LeGrand Gardens Designated as the First EarthKind™ Garden in the World by TAMU
In August 2006, the Tyler City Council approved Keep Tyler Beautiful’s recommendation to hire Mark Spencer of MHS Planning and Design, Oliver Windham Landscape Design and Mike Butler of Fitzpatrick Butler Architects to create a phased garden master plan for the LeGrand Gardens. The goal is to create a garden that will be a venue for environmental education, family events, weddings, small conferences, musical and theatrical productions and serve as a visitor center.
The Chamblee Rose Garden opened in March 2009 and is the flagship project for the LeGrand Gardens and is made possible by a generous contribution from Mark Chamblee in honor of his grandfather, Walter Kelly who served as a groundskeeper for the Goodman Museum at one time.
The funding for the development of this long-term master plan will be primarily from private donations.
EarthKind™
The LeGrand Gardens will be the first ever entirely EarthKind™ designated botanical garden in the world. EarthKind™ is a new environmental landscape management system developed by Dr. Steven George, a landscape horticultural specialist for the Texas Cooperative Extension, an agency of the Texas A&M University system.
EarthKind™ is one of the most prestigious horticultural plant designations bestowed by the Texas Cooperative Extension. It is based on years of extensive field research conducted by Texas A&M horticultural experts. Only a few, very special varieties of plants possess the extremely high level of landscape performance coupled with the outstanding disease and insect tolerance/resistance that are required to receive the EarthKind™ designation. The Chamblee Rose Garden, as the first specialty garden in the LeGrand Gardens, has used the EarthKind™ techniques of correct plant selection, soil preparation and limited to no use of pesticides.
LeGrand Gardens Master Plan:
Phase I of the plan includes the creation of a specialty garden near the existing boulder area, which was the favorite spot of the home’s last owner, Sallie Goodman LeGrand. A carriage house once stood on the grounds, therefore, Phase I calls for the construction of such a building that would act as a chapel for weddings or a meeting room for up to 100 people. The first phase would also include construction of a restroom building along with lighting, utilities, signage, site furnishings, small gardens, walkways and a small water feature. All structures would compliment the architecture of the existing house.
Phase II will see construction of a demonstration barn that will offer a place to teach children and adults how to plant, garden, compost and use East Texas nature in arts and crafts. A kitchen garden with a water feature and a glass house for small meetings and events would be built next. This phase includes the beginning of a northern entry, along with walkways and construction of a 30-space parking lot.
Phase III details the building of an admissions office and gift shop and a walkway around the entire property that will allow visitors to learn about native plants. A 58-space parking lot along with the removal of the existing entry road in the center of the property and creation of a new entry road on the north side of the property would complete this phase.
Phase IV will bring a gazebo bandstand and special events area, the conversion of the existing parking lot into a central plaza with a large water feature, a gazebo near the glass house and additional specialty gardens. Visitors will see varieties flourishing at the LeGrand that they could grow in their own gardens without pesticides.
The funding for the development of this long-term master plan will be from private donations.
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