LeGrand Gardens Designated as the First EarthKind™ Garden in the World by TAMU

At a groundbreaking for the Chamblee Rose Garden held on April 18, the City of Tyler and Keep Tyler Beautiful announced that 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 posses the extremely high level of landscape performance coupled with the outstanding disease and insect tolerance/resistance that are required to receive the EarthKind™ designation. As the first specialty garden in the LeGrand Gardens, the Chamblee Rose Garden will use EarthKind™ techniques of correct plant selection, soil preparation and limited, to no use, of pesticides.

 “The City of Tyler is very proud that the Chamblee Rose Garden will be the first EarthKind™ garden in the world,” said Mayor Joey Seeber.  “It is fitting that this happen in Tyler as horticulture and natural beauty is such a part of our community identity.”

Mark Chamblee of Chamblee Roses expressed interest in the LeGrand Gardens by offering EarthKind™ rose bushes to develop a garden in memory of his grandfather, Walter Kelley, who was the groundskeeper of the Goodman Museum at one time. Along with Chamblee, Tyler Pipe/McWane Industries, Brookshire’s Grocery Company, the Rosebud Garden Club, and Keep Tyler Beautiful members, Marjorie Mustard and Eloise Muxworthy donated funds to begin this garden.

MHS Planning and Design and Oliver Windham Landscape Design created the rose garden site plan, which includes a large vine covered arbor, archways, benches, ornamental shrubs and a sculpture to honor Dr. George.

Construction at the site is expected to begin this summer with a projected opening date in October 2008.

LeGrand Project History:

Keep Tyler Beautiful was designated the advisory board of the LeGrand Gardens in February 2006, by the Tyler City Council. Board members Eloise Muxworthy and Marjorie Mustard were named co-chairs of the LeGrand Gardens Planning Committee and since that time have raised funds to make the plan a reality.

In August 2006, the City Council approved the Board’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 master plan for the entire grounds surrounding the Goodman Museum.   The resulting plan creates a wonderful location for a botanical garden complete with a visitor center, environmental education area, and facilities for family events, weddings, small conferences, and musical and theatrical productions.

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.