Preservation

Our Philosophy / Our Services / Our Partners

The Garden Conservancy's mission is to preserve, share, and celebrate America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public. Our garden preservation program is our primary means of fulfilling the "preserve" portion of our mission.

The Garden Conservancy has helped to preserve more than 100 gardens in 26 states and two Canadian provinces. We assist garden owners, managers, and community organizations across the country to address a wide range of challenges from historic rehabilitation and organizational development to collections management and documentation. The Garden Conservancy does not own or manage any gardens and does not accept property donations or bequests. 

Below are some current examples of our garden preservation work. For a more complete list of gardens we have helped preserve or restore, visit our Preservation Portfolio.

Blithewood Garden Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Gardens at Palmdale Fremont, CA

Hollister House Garden Washington, CT

How We Began
In 1988, Frank and Anne Cabot toured Ruth Bancroft’s three-acre garden in Walnut Creek, California, with its extensive collection of rare and mature succulents and cacti, many in full flower and all thriving. During the visit, Mrs. Bancroft mentioned to them that there were no plans for the garden beyond her lifetime.

Afterwards, Anne asked Frank, “Why don’t you start a garden conservancy?” Within a year, his enthusiasm for her suggestion awakened a positive preservation force that became the Garden Conservancy.

Elizabeth Lawrence Garden / Wing Haven Charlotte, NC

The John Fairey Garden Hempstead, TX

Ruth Bancroft Garden Walnut Creek, CA

Today
Since 1989, we have helped save or restore more than 100 North American gardens. True to our mission, we help preserve gardens for the education and inspiration of the public. These gardens, from the smallest to the largest, manifest the artistic spirits of their creators and showcase the broad diversity of climate, soil condition, and garden styles found on this continent. Gardens connect people to nature, bringing beauty, spirituality, and solace into our daily lives. They provide spaces for communities to gather and for people to interact, and they bring our shared culture and history to life. As living works of art, they embody both the creative force of human artistry and the powerful beauty of nature. We welcome you to join us in the effort to preserve, share, and celebrate the vital role that gardens play in our culture and history, and, indeed, our quality of life.  For a list of gardens we have helped preserve or restore, see our Preservation Portfolio.
  

Our Philosophy

By preserving gardens for future generations, the Garden Conservancy works within the broader realm of historic preservation and environmental conservation. Gardens are manmade, artful landscapes. As with all art, gardens enhance our experience and understanding of the larger world. Unlike much art, however, gardens are also living entities and connect us directly to nature. Our Preservation Department acts as an incubator and coach to help gardens achieve long-term existence. Some of the ways we help may include:

• Saving gardens through preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation
• Assisting gardens with guidance on vision, feasibility, management, and best practices
• Educating partners and the general public on development of internal infrastructure, fundraising, strategies for preservation, marketing, membership, volunteers, and empowering them with the knowledge and skills they need to reach their goals.

Our Services

The scale and scope of our work varies. Sometimes the Garden Conservancy’s help comes in the form of a series of phone calls and meetings. Other times our involvement is far more extensive. The range of advice and assistance we provide includes:

Garden Stewardship, Planning, and Protection Measures

• Site assessments, master planning, and garden design
• Garden documentation, cultural landscape reports, and landmark status
• Maintenance plans and sustainability best practices
• Speaking out for gardens
• Conservation easements

Organizational Development Assistance

• Assessments and feasibility studies
• Mission and vision statements
• Management structure for a nonprofit organization

Communications and Marketing Consultation

• Web presence
• Visitor experience
• Programming
• Strategic relationship development

Resource Development Guidance

• Nonprofit financial practices
• Fundraising strategies
• Membership and volunteer cultivation

What do these individual services add up to? How can they make a difference? Read more in What We Do.

Our Partners

The Garden Conservancy has a small core of staff members and an extensive, enthusiastic network of partners. Many of our partners are garden creators who wish to preserve and share their work with future generations. We also work closely with community groups, large and small organizations and agencies, and hundreds of volunteers.

Together with our partners—garden owners and organizations ranging from small "friends" groups to large national organizations—and hundreds of individual volunteers, we have helped save or restore more than eighty of America’s outstanding gardens. We also foster interaction and enable information sharing among gardens, including through regional networks such as the Garden Conservancy Northwest Network.

See also our Preservation FAQs page for information on our criteria for taking on a preservation partner garden and for how to contact our Preservation department.