We have come to one of Skylands’ most spectacular attractions, the Crab Apple Allée.
In early May, a profusion of pink blossoms stretches a half mile up the gentle slope to the Lodge.
At the south end of the Allée is the horse-chestnut collection, and to the east is Swan Pond and the Meadow, a field for moisture-loving plants such as Flag Iris, as well as some of Skylands’ many varieties of willow. Higher parts of the meadow contain nut trees.
The Allée marks the boundary between formal gardens to the west, near the manor house, and the informal and Wildflower gardens to the east, at the foot of Mount Defiance here in the Ramapo Mountains.
Along the eastern edge of the meadow note the planet signs for NJBG’s scale model Solar System, which stretches the length of the Allée. On this scale, the Earth is the size of a peppercorn.
