N8H_6675

Mountsier Estate unfolds across two acres and includes over eighty pieces of figurative and abstract sculptures. Silas Mountsier started the garden in 1954 and began working with Richard Hartlage in 1991 to redesign and expand the garden. Today this study in greens is the perfect foil for the art. Four terraces provide spaces to relax and enjoy the views. A viewing platform offers a vantage point for surveying the garden. Crescent-shaped berms with radiating stripes of bamboo grass enfold the visitor in a land-form sculpture. Silas’ garden has been called one of the most important private gardens in New Jersey. The very existence of the garden in its present form is another example of Silas not being a banker in the traditional sense and of the unique, deep, genuine relationships he develops with so many people. One of his clients spent a million dollars developing a portion of the garden when Silas had offered her a place to live out her final days. Another client rearranged her will in such a way that Silas would be able to care for the garden for the rest of his life: “I want you to live well until you die” was the way she put it. Silas continues to “live well,” and our community continues to reap the benefits. www.landmorphology.com/mountsier-estate nutleyhalloffame.nutleypubliclibrary.org/2023-mountsier/