In 1908 two brothers, Henry and Robert Tubbs, along with Henry’s adopted son, Dr. Benjamin Blackburn, used a small legacy to acquire their country home near Gladstone, New Jersey. Subsequently they developed this country place into the Willowwood Arboretum, New Jersey’s most comprehensive and longest continually operating arboretum. Willowwood, 130 acres of rolling farmland, has about 2,100 kinds of native and exotic plants, many of which are rare. In addition to the formal gardens near the residence, Willowood boasts undisturbed forest. Historic collections include oak, maple, willow, magnolia, lilac, cherry, fir, pine, a superb specimen of Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) now more than 98 feet tall, masses of ferns, and handsome stands of field and forest wildflowers.
Willowwood Arboretum is open free to the public daily, 365 days yearly, from dawn to dusk. Visitors are invited to enjoy the gardens Spring through Fall. During Winter, the Ornamentals Collection offers evergreen and deciduous plants featuring interesting fruit, bark or branching habit.
