Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum (Campus of Georgian Court University)

The Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum, on the campus of Georgian Court University, in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, United States, was once the landscaped park for the winter home of George Jay Gould, millionaire son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

In 1896, architect Bruce Price was hired to transform the land into the replica of a Georgian country house. Since the sandy soils of the New Jersey Pine Barrens were not suitable for cultivating exotic plants, 5,000 cartloads of fine loam were brought to Georgian Court from neighboring Monmouth County. Bruce Price designed three of the four major gardens: the Italian Garden, the Sunken Garden, and the Formal Garden. Takeo Shiota designed the Japanese Garden.

Today's arboretum, established in 1989, is named after Sister Mary Grace Burns, former professor of biology, and comprises the entire campus of 62 ha (155 acres). In addition to many exotic species, the arboretum features a good collection of native plants of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Most notable are the very large and old oaks and Pitch Pines (Pinus rigida).

-wikipedia