The community will have a rare opportunity to see over 60 acres of unique gardens not publicly displayed before during the Deeridge Farms Gardens Tour April 13 in Wellington hosted by the Wellington Garden Club.
Deeridge Farms Gardens, owned by Wellington and New York residents Jeremy and Margaret “Peggy” Jacobs, owners of the Boston Bruins hockey team, were inspired by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
“It’s a one-time opportunity. The gardens have never been displayed publicly in South Florida and it shows the principles of design that Frederick Olmsted used,” said Wellington Garden Club President Carol Coleman, a Wellington resident. “It’s a feast for your eyes.”
The club is a nonprofit with 150 members whose mission is to further the education of the public in gardening, horticulture, botany, floral and landscape design and environmental awareness through the conservation of natural resources, civic beautification and nature studies. Its members also work to instill in youth the love of gardening and the respect and protection of the environment.
Olmstead was considered the father of American landscape architecture and is known for designing many well-known urban parks including Central Park in New York City, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Biltmore estate and others.
Because Margaret Jacobs embodies the principles, vision, legacy and design of Olmsted, she received the 2018 Frederick Law Olmsted Award.
Some of the designs attendees will see at Deeridge include a lily pond landscape, butterfly, Japanese and bromeliad gardens, the orchid house, wetlands, vegetable gardens and strategically placed pathways.
“I feel fortunate to have lived on this spectacular Olmsted property. This daily exposure to Olmsted’s signature design features has been a gift. It gave me a desire to incorporate his distinct features in our Florida property. I even blatantly replicated his lily pond design in our Florida home, and now it is my favorite place to photograph,” Margaret Jacobs said in a statement.
In addition to viewing the gardens, attendees will also have access to the grounds that are the location of the Palm Beach Masters, Deeridge Derby and Palm Beach Open equestrian events.
There will be some items available that are produced on the property such as honey and syrup, Coleman said.
Proceeds from the ticket sales, which are $100 per person, will go toward the club’s junior garden clubs, college scholarships, community beautification projects, Habitat for Humanity landscaping and other civic outreach activities.
“We’re one of the major sponsors for Camp Wekiva, sponsored by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, an environmental youth camp in the U.S. The majority of funds we have are all outreach to the community,” said Barbara Hadsell, member of the Wellington Garden Club and master gardener who lives in Greenacres.
The garden club meets the first Monday of each month (except September) at the Wellington Community Center, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd., and brings in speakers and goes on tours. Everyone is welcome, Coleman said.
“We encourage both young and old. We try to instill what the world of gardening is all about,” she said.
Coleman, who is friends with Margaret Jacobs, said she is “very community oriented so that is why she opened her gardens to us.”
Deeridge Farms Gardens is at 12500 Pierson Road. The tour will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at WellingtonGardenClub.org.
