Summit Arboretum Sponsors 'Garden Secrets' Event at Trailside

 In a presentation titled “Garden Secrets,” award-winning gardening columnist Valerie Sudol will share the myths and facts behind a successful garden at Union County’s Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. The event includes a question-and-answer session and is open to the public.  An admission fee of $5 per person will be collected at the door.

Garden Secrets is sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County and The Reeves Reed Arboretum.   

“This is a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of a fellow Garden State resident whose passion in life is to make things grow,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener, you are bound to discover something new.”

Valerie Sudol is a career journalist who is well known for her work with The Star-Ledger, for which she helped launch the award-winning Home & Garden section. Along with feature stories, her weekly Garden Diary column covered gardening, nature, land stewardship and related topics and was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Ms. Sudol has been recognized for her involvement in horticultural activities throughout New Jersey and she continues to contribute to the Ledger and its lifestyle magazine, Inside Jersey, as well as other websites and publications including The Asbury Park Press.

The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County is a volunteer group affiliated with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  One of many Master Gardeners community service projects is cultivation of the Demonstration Gardens, located behind the Trailside Nature and Science Center. Garden-grown vegetables, fruit and herbs are donated to food pantries and flowers are donated to local cancer centers and hospitals.

For more information about the Garden Secrets event or to find out how to become a certified Master Gardener, call the Extension offices at 908-654-9854.

The Trailside Nature and Science Center is Union County’s state of the art nature museum and education resource, serving thousands of Union County residents and visitors each year. Located in the County’s Watchung Reservation at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, it is open seven days a week except for holidays.

For information on all events and programs at Trailside call 908-789-3670 or visit the Union County website, ucnj.org.