by Len Lear
Nicole Juday grew up on a farm in Illinois, where she never ugly eyes on a carefully manicured landscape and “He had no interest in gardens.”
But then, shortly after her 1997 move to Germantown, where she and her family had purchased a “fixer-upper” with a yard that needed a lot of attention, she paid a visit to Morris Arboretum. And it was almost love at first sight.
“I was stunned,” Juday said. “I knew absolutely nothing about the subject, so I started taking classes. Then I spent tons of time in my garden, and soon my interest became an obsession.”
Now, that young woman with an obsession for gardening has become a full-fledged expert, and author of what you do she describes it as the “first coffee table book on the city’s private gardens”. Morris Arboretum & Gardens is hosting a book release party, “Private Gardens of Philadelphia,” on Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m., followed by a book signing on Saturday, April 27, at 10 a.m.
Produced by Juday and award-winning photographer Rob Cardillo, the book takes readers into 21 private gardens in the The Philadelphia area, all of which are behind tall hedges, on quiet streets or tucked into lively neighborhoods. These are private places where the knowledge of gardening, and even the plants themselves, have been passed down for generations. Five of the gardens are in Chestnut Hill, one is in Mt. Airy and another is in East Falls.
Cardillo, who has been the primary photographer for more than 25 books, had been discussing the idea of the book with publisher Gibbs Smith when he invited Juday to collaborate with him – something she describes as “an incredible experience” .
“Each garden we chose had an inherent beauty, but I felt an obligation to not only record the obvious physical beauty, but to elevate it to another level,” Cardillo said. “This required multiple visits to capture seasonal peaks, optimal lighting conditions and ephemeral details. I also wanted to identify visual threads and themes in each garden that help the images give an insight into the gardener’s mind.
Juday came to Philadelphia to study textile design at the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Sciences in East Falls, now known as Thomas Jefferson University, where she earned a master’s degree. And while he’s never worked in that field, he said, he still uses what he’s learned in his current job because “some of the same principles apply to garden design.”
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You could say that his career has been at home. It started when friends asked her to help them make their gardens look like their Germantown, so she started a garden design business, which she ran until 2008, when she became. Landscape curator at the historic Wyck Garden in Germantown.
He then went on to manage the Arboretum School at the Barnes Foundation, and later became Director of Audience Engagement at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he created content and programming to inspire countless gardeners. The Chanticleer Scholarship allowed her to pursue her interest in garden writing, and she has since published numerous articles, winning a silver medal for her writing from the Garden Writers Association.
With all that experience, she says, the most important thing she’s learned about gardening is that everyone can enjoy it.
“Gardening is not an innate talent,” he insists. “Anyone can learn to do it. Here in Philadelphia, we can grow so many different types of plants because we have such good soil, decent rain and good weather. We have a lot of advantages. The sky’s the limit.”
When not spending time in her garden with friends and family, Juday enjoys volunteering at local beautification efforts. In recent years he has also served as chairman of the board for the IDEAL Industries Foundation, a corporate charitable foundation.
For more information and to register, visit morrisarb.org/lectures. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com
