Untermyer Gardens and Filoli Receive Jean and John Greene Prize for Excellence in American Gardening
The Garden Conservancy announces that two great American gardens have received its most prestigious award. Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers, New York, and Filoli in Woodside, California, have been selected as recipients of the esteemed Jean and John Greene Prize for Excellence in American Gardening. The gardens will receive a grant of $45,000 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to American garden preservation. One of the nation’s leading awards for garden preservation, the Greene Prize recognizes design, preservation, and scholarship. Untermyer intends to use the contribution to help support the restoration of the Color Gardens that have been lost since 1946. Filoli will use the grant for a capital campaign to help support its restoration.
Both gardens are located near major cities. Untermyer Park and Gardens, 5 miles north of New York City, is known for its extraordinary architecture and lavish gardens overlooking spectacular views of the Hudson River. One of the new highlights: the City of Yonkers and St. John's Riverside Hospital are exchanging a parcel of land so that the Park and Gardens can reclaim a series of gardens that were on the site’s original Greystone estate.
Filoli, 30 miles south of San Francisco, is a magnificent and enduring country estate on 654 coastal acres with sweeping views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The name of the garden, Filoli, is derived from the phrase: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.” The garden was built in 1917 for 20th century gold mine heir William Bourn II and is now managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“The Jean and John Greene Prize recognizes not only their beauty, but also their leadership in garden preservation and stewardship and the vital work required to sustain them for future generations,” said James Brayton Hall, President and CEO of the Garden Conservancy. “We are proud to support both the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy and Filoli—two remarkable places whose stewardship ensures that their cultural and horticultural legacies will endure.”
The Jean and John Greene Prize has been made possible through a transformational estate gift of nearly $3 million from John Kaul Greene (1929-2019). Mr. Greene expressed a passionate intention to establish an award honoring excellence in American gardening. He is survived by his wife, Jean, who shared his deep appreciation for the enrichment gardens bring to our lives—a sentiment that grew during their four years living in Europe. The Greenes were avid gardeners at their Lake Forest, Illinois, home and dedicated supporters of the Chicago Botanic Garden, where John served on the board of trustees for more than 50 years.
This prestigious award highlights the vital importance of preserving America’s gardens for future generations, a mission that lies at the heart of The Garden Conservancy’s ongoing commitment to protect and celebrate the nation’s most exceptional gardens. Previous recipients include: McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida, in 2024; Lotusland, Montecito, California, in 2023; and Wethersfield Estate and Garden, Amenia, New York in 2022.
About Untermyer Gardens Conservancy
The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Yonkers, works to restore, interpret, and enhance the 43-acre Untermyer Park and Gardens and to raise funds to support its annual operation and capital expenses. The park, a remnant of Samuel Untermyer’s 150-acre 19th century estate known as Greystone, became public in 1946. It combines exceptional horticulture, monumental architecture, and multicultural design by the prominent architect William Welles Bosworth in a majestic natural setting overlooking the Hudson River. Among the principal features are the Walled Garden, the Vista, and the Temple of Love, which had fallen into ruin. The Conservancy was founded in 2011 to reclaim the lost splendor of Untermyer Gardens. Today, its prestige as one of the greatest gardens in America has been restored. The Conservancy is committed to sharing this outstanding resource with a diverse, global audience. Untermyer also offers a paid high school internship program with three cohorts of six students who work in the gardens during the spring, summer, and fall. Interns work alongside staff gardeners, receive hands-on horticulture training, and focus primarily on the ornamental vegetable garden, which donates produce to organizations serving people in need. Admission to Untermyer, a municipal park owned by the City of Yonkers, is free of charge.
About Filoli
Filoli is a world-class garden and vibrant landscape of the Bay Area, situated on the unceded ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone, in Woodside, California. The estate boasts 654 acres of beauty nestled along the slopes of California’s coastal range. Originally built as a private residence in 1917, Filoli was opened to the public in 1975 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The property is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century, featuring a 54,000+ square-foot Georgian revival-style mansion, 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens, a 6.8-acre Gentleman’s Orchard, and hundreds of acres of Natural Lands with six distinct ecosystems and nature trails. Guided by a strategic plan rooted in access, stewardship, and connection, Filoli has expanded its Natural Lands into a Nature Playspace for families of all ages, inviting visitors to engage with nature in new, immersive ways. A newly opened mile-long trail system winds through majestic redwoods and historic oak groves, with an ambitious expansion plan to add an additional 10 miles of trails offering stunning overlooks of the House and gardens. At the heart of the property, the Meadow has emerged as a definitive gathering place for concerts, festivals, and artistic partnership programming—including the opera, In a Landscape, Nightfall, and Holidays at Filoli—welcoming the community to experience art, nature, and connection in a singular setting. Together, these initiatives reflect Filoli’s commitment to thoughtful land management, expanded access, and the stewardship of one of America’s great cultural and natural landscapes for future generations.
Top photo: The Walled Garden at Untermyer Gardens.
Bottom photo: Filoli. Photo: Albert Dros
