New Vernon -- Wing Haven

According to an excerpt from a garden tour program, this was the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Lake Bower and complemented a contemporary home designed by Emil Schmidlin that won the New Jersey Society of Architects 1953 Award of Merit for excellence in design. Although Alice L. Dustan landscaped the area immediately around the house, the rest of the property remained heavily wooded or was planted with shrubs and fruit trees, and included striking views across the countryside. Punctuating the landscaping were several bird feeders, reflecting the Bowers's devotion to ornithology (Wing Haven was a banding station of the Fish and Wildlife Service). It is possible that the Bowers are the same Francis Lake Bower and Winifred Ferry Bower who are buried in Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, New York, and the birth and death dates of these individuals are included in their index entries.

Persons associated with the garden include Alice L. Dustan (landscape designer, ca. 1953); Emil Schmidlin (architect, 1953); and Francis Lake Bower and Winifred Ferry Bower (former owners, ca. 1953-1994).