PEONY Display Garden

Plan your visit

Plan Your Spring Visit
We will be open April 26 through June 9, 2024, 10am-5pm every day

35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
Please park in town and carpool, parking is limited!

Admission is $10 per person, including children of all ages.

BEFORE YOU VISIT

We adore having you come experience the bloom that we love so much. Please be kind to your peony farmer and read our rules before you visit. Help keep this private garden open to the public.

RULES

  • If you are meeting friends park in town and carpool to the garden.

  • Limit each visit to one hour.

  • Walk only on the paths and the lawns. Do not step off into the gardens as they are very fragile.

  • No photography or picnicking outside of the hours listed.

  • No pets or smoking anywhere on the property including the parking areas.

WHEN TO VISIT

The bloom changes daily. Scroll down or click here for a week by week summary of the happenings at the Display Garden.

PHOTOGRAPHY

You are welcome to take a FEW cell phone photos to commemorate your visit. More than a few pictures? Please visit during our photography hours and purchase tickets listed below.

Amateur garden photography, including cell phone photography, is only allowed between 3:30 and 5:00 daily and requires a photography ticket paid at the gate or bought online in advance at $35 per person. Professional Photography, Social Media Influencer and Portrait Photography must be booked in advance and begins at $250 per session. See below for details.

FRIDAY NIGHT PICNICS

5:30 to 7:30pm on Fridays beginning mid May. $20 per person.

CLICK THE IMAGES BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

2024 - Open April 26 through June 9

35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.

Open 10am-5pm every day April 26 - June 9, and Friday nights beginning May 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 for Friday Night Picnics

Rules: Help Keep this Private Garden Open to the Public. It is paramount that each guest follows these rules.

  • Carpool - We have extremely limited parking. Meet friends and park in Downtown Bernardsville, 1 mile away, and carpool to the Garden.

  • Length of Visit - If you drive to the Garden, limit your visit to one hour. If you walk, feel free to stay longer. We are one mile from the train station and multiple public parking lots in Downtown Bernardsville.

  • Photography - Photography is only allowed between 3:30-5pm daily. This includes cell phone photography. Admission for amateur photographers is $35 per person in your party. Click here for more details.

  • Stay on the Paths - If you are not sure it is a path, it is not a path. Please err on the side of caution. The Garden is fragile.

  • Picnics - Picnics are only allowed on Friday’s during our Friday Night Picnics.

  • Pets - No pets, this includes the parking area

  • Smoking - No smoking or vaping, this includes the parking area

  • COVID - We will continue to follow the CDC and State of New Jersey Guidelines.

Where: 35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.
We have two locations, our Display Garden in Bernardsville is our home base. Our Cut Flower Fields in Basking Ridge, NJ will open later in the season.

How Much: Admission is $10 per person, including children of all ages.
Friday Night Picnics are $20 per adult, $10 per child.
There’s no need to buy a ticket online or make a reservation at this time.

Why Visit: Enjoy a quiet stroll in this world-famous peony garden, shop for peonies and get expert advice on your peony plantings. Peony’s Envy is a 7-acre private peony garden open to the public during the bloom. A self guided tour typically takes 45-minutes to an hour.

What is in Bloom: See our Bloom Timeline section for details on what is in bloom. The volume of flowers changes drastically through the season. We recommend coming several times during the bloom to get the full experience.

Directions to the Display Garden

35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
This is our primary location, our Cut Flower Fields are located off-site.
Please park in town and carpool, parking is limited!

Parking is limited, please carpool.

LOCAL DIRECTIONS: From the Bernardsville Train Station at the intersection of Highway 202 and Claremont Road, travel up Claremont for exactly one mile (staying straight at the forks in the road). Autumn Hill Drive is a small private road on the right resembling a driveway (look for our sign on the right just after the stone wall). Turn right up Autumn Hill Drive, travel to the end of the road. Peony's Envy is the last house/farm on the left. Parking is in the cul-de-sac.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: NJ Transit trains can be taken from New York Penn Station to Bernardsville, NJ. This ride is typically about 90 minutes including an easy train transfer. Check the latest transit schedule for details. The Display Garden are exactly one mile from the Bernardsville train station, you can walk or uber/lyft that mile.

 

When To Visit

If you are savvy, you know to visit often and experience the bloom as it changes week to week. If you live far away and need help planning your visit, we've created a Week by Week Summary to help you. We can't wait to see you. Scroll down for details.

The Big Picture: The bloom sequence is as follows: woodland / tree / herbaceous / intersectional. Typically the peak tree peony bloom occurs around Mother's Day, the peak herbaceous peony bloom - the big show-stopper - around Memorial Day. Due to variations in weather, the gardens can bloom a little bit earlier or a little bit later. The exact bloom times can vary.

Sign up for our Emails (in the footer) and like our Facebook Page for the most up to date information on the bloom. Visit often, walk the paths, and watch the Bloom unfold.

The Four Major Types of Peonies:

Overview of the Bloom Season:

This chart shows how the volume of bloom changes throughout the season.

2023 Summary of Events Week by Week

We begin each week on a Friday and end on a Thursday.

WEEK 1 - April 28 through May 4
The Tree Peony Bloom is early! Visit opening week to see the tree peonies in full bloom! Best time to shop for peony roots at the Display Garden.

WEEK 2 - May 5 through May 11
Peak Tree Peony Bloom at the Display Garden.

WEEK 3 - May 12 through May 18
Tree Peony Bloom continues at the Display Garden.

WEEK 4 - May 19 through May 25
The Peak herbaceous bloom is early this year! Now is the time to visit! Both locations are open, the Display Garden in Bernardsville and the Cut Flower Fields in Liberty Corner.

WEEK 5 - May 26 through June 1
Peak Herbaceous Bloom - the show stopper! Both locations are open, the Display Garden in Bernardsville and the Cut Flower Fields in Liberty Corner. Thousands of peonies in bloom, don't miss this week.

WEEK 6 - June 2 through June 8
Peak Herbaceous Bloom continues - the mid and late Herbaceous Peonies put on a show. These are the peonies you know from your childhood. Simply spectacular. Weather pending, bloom will begin to fade toward the end of this week.

CLOSING WEEKEND - June 9 through June 11
Final weekend at the Display Garden - Intersectional Peonies steal the show as the Herbaceous Peony Bloom finishes.

  • DISPLAY GARDEN in Bernardsville, NJ open every day 10am-5pm, $10/person

  • In Bloom: Intersectional Peonies and some remaining Lactiflora Herbaceous (your grandma's peony)

  • Shop: Peony Roots, Peony Gifts and Cut Flowers

  • Photography: If you are looking to take more than a few photos on your phone, visit during our Amateur Photography Hours, 3:30pm-5pm every day $35/person. Professional Photography must be booked online in advance.

  • Friday Night Picnic: Last of the season. June 9, 5:30-7:30pm, adults $20, children $10

  • CUT FLOWER FIELDS in Liberty Corner (Basking Ridge), NJ may still be open - will depend on the bloom. Plan on visiting in the prior weeks.

Visual timeline of when each type of peony is projected to bloom in the garden:

Friday Night Picnics

Picnics will return spring 2024

When: On May 10, 17, 24, 31 June 7, 2023 we reopen our Display Gardens for Friday Night Picnics from 5:30-7:30pm, do not arrive or setup early. Please note that there are no picnics at the Display Gardens outside of this time and there are no picnics allowed at the Cut Flower Fields ever.

What to Bring: Bring your own picnic and enjoy the bloom! We recommend you bring a picnic blanket and whatever else you need to make yourself comfortable on the lawns.

What is in Bloom: You are welcome to walk the gardens and enjoy the bloom. See our Bloom Timeline section for details on what is in bloom. The volume of flowers changes drastically through the season.

How Much: Adults $20, children $10.
There’s no need to buy a ticket online or make a reservation at this time.

Where: 35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.
We have two locations, our Display Garden in Bernardsville is our home base and the only location where we host Friday Night Picnics.

Guidelines:

  • Pack out what you pack in. We ask that you take all of your garbage with you.

  • We will have a porta potty at the Gardens, no indoor restroom facilities.

  • When in the garden please Stay on the Paths at all times.

  • No pets, this includes the parking area.

  • No smoking, this includes the parking area.

Photography Hours

IMG_6853b.jpg


Plan Your Visit & Get Tickets

You are welcome to take a FEW cell phone photos to commemorate your visit. More than a few pictures on any device? Please visit during our photography hours and purchase tickets listed below.

Amateur Garden Photography

Amateur Garden photography, photos of the garden, is allowed between 3:30 and 5:00pm daily. This includes photos on your phone or a camera. The cost is $35 per person. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Display Garden entrance.

This fee is not for professional, social media influencer, or portrait photography. That starts at $250 and must be booked in advance. Click here for professional photography tickets.

*Note that the Garden is also open to general admission during this time.

Where: 35 Autumn Hill Drive, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.

When: Photography is only allowed between 3:30-5:00pm daily from April 28 through June 11, 2022.

How Much: Admission is $35 per person for each person in your party.

Tickets: Tickets are available online or at the the Display Garden entrance

Note: This is only for amateur garden photography - photos of plants and the garden. No social media profile, portrait, or professional photography.

Click here for more details

Portrait & Professional Photography

Social media influencer, portrait, and professional photography starts at $250 and must be booked in advance.

Peak Bloom Party

IMG_1961b.jpg

Each year Peony’s Envy hosts an outdoor supper amongst the peak peony bloom.

Get your tickets now for 2023!