Hwy, and we are the 5th house on the right with
the wrought iron fence. Walk down the driveway at the end of the fence. Most of the garden is in the back. By parking in Mickleton Park, you will also have the opportunity to see the pollinator garden right next to the parking lot. If that parking lot is full, there is room for street parking there, and you can also park on the street in the development which borders the parking lot.