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 press releases
MOTHER'S DAY MENU AT BLOEMENDAAL HOUSE
Serving noon - 4 p.m.; cash or credit Salads Fruit, Cheese & Veggies Sandwiches, Wraps & Hotdogs Side Salads & Chips Desserts Drinks
ROSE GARDEN AND BELVEDERE TRANSFORMATION
See images of roses to be featured in the new Rose Garden: http://www.lewisginter.org/news/photodetail.php?category=Roses+Featured+in+the+new+Rose+Garden The new Rose Garden and Belvedere at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden will be a tremendous addition to the Garden and its patrons. The rose collection will reflect some of the newest and most genetically superior hybrids, bred for disease resistance, rebloom and fragrance. The majority of the cultivars are from nurseries in France, Italy, Germany and England, and most will be new to the Virginia region. The selections have been carefully made with concern for environmental responsibility to minimize the need for chemicals to control disease and insects. The location of the Garden, on the hillside, should help in providing natural air movement, which will also aid in minimizing fungal diseases. The view of the Rose Garden from the Central Garden should be quite dramatic, given the perspective and elevation change. The Rose Garden is designed to bring its visitors in intimate contact with plants and blooms – encouraging that almost instinctive bending forward to smell a rose flower for its perfume! One unique aspect of the design is the color scheme – the central area will be planted in whites and creams, with pinks, purples and reds graduating in intensity to the southwest side, and yellows, apricots and oranges graduating in intensity to the northwest. The paved area of the Belvedere is being enlarged to accommodate a wider range of performing arts programs, to be enjoyed by our visitors sitting on the terraced lawn between the Belvedere and the Conservatory. This will also become a very desirable site for weddings. Roses are the longest blooming of flowering plants in the spring-summer-autumn garden and should provide a long season of interest and color. In addition to the cultivation of roses, the Rose Garden will serve as an educational resource to teach about the long, rich history of the genus and the humans who have so carefully nurtured roses over the centuries. At the "bottom" of the rose borders, parallel to the lake edge, there will be a row of Yoshino cherry trees and an under-planting of azaleas for spring color and to frame the Rose Garden through the growing season. Ultimately, when a donor is found, there will be a dramatic water jet which rises from the lake on the central axis of the Rose Garden. Peter Kukielski, one of the renowned rosarians in the U.S. and current Curator of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), is serving as a consultant for the project. Our gardener for the Rose Garden will be specially trained by Kukielski in the Rockefeller Garden this spring, thanks to the generosity of the management of NYBG. Construction at LGBG is expected to be completed by early summer 2008. Dedication of the Rose Garden will take place in mid-fall of 2008 allowing the rose plants to establish and mature for a stunning grand opening. Frank Robinson is executive director at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. If you would like to order some of the same varieties of roses being featured in the new Rose Garden, please: Approximately 18 varieties will be available; delivery is mid-April; cost is approximately $30; SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED!
STORIES FROM THE GARDEN
The Nancy Roberts Pope Daffodil Collection By Frank Robinson, executive director, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Decades ago, Margaret Roberts Yerger inspired her niece Nancy Roberts to be passionate about gardening – especially Poet's daffodils (Narcissus poeticus) – which Mrs. Yerger loved and hybridized in her own garden. Years passed, Nancy married, raised a family, and as they matured, she decided she would study landscape design in the program here at Lewis Ginter. Sadly, her life was cut short by illness, but she found great joy in her studies and in the beauty of the Garden in her last years (a seed planted so long before by her aunt). Nancy's parents, John and Jane Roberts, established a memorial fund in her memory, and we have annually expanded our collection of Poet's daffodils for 10 years. You will find the Nancy Roberts Pope collection in the woodland garden, not far from Bloemendaal House. Her parents recently provided a paved pathway through the woodland garden, so it is more accessible to those with mobility challenges. And, as we have been able to add a beautiful curved bench where there is a marvelous view through the Flagler Garden, dazzling white with Poet's in April. A plaque with a poem by Nancy is erected on an adjoining wall. This past summer, we were give some of Mrs. Yerger's Poet's hybrids and delightedly planted them in the area devoted to Nancy's collection. Mrs. Yerger passed away this past winter at age 93. Somehow the circle is now full – love and admiration of beauty which has flawed from generation to generation in this family has happily completed its journey at Lewis Ginter. I shall sit on that bench in April, admiring the Poet's (My grandfather grew them, too) and I will think about all they reflect of life, of generosity, and of the legacy we pass from one to another – sometimes seemingly so simple, yet so profound. On a Spring Morning by Nancy Roberts Pope (1941-1995) On a spring morning I found myself dreaming in a sea of Poeticus daffodils. A windstorm blew without any warning So I gathered a handful to brighten my house. I saw at a distance a flock of grouse Flying and chirping among my daffodils. The wind died down and the birds flew away And each little Poet lifted its pretty face to the day.
LOOK WHAT'S "COMING UP" IN THE GARDEN IN 2008
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has an outstanding year of gardening planned for 2008 with significant additions to its daffodil collection, a major expansion of the Rose Garden, and a summer-long Feast for the Senses display. The coming year also leads up to the Garden's twenty-fifth anniversary in 2009. From early March through late April, hundreds of new and rare daffodil bulbs will herald spring at the Garden in addition to the thousands already in permanent collections. Guests will be able to enjoy the daffodils in a variety of settings, from an impressive display in front of the Conservatory with scores of varieties to intimate woodland settings featuring delicate Narcissus poeticus, to sweeps of naturalized blooms. The displays coincide with the American Daffodil Society National Convention at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel in Richmond, VA April 10 – 12, 2008. In addition, the central border in front of the Conservatory will feature different themes including "cool" and "hot" color combinations; a cutting garden with plants including zinnias and Jewels of Opar; and a water garden display.
Gardeners Go "Green"
Celebrate Earth Day in the Children's Garden -- Sunday, April 20. Learn more: http://www.lewisginter.org/calendar/index.php?eventType=se&month=4#fling As the nation promotes "green" stewardship, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden participates with these environmentally friendly activities, education programs and tips. Meriwether Godsey: For group events, the Garden's caterer has substituted reusable tumblers for disposable plastic cups, fully compostable hot cups and napkins made of 100% recycled material. Garden Shop: "Green" merchandise includes Rich Earth and Eco Pots, reusable tote bags and helpful gardening resources. Watch for new arrivals as they become available. Children's Garden: Staff and young visitor help grow herbs for use in the Café and Tea House. Lora M. Robins Library: Environmental stewardship is covered by a bounty of resources, including books for children. GardenFest: Last year, staff began replacing incandescent lights with LED holiday lights that are slightly more expensive, yet pay for themselves in the first year through electricity savings. For example, the electrical cost to light a holiday tree with LEDs is 13 to 17 cents per season compared to $6 to $10 for incandescent lights. Already, more than 25 percent of the GardenFest lights have been converted – totaling more than nine miles of LED strands in a 500,000-light display. Your Garden: In many cities, nearly a third of the volume hauled to the landfill is landscape refuse, such as lawn clippings, leaves, branches and wood chips. Homeowners who compost at home remove some burden off our landfills. Keep checking -- we'll continue to add to this list!
Gardening tips from Strange's Florist, Greenhouses and Garden Centers
To enter the Strange's Garden Center knowledgebase and learn more about gardening click here!
Current Business Members, Corporate Sponsors and Donors
A special thank you to all of our Business members, corporate sponsors and corporate donors. It is with the generous support of the corporations listed below that the Garden is able to offer the first-rate experience that our visitors enjoy. To learn about our business membership program and corporate giving click here!
GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY! DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN'S GARDEN AT LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN
Children of all ages will delight in the new Children's Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. The brand-new garden, which opened September 24, 2005, is a "learning landscape" where children can enjoy the freedom to explore the natural world. Diversity is the main theme of this garden -- diversity of environments, ecosystems, plants, adaptation and human culture. The Children's Garden is a great destination for visitors with its many opportunities for self-directed, informal learning and as a place to have fun! it will also be used for the Garden's structured, organized education programs and school groups. A universally accessbile design ensures that visitors with disabilities can participate in a full experience of the garden, which includes two elevated structures -- a Leafy Overlook and a Tree House -- that can be "climbed" by all visitors via a long, gently sloping ramp and connecting bridge. This ramp was funded in part by a grant from the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Elevated planting beds also alow persons in wheelchairs to be able to participate in gardening activities. Highlights of the new Children's Garden include: An International Village consisting of playhouses and plantscapes suggestive of various cultures from around the world. Each area highlights plants native to a particular region, focusing on the interdependence of the people and plants in the daily lives and prosperity of its people. The designs for the playhouses are simple, child-scale interpretations of shelters in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Native America. An Adventure Pathway complete with boardwalks, bridges, and a Leafy Overlook. The pathway winds through four planted environments -- deciduous forest featuring trees with fascinating bark, grasslands, butterfly meadow, and conifer forest -- and includes a "hidden" above-ground tunnel and hideaways made of natural materials. Water Play accessible for all children to play and cool off in the heat of the summer. Shooting water jets, giant frog and cattails, dumping buckets and surprise spray features are framed by plants adaptive to aquatic environments. A shady sitting area for adults to observe and monitor children is immediately adjacent. Weird and Contrasting Plants with the opportunity to explore, compare, and contrast interesting and unusual plant characteristics. A world full of whimsy and wonder is created by the juxtaposition of plants that are climbing up and hanging down, soft and prickly, wet and dry, big and little, fragrant and stinky. Activity Centers and a Sand Play Area provide opportunities for digging, building, garden design, and arts and crafts.These areas invite children to creatively engage in hands-on activities using plants, plant products, soils, water, sand and other natural materials. A very special component of the Children's Garden is a Tree House that can be "climbed" by all visitors, including those with limited mobility. The Tree House is planted on the edge of the Garden's lake with dramatic views to the Conservatory, the Rose Belvedere and all the elements of the botanically rich Children's Garden. There is magic in being high above the ground in the tree canopy, eye-to-eye with the birds -- for the young-at-heart of any age. As part of the larger Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Children's Garden is open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and is located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond, Va. The Garden is conveniently located off Interstate 95 just 15 minutes north of downtown Richmond and is within driving distance of 50% of the U.S. population. Admission to the Children's Garden is part of regular admission: $9 adults; $8 seniors; $5 children ages 3 - 12; free for children under age 3 and members. FACTS ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN'S GARDEN Tree House Facts: # # # |