Celebrating Our Founding Members


In our archives, we found a page from our very first newsletter (1990) that lists the names of our "Founder Members" and advisory board. This is the group that launched the Garden Conservancy on a trajectory of saving and sharing outstanding American gardens for the public to enjoy. The enduring loyalty and support of these founding members  indeed, of all of our thousands of members  have been crucial to the success of our organization over this past quarter century. Some of the original members are no longer with us, but their legacy lives on in many of the programs they helped shape. And it is heartening to note that many of our founding members are still active in our organization today and many are helping us to shape the next quarter century.

We hope to share some of the stories from this impressive group about the beginnings of the Garden Conservancy, as well as their insights and wisdom about gardening and preservation.

Please also stay tuned for the unveiling of our first Garden Conservancy book, Outstanding American Gardens – A Celebration / 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy, to be published by Abrams in late September. The book showcases eight gardens we have helped preserve and 43 of the more than 3,000 private gardens across the country that we have opened to the public through Open Days and garden-study tours. The book will be a feature at the Hollister House Garden Study Weekend on September 12 in Washington, CT, and we are planning further events around the country to celebrate the launch of the book.

During our first 25 years, our members enabled the Conservancy to germinate from the initial seed of an idea shared by Frank and Anne Cabot, and then to grow and prosper. We have progressed from charting a path to save one exceptional garden, the Ruth Bancroft Garden, to helping to find preservation solutions for more than 100. We have opened up private gardens in 28 states through our Open Days program, and we have worked nonstop to educate and inspire the public on the importance of gardens. Our 25-year timeline lists a few of the many highlights. We pay tribute to all of our members, but especially those who have loyally supported us from the very beginning. 

Please join us as we continue to celebrate our 25th Anniversary this year and help us plan even more accomplishments for the next quarter century.

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A Timeline of Our First Quarter Century

See a few of the many milestones in our first quarter century since our founding in 1989.

Greenwood Gardens. Photo by Ken Druse.

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Our Silver Anniversary book is the perfect gift for gardeners!

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Then & Now

Ruth Bancroft was a pioneer in dry gardening. Today dry gardening is more important than ever in California—just one example of the importance of preservation.