Before we were ready to tackle the big 23-acre site, the Founders’ Garden gave us a chance to showcase our horticultural skills and demonstrate the transforming beauty of gardens. As our new plants fill in, it will exemplify the splendor the future botanical garden will bring, helping to inspire our community as we work to make the larger gardens a reality.
The Heigold FaÇade
Located at the foot of the site, the Heigold Façade is both a local landmark and the northern entrance to Frankfort Avenue. The Founders’ Garden is situated around the base of façade.
Design and Plant Selection
Our landscape design, created by Karen Bohannon, embraces the notion of establishing a front yard and back yard for the home. Karen’s design will bring four seasons of beauty to the site, using design elements and plants that would have been popular when the home was built in 1853.
Front Yard Design (PDF)
The front yard includes the showiest plants, arranged in a formal layout around the home’s entrance. The design includes a medallion centered in the walkway, flanked by rose standards that would have been typical of the time.
Back Yard Design (PDF)
The back yard has a more casual feel. Mondo Grass will create a lawn that eventually leads to the “back forty” – a slightly more wild area filled with native grasses and wildflowers.
Plant selection includes plants that would have been used at the time, but with modern cultivars for better performance. Varieties have also been selected for having low water needs. And because of the location, plants that will live in close proximity to the road have a high tolerance for salt.