We Grew it Here: 100 Years of New Jersey's Horticultural History with Leslie Parness

Think New Jersey only grows tomatoes?  Think again.  New Jersey was once the pinnacle for peaches, the ultimate for orchids, the tops for turf.  19th century New Jersey plant nurseries led the nation with their innovative breeding, greenhouse, field, and marketing techniques.  Meet the horticultural superstars who made New Jersey their home. Impresarios, hermits, academics, politicos and a cast of unlikely characters will make you a believer that yes, New Jersey is the "Garden State." 

Leslie Parness is the former Superintendent of Horticultural Education at the Morris County Park Commission, where she oversaw education, programming and interpretation at various sites for fifteen years. She is a founding member and past President of Garden State Gardens.

This program is co-hosted with the Historical Society of Plainfield / Drake House Museum

This program is made possible in part by an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, additionally through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Department of Parks and Recreation; and by a 2025 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.