The Farm & Arboretum at Pleasantdale Château

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West Orange, NJ
The Farm & Arboretum at Pleasantdale Château

Owned & operated by the Knowles family, the farm produces thousands of pounds of fresh, local produce each year for use in their area restaurants.

The Farm at Pleasatdale is open to the public by appointment only. To inquire about visiting the farm or arranging for a tour, please contact us at 973-731-5600.

10/11/2024

An impressive tree by any standard, this beautifully pyramidal towering Dawn Redwood (‘Metasequoia glyptostroboides), prominently located on our estate, is an exemplary specimen of its kind.

This species of tree is a living testimony to the surprises still to be found in nature—Archaeobotanists believe that during the time that dinosaurs roamed the earth, trees in the Redwood family were highly abundant. Today, however, only nine genera and 15 species are known to exist.

The Dawn Redwood, in particular, was long thought to be extinct, known only as a fossil until as recently as 1941 when it was discovered growing in a remote valley. Seeds were collected by the Arnold Arboretum in 1947 and the species has subsequently been successfully distributed worldwide.

Fortunately, Dawn Redwoods are impressive growers, with one specimen in Virginia having even reached 120 feet in just 30 years.

While the primary focus of the tree stewardship efforts of our estate iz to promote the abundance of native species, contributing to the reestablishment of a more diverse ecosystem of plant life is always rewarding, particularly when we've fostered such a grand example to share with our guests.

10/10/2024

Our ongoing tree planting and land preservation initiatives were the subject of a recent news article. If you'd like to read the full story, which includes details of our tree stewardship projects, our farm, and our new Arboretum Conservatory, visit https://patch.com/new-jersey/westorange/west-orange-wedding-venue-home-secret-tree-sanctuary

10/09/2024

It's a perfect time of year for morning walks along our conservatory's woodland garden path, with seating to enjoy a quiet respite among the understory and diverse ground cover, as birdsong warbles from the canopy of trees above.

10/08/2024

For the bees on our estate, as long the weather stays relatively mild (around 55°F), foraging will continue throughout the autumn months as they spend many hours collecting enough nectar and pollen to feed and maintain their colonies through winter. With the diversity of flowering plant life here, there's still much from which to harvest.

09/24/2024

The turn to autumn hasn't jumped our thoughts all the way to Christmas yet, but did you know that the holly leaves and berries traditionally used as a symbol and ornament of Christmas-time actually begin to produce berries at the end of summer and early fall? -- especially in this region, as ours now have.

The use of English Holly ('Ilex aquifolium') date even further back in folklore and tradition to Saturnalia and other celebrations.

And it is only the female plants that produce the berries, which require neaby male plants of the species to fertilize them -- which in botanic terms make these plant "dioecious."

09/23/2024

Our plump Ponderosa lemons ('Citrus x pyriformis'), while still young, are growing quite large just outside of our orangerie.

As you may know, this lemon variety is a citrus hybrid of a pomelo and citron, but essentially offers an equivalent flavor and acidity of a true lemon. And it's indeed a "big squeeze," with enough juice in just one of its fruits to make several lemon pies.

09/19/2024

More guest accommodations on our estate: One of our newly-restored birdhouses, with a patinaed copper roof designed by our in-house craftsmen to mimic the iconic cupola atop our historical château.

09/16/2024

It couldn't be a nicer day to take our boat out for some pond maintenance...

08/26/2024

More fruits of the vine harvested from our farm...

08/22/2024

Quiet mornings alongside our Arboretum Conservatory find our groundskeepers diligently making their rounds tending to the potted plantings that proliferate around the periphery of our château -- all to complement that natural surroundings of our estate.

08/21/2024

Now in bloom in our conservatory garden: Purpletop Vervain ('Verbena bonariensis'). Their prolific tiny lavender-colored flowers are yet another great pollinator attractor for our arboretum and farm.

08/20/2024

With a well-earned name, this "blue dasher" (Pachydiplax longipennis) is one of several species of dragonflies that patrol our ponds and wetlands, helping to keep the population of other flying insects in check.

Fascinating to watch fly, they are often found hovering at the water's edge, abruptly darting away at any given moment thanks to their unique ability to move each of their four wings independently.

08/19/2024

It may be late summer but there are still a few allium flowering on our estate, bringing a bit of whimsy with their purple globes of flowers that subtly sway in the breeze.

08/16/2024

As additional accents to our arboretum are sculptural pieces that add playful pops of interest along the meandering pathways replete with interesting new additions of native flora and seasonal blooms.

08/16/2024

While much of our focus is on planting new trees and caring for our mature species, part of our stewardship program also includes the strategic removal of trees whose lifespan has reached their end due to health or storm damage, ensuring that our grounds are safe, while also clearing the way for new life to begin. Of the trees culled, much of the viable wood is put to use for specialty projects, firewood, and mulch for our estate.

08/16/2024

A quite literal peck of peppers, picked this morning and delivered fresh to our château kitchen.

08/16/2024

Taking a closer look at some of the flora in our arboretum, you can see that's it's quite a hairy situation. Referred to botanically as "trichomes", these structures are widespread on many plants, having a diverse range of forms and hypothesized functions--from acting as barriers to insects, temperature regulation in shading from the sun, trapping air as an insulator, preventing dessication in windy areas by reducing air flow, and even interfering with feeding by small herbivores.

But for trichomes on flower pedals in particular, botanists say that there's growing evidence that they also play a role in the proper structure of the flower itself, regulating correcr flower bud shape through a mechanical entanglement on adjacent petals that anchor the edges to counter opposing forces generated by asymmetric expansion of overlapping pedals.
..So the next time that you think about shaving, consider the functional intricacy of nature, even in the smallest of details...

08/16/2024

We're looking pretty in peaches on the farm--just about ready for picking.

Did you know that New Jersey ranks fourth in peach production among all states? With over 80 orchards comprising approximately 5500 acres, the state produces an average of over 60 millions pounds of peaches annually. That adds up to some pretty peachy profits for Jersey farmers.

08/16/2024

Though often mistaken for a moth due to its coloration and diminutive size, this pugnacious little male of the species is indeed a butterfly.

The Zabulon Skipper ('Poanese zabulon') often makes its home at woodland edges and openings, as seen here visiting one of our Butterfly Bushes ('Budleja davidii') along the trail-side of our Arboretum Conservatory.

📌(Pro tip for one of the easiest ways to differentiate butterflies from moths: Butterflies have thin, straight, and long antennae with club-like tips, whereas moths have feathery, thick, comb-like antennae.)

08/09/2024

Beyond our horticultural team and groundskeepers, there are a diversity of other talented staff members working behind-the-scenes who help to keep our arboretum looking its best.

This includes our own metalsmith, who individually hand-crafts all of the sign posts that are used to mark and display information about the many tree species across our estate.

08/08/2024

Our diligent worker bees in a constant stream, heading back home to their hive after foraging for nectar and pollen.

08/07/2024

While we typically over-winter our hibiscus plants in our greenhouse and carefully watch the temperatures before placing them outdoors, they've certainly now been thriving in the consistently tropical sun and heat these last several weeks.

08/07/2024

Unseen by mosts guests of our estate is the investment of time that our horticultural team take in the daily early mornings spent watering the myriad plants throughout our farm, grounds, and gardens, as irrigation systems can't quite catch it all. On rainy days like today, they get a brief respite to spend that time on other much needed projects...although the countless indoor plants of our château and greenhouses still require their attention as well.

08/07/2024

A plethora of protruding stamen on this showy saffron-colored cheery flower is a good givaway of 'Hypericum perforatum', the purported panacea commonly called St. John's Wort -- another addition to our arboretum.

08/07/2024

Today's early morning harvest by our farm team included another abundant array of freshly-picked tomatoes, adding color to the counter of our estate's kitchen -- soon to be shared with our guests.

Address

757 Eagle Rock Avenue
West Orange, NJ
07052

Telephone

(973) 731-5600

Website

https://pleasantdale.com/about-us/farm/

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Videos

Our diligent worker bees in a constant stream, heading back home to their hive after foraging for nectar and pollen.

Beekeeping on The Farm at Pleasantdale Chateau

Our farm and grounds manager Michael Conti checking on the health of our hives. It's looking like we'll have some great honey this year. #honeybees #beehives #apiary #beekeeping #savethebeeshoney #urbanfarm #farm #thefarmatpleasantdale #urbanapiary #savethebees

Another horticultural curiosity added to the Orangerie at Pleasantdale Château, thanks to the creative green thumb of Michael Conti and our farm team, who manage this lush conservatory room. These Aegagropila linnaei, or "Marimo moss balls", typically form in regions of Iceland, Scotland, Japan, Estonia, and Australia. Known as the "love plant" the lore of this rare form of spherical algae is that they are able to recongize true love...yet another subtle homage to finding love, nestled in the estate that is one of the region's most unique wedding venues.