Van Dyke Gardens: History

Oldest White Oak in the Country

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In the quiet town of Basking Ridge NJ, lives a town that is united by the love of one tree. White Oak to be specific. This tree has been part of U.S. history since the beginning, when George Washington decided to picnic in its shade. It also had the honor of having General Jean Baptist de Rochambeau and allied French troops march past it en route to the Battle of Yorktown VA. There is also thirty five Revolutionary War Veterans buried beneath its branches. This tree has been a part of history way before Basking Ridge was even a town!

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This tall and strong tree has withstood through six hundred years of storms and droughts. The cause of death for this landmark is unknown. According to the church that was built next to this
massive white oak, it is one hundred feet tall with a spread of one hundred and fifty six feet and a circumference of twenty feet! When the tree didn’t green for the spring last month, experts were consulted. They tested the soil, the roots and even checked for beetles and disease. An ecologist from Rutgers University inspected the tree in mid-June and declared it to be “in a spiral of decline.” The Basking Ridge Church have used cables to support the heavy limbs, and have also pruned it is a specific way so the limbs grow up rather then out. (This protects them from becoming too heavy.) Dave Culver of the Religious Society of Friends (Salem,) says that one limb weighs approximately six thousand pounds! He is also quoted saying “We found that old trees that survive do end up dropping limbs and become smaller so they can support themselves.” The town puts the fallen branches to good use however. When branches fell in 1999, limbs were offered to local artisans to create lovely creations from the wood.

With no timeline of when the white oak will officially die, residents are preparing themselves for the worst. Many talk about the tree’s death as if talking about a family member. “It’s knowing when to let go.” said Pastor Dennis Jones from Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. Below is a segment CBS News NY ran about the tree.

Thank you to CBS News NY for the video. Thank you to Marie Scaefer, from Philly.com for the original information. You can read more here.

Project Bloom History

History of Project Bloom

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Project Bloom was created in 1992 with the cooperation of Keep Islip Clean and the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Project Bloom has been used as a creative outlet for gardeners to give back to the community. The volunteers who give their time to Project Bloom, help grow flowers that get spread throughout the community. Currently there are about 16 volunteers. This year, volunteers planted roughly 6,000 plants and flowers throughout the local area. All of which were grown in the greenhouse at Brookwood Hall. IMG_4244IMG_4243Project Bloom gives a sense of unity amongst the volunteers.  Groups of all ages work with Project Bloom in the beautification of Islip Hamlet.