Somerset Hills (Basking Ridge) -- Finch Garden

This 3.5 acre Basking Ridge property was the home of Elfreda and Tudor R. Finch. Elfreda Finch was a garden writer as well as an avid garden designer, gardener, and flower arranger, and along with her husband created outstanding rock and swamp gardens on the site. She was also allied with Molly Adams in preservation efforts relating to the Great Swamp. The Finches' swamp garden was especially well known for its use of native plants and its 70 varieties of ferns. The garden overall was not limited to these two specialties, however, and a 130 foot long border filled with bulbs, annuals, and perennials outlined the house's lawn area. Finch used shrubs such as yews and other evergreens to give a feeling of unity to the design, and underplanted them with a variety of ground covers. Another garden area incorporated the Japanese motif of raked sand with yucca and other plantings to suggest an arid, desert-like setting.

Persons associated with the garden include Elfreda and Tudor R. Finch (former owners, ca. 1950-1980).