Rutgers Gardens in North Brunswick New Jersey offers beautiful scenery, Cook’s Market and opportunities to hike, stroll or just relax among nature. 

Rest a bit in the Edwin J. and Ida M. Otken Memorial garden, with its oversized green Adirondack chairs. Photos by John Saccenti

It’s a hot, sunny Friday afternoon, and Cook’s Market at Rutgers Gardens in North Brunswick had already been open for a few hours. But the steady stream of visitors looking for something to bring home for dinner that night or for something special to make during the weekend (or maybe even for lunch that day) continued.

Vendors offering everything from mushrooms to soups and pickles, seafood, homemade food, soaps, honey and local fruits and vegetables lined the tables while music wafted through the air. By the end of the day, anywhere between 400 and 600 people would end up stopping by, according to Rutgers Gardens Director Lauren Errickson.

The market, which is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays from mid-May through December, has about 20 regular vendors and is a popular stop for nearby residents and professionals, and Rutgers staff and students. It’s also part of a much larger green spot known as Rutgers Gardens.

Helyar Woods is the perfect place for a short hike.

Located on Ryders Lane, the initial parcel of property that is now Rutgers Gardens was acquired by Rutgers University in 1916. What once measured at a little over 35 acres now is a 180-acre botanic garden that includes close to 20 gardens and natural areas that reflect a variety of ecosystems including designed gardens, farms, plant collections, natural habitats and, of course, Cook’s Market.

“It was purchased by the university for the sum of $1,  from Jacob and Cecilia Lipman, who purchased the farmland with the intention of essentially gifting it to the university,” Errickson said. “So, it was initially acquired with the idea that it would be used for vegetable and fruit research.”

Towering trees greet visitors to Helyar Woods.

Growing With the Times

At its very beginning, Rutgers Gardens helped research a common disease that was affecting peach trees. Researchers studied which varieties were resistant to the disease, so that they could be made available. Over time, the gardens evolved in parallel to the changes that were happening throughout the state, with researchers keeping an eye on what strains and varieties of plants would be resistant to drought, disease, and heat, or thrive best in the local ecosystem.

“What was a very rural agrarian state in the early 1900s started to suburbanize,” Errickson said. “And so, with the addition of more houses and more developments came the need for more landscapes and landscape plants, so that was part of the drive, to become more horticultural and to focus on ornamental plants.”

And over the years, Rutgers Gardens’ staff, students and volunteers have cultivated gardens and research plots where ornamental shrubs now grow, irises bloom, and bamboo towers above sunflowers and water gardens. Today, the area is a horticultural  gem that offers a break from the nearby hustle and bustle of New Brunswick, Route 1 and the New Jersey Turnpike, turning what could be just another bleak stretch of highway into an oasis that attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year,  Errickson said.

Visitors can see pollinators in action during their visit to Rutgers Gardens.

The gardens are tended to by a staff of four full-time employees, seasonal help and student interns. For many interns, work at the gardens matches with their field of study. But that is not a requirement, and Errickson said students from many backgrounds have contributed to the gardens’ success.

What to See

Visitors can visit the rain garden, which demonstrates how and what type of plants combat erosion and remove pollutants from the water. They can see how native species of plants act as pollinators by watching insects in action, or they can visit the majestic bamboo grove, originally planted in the 1950s as a windscreen for honeybee colonies. If they feel like it, they can rest a bit in the Edwin J. and Ida M. Otken Memorial Garden, but they might have to be tall, as its oversized green Adirondack chairs tower over shrubs perennials and ornamental grasses.

Humans aren’t the only creatures that love visiting Rutgers Gardens.

“The various garden areas are designed in part due to the location and their ecological niche, or the microclimate of their sites,” Errickson said. “So, the rain garden, for example, which is designed for water loving plants, is in a natural depression of the landscape, so it’s in a lower area. That’s going to make sense for the plants’ long-term survivability. They should need less maintenance, and less input from us if they are in an area where they want to thrive, ecologically speaking. It’s also ideal for demonstration purposes, showing what a homeowner with a similar landscape feature could install.”

Over the years, caretakers have designed the gardens so they connect in a way that makes sense for visitors — so they flow through the entirety of the space. There are some stone and grass pathways, and steps from one section to another. And around all of that are more plants.

Bamboo towers over visitors.

“While we do have set designated garden areas, many named in honor or memory of someone or for what they are … there’s also a lot of in-between spaces, so while we could draw a box around all of these individual gardens, the reality is they blend from one to another, so there is a lot of spaces above and beyond the official named garden areas that make up the entire space. Sort of a ‘whole is greater than the sum of the parts,’ situation.”

Out For A Stroll

While visiting Cook’s Market or strolling around and enjoying the day are perfect ways to visit the gardens, for those who want to wander a little more there is Helyar Woods. Named for Frank G. Helyar, an advocate for woodlands and hiking, the nearly 60-acre area includes trails that brings hikers along an old quarry near Westons Mill Pond, around the grounds and to spots offering views of several springs, towering pines and some peace and serenity.

“It has a few really scenic outcroppings and a series of trails that go through some interesting habitat. There’s a wetland habitat and upland forested habitat,” Errickson said. “So, for anyone interested in forest ecology and different tree species and evidence of different wildlife, there’s really a lot to see in this area.”

This historic log cabin is available to rent for almost any type of event.

For those who may have fallen in love with the gardens (and especially for those who may have fallen in love with someone while in the gardens) weddings and other special occasions can be held on site. A historic log cabin is available to rent as a venue, but the area also is a wonderful open air venue for weddings, retirement parties, graduations and more.

“I like to think of (Rutgers Gardens) as telling a story,” Errickson said. “There is the story of the  place itself and how the gardens here have evolved, how the relationship of the university and the community has  evolved in context of this space, and I think it also tells the story of horticulture in New Jersey.”

Cook’s Market at Rutgers Gardens is located on Ryders Lane in North Brunswick. The GPS location for the Gardens is 130 Log Cabin Road, New Brunswick, N.J. 08901, accessed via the Ryders Lane entrance.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, upcoming events and more, visit https://rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu.

After a stop at Rutgers Gardens, be sure to visit these other beautiful New Jersey gardens.