A new future for Heronswood Gardens

 

heronswood2_gp_072107web432x324 

Garden Conservancy Open Day at Heronswood Gardens
on the Kitsap Peninsula near Kingston, Washington

 

The sale of Heronswood to the local Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe was completed on Thursday, July 22, 2012. Over the past twelve years, George Ball and W. Atlee Burpee & Co. have been committed to preserving and maintaining the garden and its extraordinary plant collection. Since 2006, they have generously welcomed thousands of people to the garden through the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program.

 

The property was put on the market that same year, and since then Burpee has been looking for the right buyer who would and could continue to maintain the garden and keep it open to the public. The S'Klallam tribe plans to do just that. The first opportunity to visit the gardens under this new ownership was on July 28 as part of our Open Days program. Nearly 200 people visited Heronswood that day, raising $945 to benefit our preservation work at the Chase Garden in Orting, Washington.

 

heronswood10_gp_072107web432x324Bill Noble, the Garden Conservancy’s director of preservation, says, “We applaud Burpee for keeping the garden intact and maintaining it for so many years. They have assured that it is placed in the hands of people who value the garden and will manage it as a resource for the public. Heronswood is a wonderful collection of plant materials and an important horticultural destination.”

 

heronswood1_gp_072107web216x162According to newspaper reports, the new owners are committed to maintaining the garden as an asset to the community. As reported, S’Klallam tribe chairman Jeromy Sullivan said, "We understand how passionate people are about Heronswood and, as a neighbor, we are committed to maintaining this local treasure."

 

For more information, click here to read Burpee's press release announcing the sale.

Headquarters: The Garden Conservancy, Post Office Box 219, Cold Spring, NY 10516. Telephone: 845.424.6500 Fax: 845.424.6501