Verona Park lake with paddle boats, playground, waterfalls, tennis

Verona Park Gardens

Park Gardens

Edenwild Children’s Garden

Verona Park Children’s Garden (Edenwild) is a special area situated on a gentle slope east of Verona Lake which directly adjoins the playground. It was opened in 2003, as a joint project of Essex County and Verona Park Conservancy. Edenwild is dedicated to providing families with a peaceful place where they can relax.

Children can roam around safely and wander through small garden areas on meandering paths. There are whimsical stone benches in the shape of animals, a small amphitheater tucked into an area overhung with trees, and arched entrances at the north and south that create the feeling of entering a special place.

Edenwild is maintained by the Conservancy, and each year we introduce new plants and experiment with new arrangements to keep the gardens vibrant and give children a sense of nature’s great diversity as it slowly unfolds throughout the growing season.

Recently, a “Happy to Chat” bench was introduced to provide a safe and peaceful place for park goers to meet fellow nature lovers.

Wall and Butterfly Gardens

The Wall Garden is situated on the west side of the lake. Its noted feature is a long retaining wall set back from the pathway. From April to October the garden features a variety of pollinator friendly native perennials and annuals.

In 2024 the Conservancy created the Butterfly Garden made up exclusively of native plants that attract butterflies and other pollinators and provide a food source for caterpillars. It was created in an area behind the Wall Garden that was previously covered with invasive vegetation and has been officially certified as a butterfly garden by the North American Butterfly Association and certified as a Monarch waystation by Monarch Watch for contributing to conservation of Monarch butterflies.