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Transcript:
Hey there, Garden Lovers,
Today is March 4, and this is A Garden a Day with Mædunbroc Gardens. Thank you for listening.
Today’s garden is the result of the design and the desire of one woman — well, one woman and eventually an entire university department of landscape architecture — but mostly one woman.
Today, we are exploring Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Situated on a peninsula, Garvan Woodland Gardens spans 210 acres and is a mix of botanical gardens and woodlands with four and a half miles of shoreline on Lake Hamilton, a manmade 7,200 acre reservoir created in 1932 for Arkansas Power and Light.
The property was purchased in the 1920s by Arthur Cook who operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Company and Malvern Brick and Tile Company. After his death in 1934, his daughter, Verna Garvan, at only age twenty-three, took over the management of the companies becoming one of the first female chief executive officers of a major manufacturing business.
Verna began to develop the property as a garden and potential home site in 1956 after the death of her only child. She spent more than thirty years planting and improving the property. In the 1970s, Verna Garvan decided her property should be shared with others and set about adding infrastructure to the property with the intention of opening her garden to the public. She planted thousands of native and exotic trees and shrubs. She named her garden Twentieth Century Gardens.
In 1985, realizing her task was a bit bigger than she could accomplish on her own, she donated the property to the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Arkansas. She passed away in 1993.
The University of Arkansas changed the name of the garden to Garvan Woodland Gardens in 2000, and the gardens were officially opened to the public in 2002.
Forty-five acres of forest in Garvan Woodland Gardens are designated as a bird sanctuary and nature preserve, however, there are no old growth trees on the property. The entire site was clear cut in 1915, just five years before Arthur Cook purchased the property. What visitors see today are carefully chosen trees — some planted and some that came up naturally through the decades as the garden was planted.
More than seventy species of birds have been documented in the preserve.
As a woodland garden, individual gardens are dotted about amid and amongst the trees. The gardens feature more than 128 species of shrubs and wildflowers, both native and introduced. Hiking trails allow visitors to get up close and personal with the many beautiful blooms.
There are 160 different azaleas, and before the azaleas bloom, there are more than 150,000 tulips.
Four acres are dedicated to a Japanese Garden with a twelve-foot waterfall and more than 300 types of Asian plants and sixty Japanese maples, and yes, a koi pond.
Several interesting structures are located on the property. Anthony Chapel, often used for weddings, but also open for a spot of quiet contemplation, looks as if trees leaned together to create a canopy in the woods. With fifty-seven foot tall windows, the beauty of the woods surrounding the chapel is evident.
An iron foot bridge is designed to look as if trees and twigs were pulled from the forest and woven together to build the bridge. From afar, it’s difficult to tell the difference between tree branch and iron post.
The Evans Children’s Adventure Garden spans one and a half acres and includes a modern design multi-level treehouse. Children will enjoy the waterfall and cave while tossing beach balls into the water to see where they end up.
Garvan Woodland Gardens host events throughout the year. Daffodil Days is going on now with thousands of vibrant yellow daffodils to usher in spring.
Special afternoon teas are offered throughout the year and sell out quickly. There are also yoga classes, art classes, nature therapy sessions, and children’s programs, including awesome summer camps.
In winter, the garden lights up with their annual Holiday Lights display featuring five million lights over eighteen acres.
With all that hiking and naturing, when it’s time for refreshments, visitors can grab a bite to eat at the Chipmunk Cafe, a nice spot for burgers and cheese steaks, and while dining al fresco, visitors will enjoy watching the model train next to the cafe zip along the tracks.
The garden is open almost daily from 9:00 to 5:00. They are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and the entire month of January.
Well, that’s about it for today. There is always more to see than what I include in each episode. I hope you will take the time to visit as many of these gardens as you can, and I do hope you’ve enjoyed this episode.
Join me here tomorrow to find out where we are going next.
As a reminder, I release a new episode every single day. You can find past episodes anywhere you listen to podcasts or you can find them at our website — agardenaday.com.
Thanks for listening. If all goes well, I’ll be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about Garvan Woodland Gardens, check out these links:
https://www.garvangardens.org/
https://www.arkansas.com/hot-springs/attractions/garvan-woodland-gardens
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garvan_Woodland_Gardens
https://www.hotsprings.org/places/activities/garvan-woodland-gardens/
https://somewhereinarkansas.com/garvan-woodland-gardens/
https://www.travelingness.com/garvan-woodland-gardens-hot-springs-arkansas/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/garvan-woodland-gardens
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/garvan-woodland-gardens-4197/
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