The public cutting garden at Ashland Terrace Retirement Home, located at 475 S. Ashland Avenue, is now open for business for the 2017 season. The garden, which bills itself as Lexington’s only public cutting garden, boasts a range of in-season flowers and herbs, as well as three peaceful water features and a fairy garden.
Ashland Terrace was established in 1849 and has since flourished into a unique and nurturing community for retired women. In their free time, residents of the community are encouraged to work in and enjoy the garden.
Although talk of a garden began as early as the 1950s, the current concept took off in the early 2000s. In addition to tending to the public herbs and blooms growing in the garden, residents can also be found feeding the garden’s many fish and caring for nearly 50 rose bushes.
The blooms and herbs grown in the garden are all available to the public with the exception of the vegetables and the roses, to which exclusive access is given to the Ashland Terrace residents.
Among the blooms being offered for public cutting this summer and fall are snapdragons, zinnias, lilies, lavender, Japanese anemone and more. The selection is ever changing, as new blooms open throughout the summer and into the fall.
Additionally, the garden also includes herbs including basic, chives, mint, parsley, sage, thyme, and many more.
Herbs and small blooms are 25 cents per stem while large blooms are 50 cents. Scissors are provided for visitors at the start of the main garden walkway and water and containers can be found near the garden shed.
Since the garden is open to the public at all times instead of having open hours, payment for the cut flowers is accepted by an “honesty box” near the entrance to the garden. All proceeds from the public cutting go toward maintaining the Ashland Terrace garden and feeding its tiny critters.
For more info, visit www.ashlandterrace.org.