Tour with Lunch at Janet Mavec's Bird Haven Farm -and- Tour with Dessert at Michele Logan's Maranantha Regenerative Farm

Just voted as one of Veranda's World's Most Beautiful Gardens 2026 and the subject of Rizzoli's recently published book, Bird Haven Farm: an Original American Garden, Bird Haven Farm is the only garden by renowned Spanish landscape architect in America. The barns, outbuildings, and original nineteenth-century stone house (home of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, creator of the Nancy Drew mystery stories) have been joined by a contemporary house designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson in the 1990s, and more recently by a guest house by Parsons + Fernandez-Casteleiro. Hardscaping by Dale Booher added clean lines of strategically placed stone walls, evolving Caruncho's concept of a medieval village and a perfect haven for plants. With an overstory of large mature trees, the 25-acre landscape includes hay meadows, a lush orchard of heirloom apples and other fruit trees, an extensive vegetable and herb garden, and a perennial border designed by Lisa Stamm. Other features include a meandering woodland walk with cascading ponds, a mixed shrub border, a charming pond hut, as well as a grandchildren's maze garden and elf's stump.

Then, continue onto Maranatha Farm with Michele Logan. Perched on a ridge above the north branch of the Raritan River in the Somerset Hills, Maranatha Farm utilizes Regenerative and Permaculture practices to restore the ecosystem while growing nutrient dense perennial and annual food crops, herbs and flowers. Their flock of sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese play their part in the farm ecosystem via a rotational grazing plan, while the bees in their apiaries provide pollination and honey. The on-farm Prep Barn and Greenhouse include a root cellar and Prep Kitchen where baked goods, jams, herbal teas and much more are produced using farm fresh ingredients. See and taste a farm like no other, and enjoy dessert in their raised bed garden.

Bird Haven Farm Photos: Ngoc Minh Ngo