Humes Japanese Stroll Garden

John P. Humes served as ambassador to Austria from 1969 to 1975. Prior to becoming an ambassador, however, Humes and his wife, Jean, visited the Japanese city of Kyoto. They were so inspired by the beauty of the former Japanese capital that on their return, they dedicated a portion of their estate to be used a Japanese-inspired garden. Beginning in 1960, the Humeses had two acres of their estate transformed with the help of landscape designers. In the coming years, the garden was enlarged and opened to the public. The Stroll Garden is open from May through the end of October on Saturdays and Sundays.

Though he was a native of New Hampshire, John P. Humes lived much of his adult life in New York, where he worked as an attorney. He was named ambassador to Austria in 1969, a position he held until 1975. While serving in that capacity, Humes published a memoir, “Excerpts from the Vienna Diaries of Ambassador John Portner Humes.”

Years earlier, in 1960, Humes and his wife, Jean, made a trip to Japan and during their time there, they visited the former capital of Kyoto. Kyoto, a city known for temples and quiet, contemplative spaces, is a far cry from the bustling modern capital of Tokyo. The Humeses were charmed by Kyoto, and when they returned to New York, they began making plans to turn part of their estate into their own Japanese garden.

The couple hired Douglas and Joan DeFaya, landscape designers who specialized in Japanese gardens, to take a wooded portion of their land and transform it into a serene garden like the ones they’d seen in Kyoto. The garden began with two acres and the couple even had an authentic tea house imported from Japan. The plan for the original part of the garden evolved over four years.

In 1980, Humes formed the Humes Japanese Garden Foundation to preserve the garden under the guidance of Francois Goffinet, who began rehabilitating the garden the same year. Within the next two years, the garden was expanded and began to be used by the public.

The Stroll Garden has struggled at times over the years and was in danger of closing in recent years. In 2017, the North Shore Land Alliance purchased the garden, a move which supporters believe will keep the garden on stable financial footing. In addition to the restored tea house, the garden features bamboo, a koi pond, and stone pathways. 

Land Alliance Will Purchase the Humes Japanese Stroll Garden, North Shore Land Alliance . February 8th 2017. Accessed June 28th 2021. https://northshorelandalliance.org/news-humes-japanese-stroll-garden/.

Humes Japanese Stroll Garden--7 Acres , North Shore Land Alliance . Accessed June 28th 2021. https://northshorelandalliance.org/nature-preserves/humes-japanese-stroll-garden/.

Scenery and Serenity: Journey Through John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden in Mill Neck , Bronx News 12. June 25th 2020. Accessed June 28th 2021.

https://bronx.news12.com/scenery-and-serenity-journey-through-john-p-humes-japanese-stroll-garden-in-mill-neck-42287963.

John P. Humes Dies; Former Envoy was 64, New York Times . October 3rd 1985. Accessed June 28th 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/03/us/john-p-humes-dies-former-envoy-was-64.html.