Riley family invites public to see extensive garden in benefit for Cobblestone Museum

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Not even a hot day can keep Jeanette Riley from spending time in her garden. She will host the Cobblestone Society’s annual mid-summer celebration there on July 17.

ALBION – The Cobblestone Society’s annual mid-summer celebration on July 17 this year is titled “On the Bank of the Erie Canal,” and will take place at the extensive and elaborate gardens of Jeanette Riley.

Co-chaired by Shirley Bright-Neeper of Medina and Joyce Chiczek of Lyndonville, the event will feature music by the E-Yah-Pah-Hah Quintet, wine and light refreshments provided by Chiczek.

The gardens are located at 1960 Riley Place, off Moore Street, next to the Erie Canal.

Elaborate statuary, opulent blooms and winding paths will greet visitors to the Riley Family garden on the Cobblestone Society’s mid-summer celebration July 17. Here, Jeanette Riley and Shirley Bright-Neeper are partially hidden in the shade as they take a break while touring the garden.

Cobblestone director Doug Farley says no one will want to miss this tour.

“In recognition of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, this magnificent garden is the perfect choice, as it is on the north bank of the Erie Canal,” Farley said.

Parking is limited near the garden, so it is recommended passengers be dropped off at the driveway to the Riley home and drivers can park at Light of Victory Church (formerly St. Mary’s Church) at 47 Brown St., where they will be shuttled to the Riley home.

The event will start at 4 p.m. and continue until dark. This is an ongoing, informal event, with activities scattered throughout the garden. It is a large garden and there are many places for visitors to sit as they wander at their own pace. Guests may also bring their own lawn chair.

Lush plants welcome visitors to the elaborate garden where Jeanette Riley will host the annual garden tour July 17 to benefit the Cobblestone Museum.

E-Yah-Pah-Hah, a quintet of music educators, will present their featured musical performance beginning at 5 p.m.

The history of the Riley gardens goes back to 1960 when Jeanette’s parents, Henry and Alma, lived there as renters. The original home, owned by an uncle, had five rooms with an outhouse. The family paid $35 to $40 a month to live there, Jeanette said. Her parents later bought the property for $2,000 around 1980, then bought three lots from Curtis Lyman to extend their property.

“Dad was a brick mason by trade, and he started fixing things up,” Jeanette said. “The house now has five bedrooms and two baths.”

Jeanette moved home with her mother when her father got sick in 1995. He died in 1997, and Jeanette said her mother started planting flowers to keep busy. She had hedges pulled out and began planting flowers, hit and miss, Jeanette said.

Shirley Bright-Neeper, left, and Jeanette Riley enjoy conversation on a hot day in the shade of a giant maple at the entrance to the Riley family garden, which will be the site for the Cobblestone Society’s annual garden tour on July 17. The elaborate garden is located at 1960 Riley Place, on the bank of the Erie Canal.

Jeanette, 74, worked at the Probation Department, and after work her mom would tell her what she had done that day.

“Every day mom was out here, and I helped on Saturdays and Sundays,” Jeanette said. “We would talk about plants and flowers we wanted. She was very creative.”

When another house burned, the Riley’s took the bricks and made a patio. They had truckloads of sandy loam brought it for flower beds, and planted a lot of bulbs. Then a harsh winter hit and the weight of the snow killed all their bulbs.

“We called it ‘Death Valley Days,’” Jeanette said.

Their second big project was getting a second load of loam and framing off a patio.

“We learned we had to fluff the soil,” Jeanette said. “We called it our ‘shovel garden.’ My brother and his son had to do a lot of shoveling.”

A row of unique planters line a walkway through the Riley family garden on the bank of the Erie Canal in Albion.

Alma, who is in her 90s, still tries to help with the gardens, as does Jeanette’s brother. Jeanette does the majority of gardening, but her brother does the heavy lifting and digging. His son and fiancée help with planting. Sister Wanda helps on weekends.

Jeanette said when the buy new things to plant, she always gets two. She has had the Amish build several outbuildings on the property.

“I try to plant things so I don’t have a lot of weeds,” she said.

The garden is opulent with plants and bushes, some rare, like the yellow wood magnolia. One of Jeanette’s favorite places in the garden is what they call the “Gray area,” an area dedicated to Henry and Alma, with angels and a wrought iron sign with their names on it.

This section of the Riley family garden pays tribute to Henry and Anna Riley, who first bought the property.

A grape arbor, numerous statuary and wrought iron decorations create a magical place to stroll or sit in one of the many areas provided along the way.

A donation of $10 is suggested, and reservations are strongly recommended by logging on to CobblestoneMuseum.org or calling (585) 589-9013. The event will take place rain or shine.

This event may be canceled on the day it is scheduled due to rain or other weather conditions that could interfere with the performance.