New Jersey’s garden culture still carries the strong influence of Italian immigrant roots. From grapevines climbing backyard fences to rows of tomatoes and herbs, the traditions live on in everyday gardens.
I’ve seen how these spaces often feel like a mix of family history and fresh harvest. It’s a legacy that continues to shape the way people connect to their land and food.
1. Giardino della Famiglia
Nestled in Hoboken’s historic district, this community garden celebrates five generations of Italian gardening knowledge. Families tend plots filled with heirloom vegetables and herbs passed down through generations.
New Jersey residents often gather here during summer festivals to share recipes and gardening tips, keeping traditions alive through soil and seeds.
2. Villa Romana Gardens
Orange County’s hidden gem recreates classical Roman garden designs with authentic Mediterranean plants. Marble statues and fountains transport visitors straight to the Italian countryside.
The family who maintains this New Jersey treasure started with just a few olive trees in 1923, determined to create a piece of their homeland in the Garden State.
3. Orto Botanico
Behind a modest Princeton home stands an extraordinary botanical collection started by a Sicilian professor in 1956. Rare herbs used in traditional medicine grow alongside everyday cooking ingredients like basil and oregano.
Many New Jersey gardeners make pilgrimages here to learn cultivation techniques that work in the state’s climate while honoring Italian growing traditions.
4. Vigna di Montclair
Grapevines climb trellises in this backyard vineyard where an Italian winemaking family keeps century-old traditions alive. Visitors marvel at the perfectly maintained rows reminiscent of Tuscan hillsides.
Every autumn, neighbors join the New Jersey family for grape harvesting and stomping parties that end with homemade wine shared under pergolas draped with vines.
5. Giardino dei Fichi
Famous for its collection of fig trees wrapped in burlap each winter, this Clifton garden showcases Italian ingenuity. The original cuttings arrived from Naples in 1910, carefully transported in a immigrant’s suitcase.
New Jersey’s climate challenges fig growers, but this family developed winter protection techniques that gardeners throughout the state now adopt for their own Mediterranean trees.
6. Pomodoro Paradise
What started as a few tomato plants has expanded into New Jersey’s most impressive collection of Italian heirloom varieties. Over 75 different tomatoes grow here, from tiny Principe Borghese to massive Costoluto Genovese.
Summer visitors to this Hammonton garden can taste varieties unavailable in stores, preserving genetic diversity that Italian families brought to American shores generations ago.
7. Piazza Fiori
Colorful flower beds arranged in concentric circles mimic Italian town squares in this Bloomfield community space. Fourth-generation gardeners maintain traditional planting combinations that create spectacular seasonal displays.
New Jersey garden clubs regularly tour this living museum where Italian flower arranging techniques and companion planting strategies demonstrate Old World gardening wisdom adapted to local conditions.
8. L’Orto di Famiglia
Six connected garden plots tell one family’s immigration story through plants in this Trenton treasure. Each section represents a generation, beginning with essential crops and gradually incorporating American favorites.
Visitors to this New Jersey garden learn how Italian agricultural traditions evolved over 120 years while core techniques for growing garlic, peppers, and eggplant remained unchanged.
9. Erbe Italiane
Fragrant herbs fill raised beds at this medicinal garden where traditional Italian remedies are preserved through careful cultivation. Visitors learn about herbal preparations once used by immigrant families before modern medicine was accessible.
Located in Morristown, New Jersey, the garden includes educational displays about each plant’s historical uses alongside modern research confirming benefits that Italian grandmothers knew through generations of practical experience.