This unique and historic 7-acre gem of landscape design and woodland boasts an impressive collection of North American and Asian plants that constitute a beautiful Japanese landscape and impart a meditative experience. The landscape was inspired by a mountain setting by the sea. A stunning stepping stone path is one of the defining features found on this property and was inspired by the intimacy of a mountain path. A gentle climb through the woodland part of the garden will lead you to a “mountain peak”. There you will meet the gravel path representing a stream that will guide you to an authentic pondside tea house.

In 1981, Mr. Humes hired Stephen Morrell to rehabilitate the garden with the idea of opening it to the public. Mr. Morrell added a new entrance path featuring a collection of Japanese maples and Asian and native woodland wildflowers, increasing the size of the garden area to four acres. A wisteria arbor, bamboo groves and rocky shoreline were also added.

In 1986, the garden opened to the public, but after several years of operation it became clear that more resources were needed to secure its future. The Garden Conservancy assumed management of the garden in 1993. Through a challenge grant awarded in 1997 from the Japan World Exposition Commemorative Fund the garden’s ponds and waterfall were restored and a new masonry wall to buffer road sounds was constructed.

In 2017, North Shore Land Alliance purchased the garden from the Humes family for preservation purposes. The acquisition of this parcel completes a conservation corridor that stretches over 150 contiguous acres in the middle of the Beaver Brook watershed and effectively links the Stroll Garden and Humes property to Shu Swamp Preserve, Upper Francis Pond Preserve and the two Francis Ponds.