Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
Visitors Center at Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, Virginia
Location within Virginia
Type	Botanical garden
Location	9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court Vienna, Virginia
Area	95 acre
Created	1980
Operated by	NOVA Parks
Visitors	150,000
Website	www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (95 acres) are botanical gardens located at 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, Virginia, 22182. The garden are open daily except for major holidays. An nominal admission fee is charged. Reservations for commercial photography are required in advance.

Meadowlark is growing regional tourist attraction, center for environmental education, popular wedding venue and exceptional open space. Camps, school tours and scout programs are particularly popular. Meadowlark collaborates with George Mason University on endowed internships, George Washington University on sustainable landscape design and Northern Virginia Community College on woody plant laboratories. Plant societies from around the region support Meadowlark on multiple projects.

Botanical Artists for Education and the Environment published the awarding winning book Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic after being inspired by native plant collections at Meadowlark. Meadowlark staff help write and publish the book along with staff from the United States Botanical Garden.

NOVA Parks and the Korean American Cultural Committee worked together to create The Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark in 2012. The pavilion is the only structure of its kind in a public garden in the United States. Meadowlark is owned and operated by NOVA Parks. Among the highest self-funded park agencies in the United States.

The Atrium at Meadowlark is considered the premiere garden based event venue in the Washington DC region. Meadowlarks Winter Walk of Lights holiday light show is a major tourist attraction Washington DC region. A million lights illuminate the grounds from November to January. A new Children's Garden is in development starting in the fall of 2016.

A Brief History

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a man of bold ideas. The New Deal was his greatest domestic policy achievement. Every working American for the past 60 years has benefited from one of those New Deal programs- Social Security. Implementing such a vast social initiative required experts in many fields. Among these dynamic thinkers were Harvard-trained economist Gardiner Means and social historian Caroline Ware. In 1935, they bought a 74-acre farm in Virginia’s rolling Piedmont, outside Washington, D.C.

As Dr. Means and Dr. Ware worked to bring the New Deal to life, they became ingrained in Washington’s lively political and academic scene. Over the next 50 years, they grew to love the farm- raising sheep dogs, farming wheat, and planting flower gardens, all while writing and teaching. By the 1970’s Washington’s suburbs were fast surrounding the once rural farm. Lifelong environmentalists, Means and Ware wondered if their land might make a good public park- perhaps an arboretum or public garden.

Means and Ware entrusted their beloved 74-acre farm to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) in the summer of 1980. NVRPA already owned several thousand acres of parkland in Northern Virginia. Caroline Ware simply stated the property should “create a permanence in the land…a way by which the farm could remain a haven for trees, shrubs and flowers to preserve the bounty of the Virginia country side.” Following these wishes, NVRPA bought a contiguous 21-acre parcel and started planning a public garden.

The 95-acre site is unparalleled in the Washington region for development of a public garden. Topographically, the property embodies the Virginia Piedmont, with large hills dropping off to small streams, forested hollows, and expansive views. As early as 1607, Captain John Smith recognized the beauty of the Potomac Piedmont: “The country is not mountainous nor yet low but such pleasant plaine hils and fertle valleys, one prettily crossing an other and watered so conveniently with the sweete brooks and christall springs, as if art it selfe had devised them.”

By the mid-80’s, three lakes were added to the largest stream course. Several trails outlined in an early master plan took shape. Collections of hosta, daylilies, and ornamental cherry trees were planted. Later, an azalea garden, a lilac collection, and a Siberian iris and native tree trail were added. Three gazebos were built in different areas of the garden. Meadowlark opened officially in April 1987 with Means and Ware as the guests of honor. Less than three years later both had passed away but their vision of a public garden was taking shape.

The Meadowlark Visitor Center opened in 1992, and featured a gift shop, a library, a large fireplace, and high vaulted ceilings. A short time later, the garden received a large donation of dwarf conifers from the private collection of Dr. Albert Paulsen. Perennial, butterfly, herb gardens, and an ornamental grass collection were established by the mid-90’s, concurrent with irrigation expansion. In 1998, The Atrium, an events facility, opened. Built to match the architectural style of the Visitor Center, and attended by an exquisite White Garden, The Atrium rapidly became a premier public garden event venue. In 2000, Washingtonian Magazine voted it among the top three event venues in the Washington metropolitan area.

In 2003, an historic log cabin dating to 1755 opened to the public, and an exceptional new wooden bridge was built between the islands in Lake Gardiner. Built of seven native hardwoods, the bridge is both curved and arched. A revised master plan is in development, and a taxonomic survey of the collections is in progress. The Visitor Center was remodeled 2003 to expand exhibit space.

In 1999, Meadowlark initiated development of a regional native plant conservation program. Like most native collections, the objective is to foster conservation of native plants and their habitats through public education and display. The administration of the gardens deemed it important that the new collection be regional in scope. Instead of allowing political boundaries to define the native plants of this particular region, staff developed a criteria based on biogeographic factors. Regional geology, topography, and forest composition are important to development of the collection. Within this framework, we identified the Potomac River Valley as a geographic province that determines which native plants we accession. The Potomac Valley Collection plays an increasingly important role as our principal initiative in support of both in situ and ex situ conversation of regional plant diversity. No selections are used in the native collections. Moreover, the collection focuses on regional genotypes and ecotypes. The Washington, D.C. Academy of Sciences recognized establishment of this collection with its annual Biological Sciences Award in 2003.

With a balance between ornamental and conservation collections, Meadowlark is expanding programmatically. Classes and tours throughout the year teach topics in ornamental horticulture. A new Biodiversity Series education program started four years ago. Participants can join wildflower and birding hikes, study the Gaia Theory, canoe a wetland marsh, or learn about invasive species and plan diversity. Interns from local universities and community colleges join the staff each year for training opportunities. Meadowlark coops education programs with Elder Hostel, Smithsonian Associates, gardens clubs, public schools, and regional community centers. The garden also works with the U.S. Department of State training elite Diplomatic Security Service agents for visits to public gardens and museums. Embassy staff, diplomats, and members of Congress use the garden as a retreat from the city and for entertaining.

President Roosevelt was an innovator who offered a new social paradigm. Presumably, he had no idea his political agenda would also give birth to a public garden. Environmentalists long before the term had meaning; Gardiner Means and Caroline Ware made their contribution to the nation’s social fabric and then bestowed an extraordinary gift on the people of Northern Virginia- a public garden devoted to aesthetics, conservation, education, and community service.

Developing Conservation Collections

The Potomac Valley Collection

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in the state of Virginia near Washington, D.C., initiated a new regional native plant conservation program in 1998, in its otherwise largely ornamental collections. Like most native collections, its objective is to foster conservation of native plants and their habitats through public education and display. The administration of the gardens, however, deemed it important that the new collection be highly regionalized in scope. Instead of allowing human abstractions, such as political boundaries, to define the flora of this particular region, we developed a criteria based on biogeographic factors, to define the collection. Regional geology, hydrology, climate and floristics are central to development of the collection. Within this framework, we identified the Potomac River Valley as geographic province that determines which native plants we accession. This collection plays an increasingly important role at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens as our principal conservation initiative in support of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Biogeographic Features of the Potomac Valley

The Potomac Valley encompasses 37,824 square kilometers between 38’ and 40’ north latitude and 80’ and 76’ longitude. The watersheds main course flows west to east for 640 kilometers. Twenty major tributaries add another 1,100 kilometers of waterways. The largest of these include the Shenandoah, Monocacy, Cacapon, and Conococheague rivers. Smaller tributaries, mainly in the mountains, combine to make-up 4,300 kilometers of stream corridors. About fifty percent of the watershed is forested.

In global terms, the area falls within Takhtajan’s North American Atlantic Floristic Region. The Potomac River traverses five physiographic provinces west to east; these include Allegheny Highlands, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. Each of these regions contains unique plant communities. In some cases, these communities enjoy broad protection in national and state parks. In other areas, plant communities are under siege from urban sprawl, grazing and logging. Takhtajan recognizes almost one hundred taxa as “endemic or nearly endemic” to the North American Atlantic Floristic Region. Many of these taxa are illustrative of the Potomac Valley flora and comprise an important part of our current accession activity.

The Appalachian highlands of the Potomac Valley reach 1200 meters. Red spruce and northern hardwood forest occupy this region. Several northerly taxa reach their southern limit in the Appalachian Highlands. Within the Ridge and Valley Province, plant communities called shale-barrens support many unique species. Among these are the endemic Phlox buckleyi, Trifolium virginicum and Senecio antennariifolius, to name a few. Further east, in the broad Shenandoah Valley, limestone outcrops support many calcareous cliff-dwelling species. Ferns are of particular interest in this area. One of our region’s most unique small shrubs, Cliff Green (Paxistima canbyi), is also at home on these limestone formations.

The eastern portion of the Potomac Valley lies within the foothill-like Piedmont and the alluvial Atlantic Coastal Plain. Vast deciduous forests of white oak, red oak, red maple, American beech and rock oak embrace a diversity of shade-loving lower-canopy trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns. Bald cypress trees grow here, very near their natural northern limit. Some areas of the eastern Piedmont and the Coastal Plain are widely developed. The need for conservation of native plant communities in this area is immediate.

Combining Existing Resources and Developing New Ones

No flora for the Potomac Valley currently exist, however, within the four states of which the Potomac Valley is a part, three—including Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland—have floras. Virginia has no systematic treatment of its flora yet, but it does have a very useful flora atlas. We use these four resources, along with topographic maps, geographic information systems and fieldwork to determine species composition and distribution within the watershed. In addition, we consult with various private and government agencies working to conserve plant diversity in all four states. This exchange enables increased communication on both exsitu and insitu conservation projects. Through this process, we are developing new detailed information on the composition, distribution and conservation status of the Potomac Valley plants. Ultimately we intend to develop a database for this information.

The display and interpretation of native species is a central goal of the collection. The collection will provide our staff with the ongoing task of understanding conservation needs of native species throughout the Potomac Valley and interpreting that information to the public through education programs. We will continue to add accessions in accordance with various strategies outlined in International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation and the Darwin Technical Manual both publications of Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

From a programmatic perspective, the Potomac Valley collection is the foundation of our institutional mission centered on aesthetics, conservation, education and community service. Moreover, this collection’s development supports Meadowlark’s parent agency, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, in conserving and cataloging native species on its own properties, all 4,583 hectares of which are in the Potomac Valley.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE POTOMAC VALLEY NATIVE PLANT COLLECTION

Strengthen the existing collection within the fiscal, administrative and curatorial practices of the garden.

Foster an understanding of the aesthetic and ecological value of native plants within the community.

Develop and implement educational programs that focus on native plant horticulture and conservation.

Provide conceptual framework for the public to foster awareness for regional plant conservation with issues such as water quality and ecosystem/habitat conservation.

Facilitate a temporal understanding about the Potomac Valley plant communities by interpreting their natural history.

Raise public awareness about obtaining native plants and discourage wild collecting.

Encourage insitu and exsitu conservation projects throughout the Potomac Valley.  Work in partnership with local universities, museums and other gardens to encourage systematic, ecologic and biogeographic research on Potomac flora.

Establish curatorial and horticultural internship programs working with the Collection.

Illustrate the effects of exotic invasive species on native plant communities.

Propagate stock plants for reintroduction into the wild when deemed appropriate.

Rescue plants from construction sites and other disturbed areas when all viable conservation alternatives are exhausted.

Research and assemble criteria to evaluate the collection’s impact as a vehicle for conservation and education.

Native Wetland and Virginia Trees

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna Virginia, USA has created three distinct native plant collections in support of the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation. The largest of these is the Potomac Valley Collection (PVC). PVC development is based on biogeography and floristic composition within the Potomac River basin (see BGCI News Vol. 3 # 7, 2001). Alternatively, the Virginia Native Tree Collection (VNT) and the Virginia Native Wetland collection (VNW) include species that occur within the state as a political unit.

Virginia is topographically and floristically diverse. The Appalachian Mountains in the southwest region of the state reach elevations of 1600 meters. Many other peaks in the west are more than 1200 meters high. West to east the state traverses six distinct geographic regions. These include the Appalachian Highlands, Valley and Ridge, Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont and Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain embodies much of the Chesapeake Bay and reaches the Atlantic Ocean further east. The entire state is located between 40’ & 36‘ North and 74’ & 83’ West. In Takhtajan’s Floristic Regions of the World, Virginia occupies the Appalachian Province and the northern tip of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Province. Virginia is a state where bromeliads reach their most northerly distribution, cacti adorn beach dunes, endemic birches are found and northern spruce forests dominate the highest mountains. It is also a state in need of both in situ and ex situ conservation. A principal goal of these collections is to educate the public about the connection between garden conservation collections and saving plants in the wild.

The Virginia Native Wetland (VNW)

This collection is located in and around a small wetland called Lake Lena at the lowest elevation in the Gardens. The native biota of Lake Lena is an ideal classroom for educational programs focused on Virginia’s native wetlands and the need for conservation. No horticultural selections are used in this collection. Conservation work began in 1999. Several native trees were already established on the site when the boardwalk was installed adjacent to the lake over ten years ago. Among these are numerous bald cypress trees. These trees have grown well and developed their trademark "knees" on the water’s edge. Sycamore, black gum, river birch, willow and sweet gum also grow in the area. Many of Virginia’s most southerly wetland shrubs and wildflowers are on exhibit here.

Lake Lena is a place of solitude in the garden… place where native plant horticulture and habitat conservation blend to create a naturalized wetland. Aquatic native plants such as pickerelweed, native fragrant water lilies, arrowhead and sweet flag flourish in summer’s humidity. On the lake shore, pitcher plants, red and blue cardinal flower and blue flag iris, souring rush (Equisetum) mingle with aromatic bayberries. Many wide spread wetland species are naturalizing around the lake, including cattails and numerous native sedges. Cyperus and Carex represent two particularly specious genera.

Lake Lena also provides habitat for aquatic animals and birds. Several species of turtles, northern water snakes and native frogs inhabit the area. Many native fish and aquatic insects coexist with the plants. Wading birds frequent the lake. Great blue herons, green herons and black crowned night herons enjoy secretive hunting on the water’s edge. A full assortment of perching birds enjoys the lake too.

The Virginia Native Tree Collection (VNT)

The Virginia Native Tree collection resides in a far corner of the gardens. Here visitors can see some of the State’s best native trees for use in the home setting. Several smaller native trees make up a good part of this collection. The fringe trees, native members of the olive family, routinely amaze visitors with their fragrant, strap-like white flowers. In the fall, these trees display a dark blue ovoid drupe. This is an ideal tree for the discerning gardener with a small yard.

Growing close by are several paw paws (Asimina). These handsome little trees are familiar to people who spend time along local rivers where it grows in abundance. The long, broad leaf tapers neatly to a "drip tip," a feature that illustrates its tropical origin as a member of the Annonaceae. When crushed, the leaves have a distinctive odor reminiscent of diesel fuel. The fruit is a large oblong berry with a slightly coriacious green or brown rind. The mesocarp is white and creamy, often described as a mix between apple and banana with large black seeds. Paw paw is widely regarded as Virginia’s finest indigenous fruit.

Other trees in this collection include the hop hornbeam, a hazelnut relative with soft shaggy bark. Also from the Corylaceae is the hornbeam or muscle wood. This tree is notable for its extremely hard wood and fine twigs with delicate imbricate buds. Muscle wood is slow growing and, with age, provides a beautiful fluted trunk. Further along the trail, is overcup oak, so named as the imbricate involucre on the acorn covers nearly the entire nut. A tree with highly variable cruciform leaves, it is a good candidate for low, wet sites.

The sweetbay magnolia grows nearby. Found from Massachusetts to Florida, sweetbay magnolia varies in size, attaining much larger stature in the south. In time, sweetbay becomes a handsome yard tree. The early summer flowers are creamy white and very fragrant. Several other native trees are in this collection, which is located below the Hillside gazebo, about a ten-minute walk from the Visitors Center. The VNT is one of the featured collections in our Specimen Tree program.

Collection Based Education for Conservation

In the United States, avocation gardens are consistently encouraged to use horticulture selections in popular literature and at many public gardens. In Meadowlark conservation collections, horticultural selections are used only in the VNT. We intentionally depart from the relatively strict genetic mandate of the PVC and VNW. This is a specific strategy designed to interest ornamental gardeners in native species through initial use of horticultural selections. The vast majority of native plants in the American nursery trade are selections. Thus, most avocation gardeners are using these horticultural creations without realizing the wild ancestor may be in need of conservation.

Ultimately, we hope to encourage use of native plants in the landscape and educate the public about the often-subtle differences between native species that represent wild populations and horticultural selections. Furthermore, we educate the visiting public and avocation gardeners alike about the ecological and conservation value of native plants in public garden collections and in the landscape at large. Through this decidedly didactic approach, we have created a forum based on living collections that promotes the International Agenda and fosters an appreciation for conserving plant diversity to a wider audience.

Conservation Focused Field Trips to Underserved Public Schools: An Integrated Approach

From 2012 to 2014 Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (MBG) initiated a marketing strategy with multiple Title I Schools in the suburban Washington DC region through a grant from the Volgenau Foundation. Title I schools are defined if 40% or more of the students receive supplemental lunch programs and classroom instructional support. Annually this federally funded program provides over $14 billion to 56,000 schools in the United States for students at risk of academic failure and living at or near poverty.

Anticipating administrative challenges, MBG developed a marketing approach focused on teacher training, classroom enrichment, curricular coordination and financial assistance with transportation. In addition, the psycho-social benefits of interacting with nature through physical activity and facilitated interpretation formed an overarching theme. This marketing strategy fostered teacher, parent and student engagement while integrating long established conservation priorities based on native plant conservation and river basin/ecoregion biogeography at MBG (Ref1).

Previously Title I schools made up less than 10% of our elementary and middle school visitation. This is due in part to the fact that Meadowlark is located in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the United States. However, the economic geography of the greater region is diverse and represents notable household income variability. This is due in part to long-term, dynamic immigration trends to the region. Its not uncommon to have 30 or more languages spoken at a single Title I school.

Identifying needs and expectations of Title I Schools

Student populations at Title I schools are frequently living in homes with limited financial resources and social mobility. There is often a direct correlation in academic underperformance. The program focused on appealing to the unique organizational objectives of Title I schools. We took into account curricular and psycho-social strategies for classroom success in these schools. Field trips reinforced classroom science curriculum and student socialization. Parent and teachers are expected to participate beyond class management. Parents attend field trips as chaperones, their presence is a perfect opportunity to encourage return visits with the entire family. In this process we strived to combine formal and informal learning steeped in the aesthetic medium of the garden.

In marketing these programs Meadowlark staff considered the students and schools from a holistic perspective, including staff support to encourage field trips. It was realized teachers typically needed more planning support than non-Title I schools. The combination of demands in Title I schools makes for a challenging teaching environment. Many of the students speak English as a second language. This, in turn, leads to learning challenges associated with text and instructional material. In addition, teachers must follow a curriculum dictated by state administrated Standards of Learning (SOLs).

We marketed teacher engagement as a specific need from the beginning in combination with the distribution of ideas; primarily the idea that conserving plant diversity is central to human well-being at the regional, national and global level. As a result, several teacher workshops were held at the garden. These focused on Meadowlarks Potomac Valley Native Plant Collection. Thus, the topics included floristics, river basin geography, clean water access and biodiversity conservation in general.

Collectively our strategy as a public garden for this program focused on the unmet needs of Title I schools. These include: exposure to a high quality natural setting; support with integrating SOL mandated science curriculum, teacher training and actively celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of the students.

Integrating the particular garden experience to the underserved audience

In the Washington, D.C. Region most of the nature Title I students are exposed to is highly urbanized. City parks and recreation facilities near Title I schools typically feature paved ball courts, poorly maintained turf and exotic or invasive trees. Its common that these areas receive less care and funding in municipal budgets. We specifically marketed the garden to teachers as an exceptional space, both aesthetically and biologically. Moreover, we integrated the natural science SOLs into field trip topics. This provided teachers with a curricular foundation to take back to the classroom.

As a public space Meadowlark embodies several programmatic assets; large ornamental collections, focused conservation collections, three lakes and a visually engaging topography. We knew the garden would be appealing to Title I students and staff as a carefully managed intriguing landscape. Ideally, the emotive quality of the garden has a foundational appeal for all visitors’ especially underserved youth. This broad appeal was a fundamental marketing point in recruiting field trips. Any garden engaging underserved audiences will need to market its particular aesthetic and educational attractions. Ultimately, the gardens and collections must be interpreted as a remarkable open air classroom. This is a baseline for effective marketing to populations with limited economic and social assets.

Once the aesthetic theme is established, collections based education follows. Meadowlark conservation collections are specifically developed to educate visitors about regional plant diversity as related to local natural history. Accordingly, we work to interpret landforms, ecoregions, surface geology and basic ecology (ref3). This approach works well for elementary SOL objectives focused on natural science topics with a local focus. Our experience suggests the classic hands-on experiential approach to nature interpretation is a strong driver of cognitive prowess in underserved students. Recognition of the outdoor recreation-cognition connection has grown considerably in the last decade.

Additional experiences that market your gardens mission and resources

With the educational aesthetic and cognitive objectives established as marketing priorities, we also consider the basic tenants of child well-being and physical activity. Most field trips the MBG will involve walking about three kilometers. The 38 hectare property features both paved and mulched trails. Students negotiate these trails at variable walking speeds with interspersed breaks for interpretation. We actively encourage running on our “Great Lawn”. In addition, children are allowed to roll down an adjacent hillside. These actives lend a discreet yet robust physical element to the days activities. Several studies clearly illustrate the benefits of physical exertion and increased learning potential (ref 5). Every garden will have differing resources that engender physical activity as part of the field trip experience. But the specific inclusion of such activities is strong marketing tool for teachers seeking a holistic experience.

Identifying ways to reach potential audiences

This grant funded program was specifically tailored to Title I schools and educators. Funding allowed teachers to earn a modest stipend for attending a two day workshop. Email, Facebook, websites and tradition mail were used to market these specific workshops. Personal contact with school Principal’s was also useful. Teachers are encouraged to work with MGB staff to foster a continuum of formal and informal learning collaboration bring the garden and school together. We also offer school visits to supplement teacher led activities. This can include developing school yard gardens.

While attending the workshop teachers were given a newly published map of the Potomac River Basin designed specifically for classroom use (ref.6). The map emphasizes the physical geography of the river basin and highlights the areas of geologic and botanical interest. Grant funding also paid for travel expenses from school to the garden. This was a particularly welcome aspect of the grant as schools systems cut field trips first when budget short falls occur. Collectively, these incentives proved to be a highly effective marketing strategy in bringing groups to MBG.

Audience satisfaction and post program evaluation

While Title I students are at the heart of the program, teachers are the best evaluators of the experience. Our post trip evaluations solicit comments in three specific areas: 1) Field trip planning process, including-reservations, pre-trip materials provided, friendliness & responsiveness, program content and interpreter quality. 2) The Program, including-content & activities, content relevance for your students, activities were engaging for students and overall satisfaction level. 3) The Educators, including-your assigned educator was organized, your educator was well prepared, your educator was knowledgeable.

Increasing the visitation of underserved audiences requires more planning and outreach in the marketing process. Marketing strategies will by necessity vary from one institution to another based on spatial assets, collections, staffing and specific school needs. While these programs are potentially attractive to donors, funding should be included in annual operating budgets when possible. Ideally, social relevance for botanical gardens will increase with programmatic diversity and effective marketing. From conception to execution reaching underserved audiences is a unique challenge. Public gardens that rise to these challenges offer an important service to individuals and groups. Effective marketing need not be a commercial enterprise; it's a social contract endowed by the recognition that every person counts, regardless of social or economic standing. This integrated approach to marketing benefits students, teachers and gardens mutually.

Innovation, Strategic Planning and Revenue Generation as part of NOVA Parks

Moving from Annual Deficits to Solvency with Diversified Revenue Streams: Lessons from a Small Garden

Garden Life near the Federal City

As the seat of Federal Government the economic and cultural amplitude of greater Washington DC has few rivals with six public gardens and arboreta within the greater urban core. Add to that numerous nationally significant historic estates and the Smithsonian gardens; it’s a treasure trove for garden public enthusiasts. Funding for these institutions is similarly diverse. Predictably, several are 100% federally funded. Others mix substantial county funding with limited enterprise revenue. While a cultural standout, greater Washington DC is a fiercely competitive city with a pressing need for open space conservation. The regions gardens and parks fill an important role across the city scape that spans sixty miles in some locations.

Charting the Future of Open Space

In 1959 a group of citizens concerned about urban sprawl formed the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Land acquisitions followed, parks opened and a small staff emerged. Funding was a challenge. Today NVRPA is known as NOVA Parks, with nearly 11,000 acres spanning six jurisdictions and offers over thirty diverse parks. From rowing facilities, historic mills, a Civil War battle field, interpretive farm to nature centers, campgrounds, golf courses, a 45 mile multiuse rail-to-trail system and a public garden. All this with no official tax mandate, some parks make considerable income, while others run annual deficits. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens fell neatly into the latter; until recently. Through a unique combination of entrepreneurship, detailed budget analysis and limited jurisdictional support, NOVA parks are now 85% self-funded, among the highest in the nation.

In 1980 Economist, Gardener Means and Social Historian, Caroline Ware donated their “farm” to NOVA Parks while track housing sprouted up throughout the region. Their wish was a simple one; create an arboretum or public garden. There was no endowment or obvious source of funding beyond the park system and occasional bond referendums for facilities development. Some donor support did materialize. From an unkempt Piedmont farm the garden began to emerge, opening officially in 1987. Initially large ornamental collections were planted. In the late nineties botanically focused native plant collections were added. While programmatic and institutional relevance flourished a large annual deficit remained.

The Event Venue

In the fall 1989 the Atrium opened. A smarty designed event space lush with plants and an indoor stream that can seat 170. It was immediately recognized as a top garden event venue in the region. Weekends began to book solid with Friday, Saturday and Sunday rented. This pace kept up through every season but winter. Still during the winter season numerous holiday events booked. The diplomatic community took an early liking of the space and held several events. The multicultural fraternity of the area makes for a very diverse clientele. Atrium staff carefully cultivated several high end caterers and specialty caterers. A close working relationship developed. Annual earnings of a half million dollars was achieved rapidly. But the building was expensive to run and maintain. The more events meant more maintenance and horticultural upkeep. Revenue covered operational cost but made only a minor impact on the gardens collective deficit. Many events book nearly a year in advance. Stewarding these clients requires detailed event planning, contract negotiation and staff time. Contract negotiations can be tenuous depending on cultural expectations. A high degree of emotional intelligence combined with cultural sensitivity is crucial. Client focus, event details and dedicated customer service is essential when tens of thousands of dollars is changing hands and guests are arriving from around the world. A specific payment schedule has to be clearly defined and adhered to.

In 2008 the concept of a wholly internal catering operation emerged. It was greeted with initial reservations by garden event staff. Concerns about quality, staffing and the physical plant were expressed. After several code mandated kitchen upgrades the internal program launched in 2009, predictably, several regular caterers at the Atrium were sorely disappointed. Some important lessons revealed the need for new operational standards. A larger staff with specific catering experience was hired. Several set menus gained popularity, but custom orders are accommodated. The option of using an external caterer still exists, but a substantial fee is added. All alcohol is handled exclusively by internal catering. Client tastings are popular, frequently resulting in full bookings. An Executive Chef was added full time to ensure high culinary standards and operational efficiency. Within two years catering operations produced earnings of several hundred thousand dollar and many satisfied customers. Merging the rental and catering process is an attractive option for clients seeking a full service garden based venue.

The Holiday Light Show

Holiday light shows are well established traditions at many public gardens. However, the initial launch of such a show is a huge endeavor. At Meadowlark the planning process took two years. Consultants, including electrical engineers and high tree work contractors provided important design and installation services. Market research revealed a quality show would produce considerable earnings, tapping the regions expendable income and taste for quality holiday outings at cultural institutions. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has a long standing light display in addition to Brookside Gardens, both within 30 miles of Meadowlark. After just three years the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights earned a half million dollars in 60 days. Some core elements foster the show’s success. Numerous trees are wrapped very high, a strong nature theme and several software driven features ensure the show is truly engrossing to visitors of all ages. The show is essentially a complex temporary physical plant. Refining, replacing and refurbishing are ongoing tasks that ensure quality. Of course, winter weather can complicate maintenance. After concluding in early January the entire show is neatly stored on site in shipping containers. Impact on the actual gardens is minor but still requires addition work as spring approaches.

More than a Beautiful Fun Place, the Theme of Conservation is a Constant

The face of a four year old glowing with fascination at the light show is magical. A bride and groom in search of the perfect photo spot embody the unique aesthetic attraction of a public garden. Out of sight in a fully licensed kitchen, catering staff puts the final touches on fine desert. All this happens while the earthly aroma of fresh leaf mulch wafts across the landscape fostering a horticultural cornucopia about to bloom. Beyond all the revenue activity, we are ultimately a public garden, an open space, endowed with the emotive qualities of nature. Indeed, it’s unlikely these enterprising activities would yield the same revenue if it weren’t for the garden setting, but the gardens core mission must not be lost. Meadowlark was the first garden in the Washington region to implement the International Agenda for Botanical Gardens in Conservation. In addition, various aspects of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) support the gardens native plant collections, none more than Target 14; The importance of plant diversity and the need for its conservation incorporated into communication, education and public awareness programs. This simple message is emphasized in every aspect of the gardens branding and education programs. Moreover, it’s an important interpretive forum that adds intrinsic value to the enterprise operations.

As a small garden with no research program or fund raising staff, dependence on our parent agency is central to all operations. NOVA Parks embodies operational, leadership, budget and facilities development across a broad spectrum of expertise. While we share these resources with nearly 30 other public parks, Meadowlark is recognized as a specialized site. The success of enterprise operations at any public garden is dependent on various institutional assets, mission focus and economic geography. At Meadowlark the culmination of focused customer service, the region’s economic strengths and cultural expectations has produced full annual funding. Ideally, a continuum of diversified revenue streams can foster conservation of open space including public gardens. Gardens of any size can maximize enterprise revenue when operational acuity is realized and the overarching message of conservation is ever-present.

The Korean Bell Garden, An Extraordinary Collaboration

The first Korean immigrants arrived in America one hundred years ago, and the growth of Korean communities continued in the following decades. Today, dynamic Korean communities are found in many parts of the United States with concentrations in California, New York, New Jersey and Virginia. During this history, a uniquely close relationship between the United States and South Korea has developed through cultural exchange, a devastating war (the largest United Nations mandate ever), technological flow and academic exchange. American botanists have explored the diverse mountainous forests of Korea and have discovered intriguing taxonomic and floristic similarities to North American species. The ancient relationship between the flora of Korea and that of North America revealed an additional bond between people, landscapes and gardens. The Korean flora endowed botanical gardens with a supremely aesthetic palate of temperate plants to cultivate and display. In doing so, the world also discovered a rich culture with millennia-old traditions of celebrating and conserving nature.

The Vision

In 2006, a small group from the Korean American Cultural Committee (KACC) visited Meadowlark in search of a potential site for a bell garden. Among this group was Jung Hwa Elmejjad-Yi, President of the Korean American Cultural Committee, and Y. David Chung, a George Mason University Art Professor. Both have longtime roots in Northern Virginia. That initial visit sowed an incipient seed for a Korean American endeavor of combining a cultural icon with a horticultural icon. Fruitful, in-depth conversations ensued. Walks in the garden spawned design concepts and collection ideas. The aesthetic and emotive setting of Meadowlark forged a cooperative vision among the planners. Meadowlark’s parent agency, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) also played a key role. It was in NVRPA that KACC found a truly unique, largely self-funded agency with visionary new leadership, poised to consider inventive ideas and partnerships. After nearly a year of research, meetings and much fine Korean cuisine, an MOU was signed. Shortly afterward, the NVRPA Executive Director and Board Chairwomen visited several sites in Korea as the guests of Jung Hwa and Professor Chung. The Korean Embassy and Washington D.C. lent diplomatic support and continue to do so. Scott Scarfone, Principal of the Oasis Design Group, further enhanced the process by creating a new Master Plan with Meadowlark staff. For NVRPA and KACC, the timing was simply perfect.

The Historical Aesthetic Embodied

Traditional Korean gardens are influenced by several different themes, including yin-yang, the Five Elements, feng shui and other meditative mediums. Collectively, these beliefs have taught Koreans as a culture to revere nature and celebrate its qualitative effects on the human condition. Korean bell pavilions have been built for hundreds of years as focal points for gatherings that celebrate the natural world, friendship and community (Woo-Kyung, 2007). According to an old Korean saying: Bells instill a righteous spirit in those who hear its ring, and gives rise to hope, a sense of cherishing life, alarm against disaster and sense of unity that brings people together, in order to bring prosperity, happiness, friendship, freedom, and peace for all people.

The concept for a bell garden at Meadowlark is unique as it places a traditional bell pavilion in a garden with associated cultural icons. The overall design is influenced by ten traditional symbols of longevity, called Ship-Jang Saeng, which are intricately carved on the bell and decorate the masonry walls. Hanging inside the pavilion is the stunning three ton bronze bell, modeled after the bell of King Seongdeok of the Silla Dynasty (57 BCE - 935 AD). Dedicated the “Bell of Peace and Harmony”, the Meadowlark bell is globally unique in combining images of native plants and animals from both Korea and Virginia. It serves as a cultural landmark for Korean Americans while inviting all visitors to enjoy the garden as a symbol of peace and prosperity between the two countries. 

The surrounding garden further illustrates the nature-focused legacy of Korean history and culture with displays featuring the Korean alphabet, a sculpted turtle fountain and adjacent pond. A separate viewing area with traditional decorative walls and courtyard displays subtly colored masonry murals unique to Korea (Kwon et al, 2010). Also on the site are ancestral totem poles used to greet visitors in ancient times. Near the entrance gate, carved volcanic stone statues from Jeju-do Island stand sentry-like, inviting further exploration.

The design and landscape around the bell pavilion are highly naturalized and asymmetric, having smooth lines and using the natural contours of the land to embrace the site’s intimacy in a nuanced spatial cooperative. Traditional Korean gardens are arboreal in character with trees as a focal point among shrubs and perennials. Water is, of course, a central focus, often in the form of a winding stream. The Korean garden aesthetic is closely allied to forests, rivers and mountains, giving them a subtle naturalistic appearance, rather than a look governed by human contact as found in Japanese or Chinese gardens. This natural aesthetic is ideally suited to Meadowlark’s rolling Piedmont setting (Tomlinson, 2003; Scarfone, 2007). 

Embracing Aesthetics, Conservation and Sustainability in Collection Development

Many fine Korean plant collections are found in North American gardens. The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden is considering a purposed Korean garden, and the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver has an exquisite Korean pavilion finished in the dan cheong style, featuring intricately stained colors. The Meadowlark pavilion that houses the bell is entirely built of natural wood-tones, making it the only structure of its type in a US public garden. American University (AU) is creating a Korean garden on its beautiful urban campus in Northwest Washington D.C., and Meadowlark and AU are sharing resources and plant material collected in Korea. 

The bell garden at Meadowlark will include taxa native to Northeast Asia and be established as a conservation collection. Consistent with Meadowlark’s three existing conservation collections, species material will take precedent over selections or hybrids. Accessioned plants will include many “trademark” Korean natives well known to temperate zone gardens. No threatened or endangered species will be used as a matter of promoting conservation in the wild and garden collections in Korea. Korea has a system of botanical gardens and arboreta surpassing most of those in similar-sized European countries and US states (Jeong-Oh, 2007) and is particularly well-suited to conserving its native plant diversity. Overall, the collection will be managed with various criteria detailed in the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation (IA) and the Global Strategy of Plant Conservation (Tomlinson et al, 2005 & 2010).

The coalescence of funding, diplomatic overture, international support and master planning at Meadowlark has created an exceptional opportunity. As we move forward developing the plant collection around the bell pavilion, cultural and horticultural icons will merge and bestow an extraordinary gift upon the people of Northern Virginia and the greater Washington D.C. region. It’s a remarkable opportunity that illustrates the rare convergence of cultural exchange, botanical heritage and horticultural pursuit. The first Korean immigrants to the Americas would surely beam with pride at the notable accomplishments of their ancestors in promoting peace and harmony between two distant countries so intimately bonded by culture and nature.

Further References:

Tomlinson, K.P., J.R. Malonay, K, McClesky 2016 Solvency Through Diversified Revenue Streams: Lessons fro a Small Garden. The Public Garden Vol. 31

Tomlinson, K.P., J.R. Maloney, C.B. Ramwell 2015 Marketing Field Trips to Underserved Public Schools: An Integrated Approach. Roots: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review. Vol.12 #1

Tomlinson, K.P., M.H. Kwon, E.K. Hagenberger 2012 Meadowlark Botanical Gardens’ Korean Bell Pavilion: Creating an Extraordinary New Korean Garden in North America. The Public Garden Vol. 27.

Tomlinson, KP, AR Tomlinson 2010 Educating for Sustainable Horticulture. Roots: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review. Vol. 7 # 2.

Tomlinson, K.P, G.Becht, D. Brodkey, 2005 Conservation Collections at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, USA: Supporting the International Agenda and Educating the Public. Botanic Gardens Journal, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Vol.2 #2.

Tomlinson, K. P. 2004. Update from the World Botanic Garden Congress. Newsletter of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.

Tomlinson, K. P. 2003. Garden Portrait: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. The Public Garden, Vol. 25 # 1.

Tomlinson, K. P. 2002. A Brief Natural History of Potomac Valley Forests. Dirca, the Newsletter of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Vol.3 #2.

Tomlinson, K. P., M. N. Christmus, M. R. McGarry. 2002. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens: A Biogeographic Native Plant Conservation Project, Wildflower 18 (3)

Tomlinson K. P., M. N. Christmus. 2001. New Conservation Initiative at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, USA, Botanic Gardens Conservation International Magazine, Vol.3 #7.

Tomlinson K. P. 2000. Conservation Collections Update, 2001. Dirca, the Newsletter of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Vol.1 #1.

Gallery

<gallery widths=200px> File:CherryBlossomsGazeboLakeCaroline.JPG|Lakeside Gazebo on Lake Caroline at cherry blossom time File:Meadowlark Gardens Korean Bell Pavilion.jpg|Korean Bell Pavilion at Meadowlark Gardens File:Meadowlark Gardens Experimental Meadow.jpg|Experimental Meadow at Meadowlark Gardens File:Meadowlark Gardens sculpture.jpg|Garden sculpture at Meadowlark Gardens File:Lake Lena 2.jpg|Lake Lena and the wetlands garden File:Lake Gardiner and beyond 2.jpg|Lake Gardiner viewed from the spiral mound File:Turtle and koi at Meadowlark Gardens.jpg|Mossy-backed turtle and koi in Lake Caroline

See also

• List of botanical gardens in the United States

External links

• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
• Picture Galleries
• Picture Gallery