Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden

For nearly 80 years, Stoneleigh was the home of the Haas family, who donated the property to Natural Lands in 2016 so that it would remain preserved forever. After much preparation, planning, and planting, Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden opened to the public in May of 2018.

Today, Stoneleigh is a stunning reflection of more than a century of loving care by three different families. Extraordinary trees, sweeping vistas, and intimate garden spaces offer a variety of opportunities to explore, learn, relax, and be inspired.

Stoneleigh is also a showcase for blending the aesthetic beauty of designed gardens with the natural richness of native habitats that are essential to the health of our planet. In his popular book Bringing Nature Home, noted entomologist Doug Tallamy (and member of Natural Lands’ Board of Trustees) wrote of the vital role that native gardens can play in enhancing biodiversity. “It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to ‘make a difference.”

The Tudor Revival mansion at Stoneleigh was the Haas family home for generations. Today, it serves both as home to the Organ Historical Society – an organization that celebrates, preserves, and studies the pipe organ in America, including one that the organization has installed in the house – and a space for a wide variety of programs in the future.