Peggy’s garden…offers a secret of its own – a private seating area at the rear is hidden from the rest of the yard by a tall screen of three evergreen bushes. Even from the height of the deck off the kitchen, visitors can only glimpse one of the comfy-looking Adirondack chairs clustered under the shade of a cherry tree. A bank of bamboo in a neighbor’s yard shields the conversation nook from the rear. Peggy hastens to point out that the garden is a work in progress, only in its second season, but the yard’s layout is so inviting, it already looks well lived-in. A fence replacement triggered a complete makeover of what was formerly a lawn of lumpy grass with a grape vine arbor, a climbing rose bush and various holly and azalea bushes. She wanted a low-maintenance patio and garden, and chose to divide the space in two to break up the symmetry and offer an element of space and privacy. Immediately off the deck is a sunny patio flanked by planting beds mostly filled with annuals. Plants include hydrangea, salvia, cone flowers, catmint, astilbe, black-eyed Susans, semi-cactus dahlia, oriental lilly and forsythia. Charming garden ornaments here and there reflect the gardener’s artistic sensibility, which is also evident in the beautifully appointed rooms you pass through on the way.	Bo & Adrienne’s garden…is wrapped in the serene embrace of ancient-looking Gothic church ruins seemingly transported intact from the Irish countryside. A striking stained-glass window in one of the ruins mimics those of the neighboring church that was the inspiration behind this garden. A small water feature below the window provides a constant, soothing murmur. The stone arches, along with cleverly placed planting beds and crooks in the garden path, divide the space into a series of captivating views, while creating a sense of expansiveness. Boston ivy clambers up strategically placed wires to soften the lines of the surrounding walls and provide added privacy, especially around the sunken soaking pool. Lush layers of tropical plants, including a red-leaf banana tree, create the illusion of an exotic getaway. The owners’ love of entertaining is evident in the large outdoor dining area on an ipe wood deck under the branches of a large Kwanzan cherry tree.
Gail’s garden…reflects an artist’s sensibility, with personal touches and an overall harmony that charms the eye at every turn. Leave the city behind when you pass under the purplish foliage of an enormous smoketree near the entrance. Take care where you step, because Gail has planted sedum, moss and other small plants here and there in the crevices between the old-brick patio to soften the space. The first object that draws the eye is a pergola that supports a lush climbing vine and shelters a low bench, from which a visitor can survey the garden. To the left of the pergola is a lovely koi pond, with two well-tended fish and a few aquatic plants. Above it is a trellis made of a section of wrought-iron fencing, and to the left, hanging on the fence by the back door, is a beautiful driftwood and copper-wire wreath, made by Gail. Adding sonic texture is a tiered fountain in the rear of the garden, and on the south side of the patio is a small frog pond, with a gently rising curved ramp made of stones to help them in and out. All three water features are stocked with anti-mosquito dunks. Gail reclaimed the garden from an overgrown mess, preserving a handful of mature plants and supplementing them with one and two-year-old perennials, including evergreens like acuba, hellebore and azalea. Other plants include brunnera, columbine, astilbe, may apple, disporum, sweet woodruff, actea, epimedium, hosta and ferns. If you look carefully, you can make out a delicate, celtic-style border stenciled in pale, natural colors along the retaining wall in the back.	Bill and Caryl’s garden…is a contemporary space designed as an outdoor room, meant to be enjoyed night and day. Though Caryl is a natural green thumb (take a moment to admire the profusion of greenery in the containers in front of the house), until last year, not much would grow in the small, shady square. So the family hired landscape architect Adam Hoppe to transform it into a dramatic space with an angled platform that provides seating from which to view a triangular garden space, and a bluestone patio for entertaining. The angled design draws the eye to a dogwood tree in one corner. Anchoring the other corner of the patio is a unique “water cube” designed by Hoppe and made of stainless steel filled with recycled glass. A custom fence made of sustainable Brazilian Ipe wood frames the entire space. A mature dogwood tree and young river birch rise above shade-happy perennials such as hostas, ferns, hakon grass, astilbe, and Lady’s Mantle. For color, “Endless Summer” hydrangea and orange day lilies, along with various annuals, dot the space. Year-round greenery is provided by Japanese acuba, pieris, skimmia, liriope, and variegated euynomous. A built-in watering system on a timer keeps the plants well hydrated. In the evening, the garden takes on a completely different appearance as 14 fiber-optic lights embedded in the bluestone pavers create a “star field” at night. On the interior of the water cube, fragments of green, blue and white glass are lit up dramatically. Small, mounted spotlights shine down from the fence into the garden.
Craig and Joanne’s yard…is a traditional garden with a living room feel, reinforced by the large archway structure at the back that resembles a fireplace mantel. It frames a large urn-shaped planter, which Joanne fills with different plants each season. The garden is almost two years old, and features only an apple tree and lilac from the previous incarnation. The space is dominated by a bluestone patio with child-friendly artificial grass between the large blocks. Surrounding the patio are low-maintenance planting beds filled with lots of perennials. Joanne’s favorites are the hydrangea, plus euonymous, liriope, spirea, astilbe, daylily, and sedum. She also adds some annual flowers for color amongst the perennials. A sprinkler system on a timer keeps the garden watered.	Mark’s garden…is an attempt to recreate the suburban yards of his youth. A large central lawn is edged by evergreens, hostas, and a weeping cherry. When summer comes, blooming geraniums, daylilies, impatiens and various hanging plants add color. Almost everything in this park-like setting is indigenous to the area, except for the 20-foot cryptomeria tree in the rear of the yard, also known as a Japanese cedar (actually a cypress, not related to cedar). Mark bought the house in 1986 and the yard was mostly transformed into a low-maintenance/high-entertainment space over the next decade – “before” pictures will be on display. Other features include a hardwood shed, gnome statues from Ireland, a cement dog statue and a parking meter (hey, it’s Hoboken). The gardener will be on hand to identify the plants.
Sean and Kelley’s garden…has evolved over a seven-year period with a lot of sweat equity and a little help with the hardscaping into a functional and beautiful space that accommodates two toddlers, a large dog and some lovely flowerbeds. It now reflects elements of their combined travel experiences to Italy and Spain, a love of coastal Maine, the advice of a mother with a green thumb and the influence of an English grandmother. The original fencing was replaced with a wooden fence and a brick patio was replaced with bluestone. A deck extends from the house into the yard. They also replaced a paved walkway along one side with an expanded flowerbed and a grassy lawn. Now, two planted flowerbeds along with hanging baskets and container gardens display a variety of herbs, annuals and perennials, such as geraniums, sweet alyssum, ivy, columbine, lithodora, lavender, scotch broom, astilbe, and a small rose bush. Interesting trees have been selected for contrasting foliage, including a large ginkgo, a striking pink-leafed beech, a miniature evergreen and a Japanese maple. Flowering shrubs include lilac, mock orange, butterfly bush, hawthorne, honeysuckle and peony. After chasing toddlers and a 95-pound yellow Lab all day, Sean and Kelley have been known to mow, trim, water, weed and feed late into the evening.	The Robert’s Court secret garden…built in 1986, is a secluded, shady urban sanctuary for its residents to enjoy all year round. The courtyard’s inspiration is a charming retreat where residents both young and old can enjoy the serenity of a slice of the suburbs in the city. A gazebo anchors the foreground, and pathways lead to multilevel condo entrances around a grassy courtyard surrounded by trees, planting beds and pathways. A routine day in the courtyard will find someone reading a paper or book in the gazebo, children playing hopscotch on the redbrick-lined pathways, or people simply sitting on a park bench listening to songbirds. Neighborhood squirrels can be found scampering among Japanese weeping red maples, copper beech, donkey-tailed pine, and pear and cherry trees. Color and fragrance are provided by potted flowering plants, azaleas and honeysuckle. The beds are kept neat with river stone and with redwood chips. Maintenance is provided by volunteer residents and professional landscaping services on a seasonal basis.
The large “Tranquility” garden…provides a large, semi-private retreat for the residents of the new Lexington luxury apartment complex. Designed and created about a year ago by the Sponzilli Landscape Group, the garden offers enough planting space for a variety of plants, including Andromeda, azalea, arborvitae, cryptomeria, clump birch, weeping Japanese maple, white fir, barberry, flowering plum, gold thread, kwanzan cherry, flowering pear, dragon-lady holly, weeping Normandy spruce, weeping hemlock, Japanese holly, blue atlas cedar, abelia, European hornbeam, Serbian spruce and dwarf fountain grass, just to name a few.  Many of the plants are evergreens, which provide beauty year-round. The Tranquility garden encompasses a large patio space with a grill, bistro tables and benches for residents to use. The garden requires regular watering and fertilizing, weeding, pruning and shaping.	This brand-new condo building’s garden…reflects the clean, contemporary lines of the building’s architect’s design. Green Room Landscape Design has created a sophisticated entertaining space and peaceful retreat in this unusually wide space: it’s 28 feet wide by 30 feet deep. Aubergine-colored concrete arches frame two distinct outdoor rooms. The lower dining terrace features a granite and stainless steel outdoor kitchen and teak dining furniture. The upper bluestone “lounge room” encourages family and friends to relax around the raised fire pit, while listening to the relaxing sound of a water wall fountain made of rough-hewn bluestone. The wood comes from reclaimed barn timbers. Four large ornamental pear trees stand guard on the perimeter, and will grow to provide shade and privacy. Low-maintenance plants, including Endless Summer hydrangea, Delaware white azalea, variegated liriope and clumps of miscanthus grass, soften the raised planting beds surrounding the lounge space.
BONUS STOP:  The Garden Street Lofts’ rooftop garden…is normally only visible to residents, their guests and the occasional bird, but as a special treat, the developer, Larry Bijou, is allowing tour goers to visit on their own as a bonus stop on the Secret Garden Tour. The former coconut processing plant features an extensive “living roof,” made of thin layers of live plants installed around an ipe wood deck and grassy lawn area. The goal was to control stormwater runoff, mitigate urban heat island effects, cooling, and cleaning the air, as part of the building’s application for LEED Silver certification. It also conserves energy and reduces sound reflection and transmission, according to the designer Valerie Hufnagel, who also designed the green roof on another Bijou property, the former Hostess bakery, which once produced the famous cupcakes. The Hostess building roof is covered by a variety of sedum plants with a few pathways for utility access. Other plants include herbs, meadow grasses and meadow perennials indigenous to the area. The green roofs require little or no maintenance, apart from weeding three or four times a year. These low-growing plants make great low-maintenance ground cover for conventional gardens as well. A plant guide will be available. While you’re here, don’t miss the stunning view of the Manhattan skyline to the east, and a commanding view of Hoboken to the south. BONUS STOP:  The garden in front of St. Ann’s Parish Family Life Center…isn’t really a secret, so it’s included as a bonus stop on the Secret Garden Tour. It’s one of the rare grassy lawns visible from the sidewalk in Hoboken. The garden had been neglected for some time until Brother Bob Reinke took it on as a project a little over four years ago. Flanking the walkway leading to the Parish center (the old rectory) are ever-blooming gold day lilies, Easter lilies, Victoria Blue salvia, and French and African marigolds in bright yellow and orange hues. Brother Bob chose these colors to celebrate his golden jubilee as a brother of the Poor of St. Francis this August. Several ornamental trees dot the lawn: two dogwoods, a weeping Golden Chain, a Canaan fir tree and a holly. The two shrines are of St. Ann (near the front entrance) and Our Lady of Fatima (near the door of the Parish center). The two tall tea rose bushes by Our Lady of Fatima survive from previous incarnations of the garden. Behind St. Ann are a mix of perennials and self-seeding annuals, such as Morning Glories, spider plants and snapdragons. Opposite is an old-fashioned perennial garden with irises, phlox, asters, sweet pea and, appropriately, monk’s hood.	BONUS STOP:  Leiza and John’s garden…is well worth the trip up the light rail station elevator. Looking at the charming English-style garden in back of the house, it’s hard to believe that Leiza is a self-taught gardener who created it entirely from scratch out of a weed-choked yard. A transplanted New York apartment dweller when she moved here nine years ago, she thought grass just grew with no help. Through much experimentation, she has chosen mostly perennial plants that are reliable, hardy and native to New Jersey – with an emphasis on cheerful colors to herald spring’s arrival. Beds of lilies, daisies, hydrangeas, lilacs, alliums, hibiscus, salvias, dianthus and roses surround a lawn bordered by hostas. They added a fence, laid new dirt, mulch and concrete all around the house, and planted six trees: a flowering cherry, two Bradford pears, a Japanese maple and a crape myrtle, and flowering shrubs, like azaleas, forsythia and rhododendron. A path lined with Belgium blocks leads to a three-tier fountain in the center, and statues – buddhas, dogs and a female muse/water bearer – peek out from the foliage. Several seating areas offer different vantage points to enjoy, with a yoga/meditation section to boot.  BONUS STOP:  The community garden in Riverview-Fisk Park…has been included as a bonus stop on the Secret Garden Tour in part for the beautiful work of some 30 gardeners who tend individual plots of vegetables and flowers, but also for the rare treat of the sweeping view from the top of the Palisades cliff over Hoboken, the Hudson and Manhattan. The Riverview Community Garden was an abandoned, overgrown city lot until two local residents, Greg Bricky and Kathy Packard, applied to Jersey City for a grant to create a fenced community garden. In 1995, Anne-Marie Uebbing, Director of the NJ Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce, granted the lot to the community on a permanent charter, making it an integral part of Fisk Park. Now, it’s an open-plan, fenced community garden edged with trees and shrubs, in which members tend individual plots of flowers and vegetables, and share in the common maintenance tasks, such as weeding, watering, hedge-clearing, mowing, weed-whacking and composting. There is also a shady seating area with a chiminea fireplace. Members will be on hand all day to open the gates to tour groups and share a garden plan and plant lists.