If you can’t capture the splendor of the season in your backyard, try visiting some of the area’s public gardens
"Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises and then still more curves."
– H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers
Gardening remains a delightful mystery for me. I love everything about it, from plunging my hands deep into the warm moist soil to the challenging art of garden design. Yet with all the money I have spent on pots of impatiens that turned yellow just as guests were arriving and trellises built for clematis that preferred to frolic on the ground … well, we could be living on a 46-foot sailboat in the British Virgin Islands.
One alternative is to seek out other people’s gardens, from which we can draw inspiration and enjoyment. Public gardens can offer that quick respite from a busy day at the office, provide running around space for those wild banshees we call our children, and give us eternal hope that one day we too might have green thumbs.
Below is a selection of urban gardens in central Kentucky that are open to the public. Keep this list handy for a cheap date or when guests are in town and you really can’t sit and reminisce a minute longer. All locations are in Lexington, unless otherwise noted.
UKArboretumTOP
One hundred acres of gardens, green space and walking paths, celebrating the spirit of volunteerism and your tax dollar at work.
500 Alumni Dr.
www.ca.uky.edu/Arboretum
Open daily, dawn to dusk
Beyond the parking area lies the Dorothea Smith Oatts Visitation Center and the start of the developed garden areas. The horticultural gardens include the rose, herb and vegetable gardens; the All-American trials and displays; fruit and nut plantings; and a variety of hardscapes (gazebos, pergolas, stone fences, ponds and so forth). This part of the Arboretum is loaded with great ideas that can be scaled down to fit your backyard.
A two-mile paved trail wraps around the perimeter of the park, and is a popular place for walkers, joggers and baby strollers. Various spurs off the main trail showcase the seven geophysical regions of Kentucky, and an additional half-mile trail wanders through the Arboretum woods, loaded with chattering squirrels and invasive honeysuckle.
Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate
Sitting on what once were the outskirts of Lexington, Ashland provides an urban oasis of mature trees and a formal boxwood garden.
120 Sycamore Rd.
www.henryclay.org
Grounds are open daily, sunrise to sunset; the formal garden is open when the house is open for tours.
Ashland is the perfect destination for a quiet stroll to shake off the stressors of the day. A wood chip path winds its way around the property, past the historic home, and through the peony gardens. The formal parterre boxwood garden based on early French design is gorgeous. Add a relaxing lunch at the Gingko Tree Café (located on the brick patio around the old smokehouse) or a tour of the home, and your blood pressure will drop 10 points.
Most people know of Henry Clay as the “Great Compromiser” and his prolific political career. Fewer Lexingtonians know that Clay is also credited with introducing Hereford cattle to this country and the mint julep to Washington, DC. Although the land the house sits on is only a fraction of the original estate, the property has retained its stately air in a gracious nod to its first owner.
Lexington Cemetery
Over 170 acres of floral displays, 200 tree species, fountain, and koi ponds, keeping company those who have been laid to rest.
833 W. Main St.
www.lexcem.org
Open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Daily
Established in 1849, Lexington Cemetery has some of the oldest trees and tombstones in the region. The dogwoods and pink weeping cherries are spectacular in the spring, with ginkgos and sassafras providing fall color, and shellbark hickories for winter interest. For history buffs, a stroll through the grounds will bring you to the graves of such Lexington notables as Henry Clay, General John Hunt Morgan and Coach Adolph Rupp. In addition, more than 500 Confederate and 1,100 Union veterans are buried here.
The Lexington Cemetery website includes a map of the area, a tree guide and a bird checklist. The office can also provide information on activities with children and a history of Lexington in the cemetery. Please be quiet and respectful. This is not a public park. No picnicking or rowdy kids.
Nannine Clay Wallis Arboretum
A small urban garden, adjacent to the historical Wallis House, and home to the Garden Club of Kentucky.
616 Pleasant St., Paris, Ky.
www.gardenclubky.org
Open daily, sunrise to sunset
Nannine Clay Wallis was one of the original founders of the Garden Club of Kentucky and went on to become both its president and that of The National Council of State Garden Clubs. Upon her death in 1970, Mrs. Wallis donated the house and its exquisite gardens for horticultural preservation and educational programs.
Although small in size for an arboretum, the gardens are known for their collection of old trees, many of which were planted in the mid-1850s. At that time, planting the newest species of tree or flower was somewhat of a status symbol. For guided tours and a copy of their extensive study guide, contact the Garden Club of Kentucky.
Waveland State Historic Site
As part of the Kentucky park system, visitors are free to walk the grounds of this mid-19th-century Greek revival plantation.
225 Waveland Museum Ln.
Open daily, sunrise to sunset
What has become a small urban park, Waveland can fill a large niche in a child’s heart. A very miniature log cabin, complete with real wooden mantle and stone chimney, is a delight for hobbits and small earthlings alike. Let the kids burn off their energy by running along the short nature trail at the wood’s edge and racing over the small wooden bridges.
The older folks can take in the small flower and herb gardens, and admire the stone, brick and log construction of the slave quarters, icehouse and smokehouse. The gardens showcase a variety of traditional herbs including wild ginger, horseradish, lavender, rose-lemon geranium and a variety of mints. A full-loaded arbor, covered with wisteria, leads to a flowering parterre garden filled with several large fringe trees and a collection of Kentucky native plants, such as Solomon seal, Christmas fern and coral bells.
Yuko-En on the Elkhorn and the Cardome Walking Trail
A friendship garden that integrates native Kentucky plants with Japanese garden principles.
700 Cincinnati Pike, Georgtown, Ky.
Open daily, sunrise to sunset
According to custom, passing through the Tokugawa Gates releases you from the stresses of everyday life. Bow deeply and leave your western mind behind. You have entered the six-acre Japanese-style stroll garden a la the Bluegrass. Built in 2000 with major funding from Toyota Motor Company and other generous donors, Yuko-En is a sister-city project between Georgetown and Tahara-cho, Japan.
The finely graveled path winds through the gardens of Kentucky canebrake, maple trees and redbud –– all intending to emulate traditional Japanese flora. Bearing left, the path leads below the larger of two ponds, to a small waterfall and bridge. At the top of the hill, the Four Seasons Environmental Education Center (a Japanese style villa) is open for special events, art shows and performances. Other structures include a “rake garden,” hermit hut, teahouse and kiln house.
Valerie Askren is the author of “Hike the Bluegrass: Your Guide to Hiking, Walking, and Strolling Across Central Kentucky,” which is available at locally owned bookstores and outdoor equipment retailers. E-mail hikethebluegrass@gmail.com for more information.