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In 2002, Carl Totemeier recommended a concept of nine backyard gardens to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks’ Board of Directors. These gardens were to serve as examples for designs and plants for use in one’s own backyard.

“We want these gardens to not only reflect the unique character of the Ozarks and its people, but to challenge all who visit to see their own gardens with new eyes and the potential they have for creating more beautiful, useful, and fun spaces around their own homes,” said Gerald Klingaman, former Arkansas Extension Horticulturist and former Operations Director for the BGO.

A contest was held to design these gardens. But, it soon became evident that the winning designs were more elaborate than most people would build in a typical backyard. Subsequently, the gardens on the property became known as “theme gardens,” rather than “backyard gardens.” Once the designs were selected, sponsors were secured to provide funds for their construction.

Today, there are 12 theme gardens on the 8 cultivated acres that make up the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. We have been fortunate that generous individuals, organizations, and corporations have made these gardens possible. The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks draws more than 70,000 visitors per year who enjoy these gardens in person!

Founders Garden

Japanese Garden

Vegetable & Herb Garden

Children’s Garden

Education Cottage & Gardens

Butteryfly Garden

Four Seasons Garden

Rose & Perennial Garden

Shade Garden

Ozark Native Garden

Sensory Garden

Rock & Water Garden

Founders Garden

Fountain designed by Chandler Harp
Planting design by Susan Regan

The Founders Garden is an outdoor gathering space surrounded by stone planters and benches. The most recognizable feature is the brick path. These bricks are engraved with donors and supporters of the Garden and may be purchased to memorialize and honor loved ones.

The bright color concept in this garden is intended to awaken your mind as you take a minute to meditate on one of the benches with the soft sound of the water feature in the background. This garden features several semi-tropical plants, including Elephant Ears and Cestrum, that survive winter due to the added protection of the mulch, fence, concrete, and building. You can use these elements to create a microclimate to protect your own tropical plants at home.

Japanese Garden

Garden designed by Greg Bland
Garden donated by Greg and Hannah Lee
Koi Pond donated by Catherine Wise Bass, Gail Wise Goodrum, and Joyce Wise Brown in memory of their mother, Alpha J. Wise.

This garden represents peace and tranquility, and is intended to serve as a serene place for quiet meditation. This garden style hints at ancient landscapes that highlight the natural beauty of nature without overly ornamental design. Traditional elements of Japanese gardens are incorporated, including water, stones, plants, and a Torii Gate. Many plants in this garden are of Asian origin, including the Japanese Maples, Clumping Bamboo, Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper, and Bonsai Trees.

Vegetable & Herb Garden

Garden designed by Stuart Fulbright.
Garden donated by Ed Clement, in memory of his wife Diane, who was an avid herb gardener.
The mosaic fountain, in the form of an ear of corn, was created by Stuart Fulbright and Kathy P. Thompson.

The Vegetable and Herb Garden is one of the most dynamic gardens, providing an ever-changing array of edible plants, in combination with flowers. One unique element of this garden is the Arkansas Black Apple Tree grown using an espalier method, training the tree to grow on a flat plane with its limbs used to create shapes and patterns.

The raised beds were recently updated by a team of volunteers and BGO staff to be more accessible to guests of all mobility ranges, and they are producing more vegetables than ever before! Vegetables grown in the garden are donated to Seeds That Feed, a local organization that distributes it to food insecure people in the community. Any extra waste gets fed to the chickens or composted.

Children’s Garden

Garden designed by Gerald Klingaman, Scott Starr, Cini Cope, Gail Pianalto, Joyce Mendenhall, and Betty Swope from the original design by Stuart Fulbright.
Gerald Klingaman built most of the structures with his own hands.
Garden donated by Barbara Tyson.

Centered around a sculpted ferro-cement tree, the garden provides a place for exploration and discovery for children and the young at heart. There are many elements to climb on, crawl through, and explore hands-on in this garden, including the “Eagle’s Nest” covered in Trumpet Vine, the hollowed out tree trunk painted by local artist Brandon Bullette, a two-story barn doorway replica used to get a better view of the Garden, a Weeping Mulberry Tree and Weeping Willow Tree, and a sandbox & mud kitchen. This garden features many house plants in movable planters, which are moved to the greenhouse during the winter. Outside of the Children’s Garden sit two ferro-cement chairs & a table, which are covered in various types of succulents.

Education Cottage & Gardens

The Education Cottage donated by Mary Bess Mulholland.

The Education Cottage was the first structure built for the Garden. Originally, it was on the south side of the property. In 2013, the Cottage was moved to its current location. It is now used for small private events like birthday parties and educational activities. The gardens surrounding the Cottage support the Butterfly program. All plants used in this garden serve as either a host plant or a nectar plant for butterflies and native pollinator insects. These include Rue, Milkweed, Parsley, Sedum, Sunflowers, Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon, and much more! At the back of the Education Cottage is the Bardwell Insectorium, donated by Jack and Mary Ann Bardwell.

Butterfly Garden

Donated by Paige and Mary Bess Mulhollan and in memory of Will Starr.

The Butterfly Garden, also known as the “butterfly pathway,” leads to the Butterfly House. Like the gardens surrounding the Education Cottage, this garden is filled with host and nectar plants to attract native butterflies. It is certified and registered by Monarch Watch as a Monarch Waystation, which means it provides milkweeds, nectar sources and shelter needed to sustain monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America. A new addition to this garden are the “Air Bee N Bees,” which are safe homes for nonaggressive solitary bees that are “Super Pollinators.”

Four Seasons Garden

Garden donated by Walmart & Sam’s Foundation.
Original garden designed by Better Homes & Gardens designer, Kenny Kalke, which was interpreted by a BGO committee.
Stuart Fulbright designed and constructed the “Egg” structure.

The Four Seasons Garden is designed to feature plants with some desirable characteristics in at least one of the four seasons, with colorful fall leaf changes, bright plant branches, and an evergreen presence. Most of the plants included in this garden are annuals, which are featured for only one growing season. However, there are some elements that stay all year long, including the large Southern Magnolias, Barberry hedges, and the American Wisteria vine covering the iconic “Egg” structure.

Rose & Perennial Garden

Garden designed by Gail Pianato and Chip Hammons.
Garden donated by the Northside and Downtown Rotary Clubs of Fayetteville.

The Rose and Perennial Garden showcases combinations that complement the beauty of the roses with the colors and textures of annuals and hardy perennials. The roses utilized in this garden are mostly antique roses, meaning those bred in the 14th or 15th century, with a few modern roses mixed in. The centerpiece of this garden, the Rotary Peace Arbor, is a backdrop of concerts, weddings, and signature events in the Garden.

Shade Garden

Garden designed by Yvonne Kirby.
Garden donated by Jean Totemeier and their daughters, to honor Carl Totemeier for the contributions he made to the BGO and to memorialize his love for the project.
Water feature and granite benches donated by Yvonne Kirby and her husband.

The Shade Garden was the first to be built and features an array of shade-loving plants. There are many spectacular plants that prefer this environment, some that even hold their foliage year round. Many homeowners find it difficult to garden because they don’t have a lot of sun in their yards. Gardens such as this one serve as inspiration to such gardeners by showcasing a variety of plants that do well in full or partial shade.

The White Ash tree is the oldest tree on our property, boasting 6 trunks and hosting at least 30 different caterpillar species. Look for the variety of lilies, including the Pineapple Lily, Voodoo Lily, and Toad Lily, as well!

Ozark Native Garden

Garden designed by Lisa Netherland and Jo Carole Haxel, ASLA
Garden donated by Paige and Mary Bess Mulhollan. The Mulhollans see this garden as a way of sharing their love of native plants with all who visit.
The Ozark Native Garden is maintained by the Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists, a group dedicated to improving and managing natural areas. This garden features native trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses all native to the Arkansas Ozarks. A small stream flows through the garden mimicking many streams in Arkansas. There is an Ozark “Front Porch” structure with two porch swings modeled after local vernacular architecture. Look for native plants like Common sunflowers, Trumpet honeysuckle, Milkweed, Purple coneflower, Parsley, and Black-eyed Susans.

Sensory Garden

Garden designed by Stuart Fulbright.
Garden donated by Washington County Master Gardeners.
Butterfly structure constructed by Stuart Fulbright.
The water feature was created by Fayetteville sculptor Hank Kaminsky in memory of Martha Barton.

The Sensory Garden is designed for guests of varying degrees of ability by stimulating as many senses as possible. Plants can use color, texture, taste and scent for protection, deterring unwanted insects and herbivores, or as a way to attract insects for pollination. Guests can hear the windchimes & water trickling from the water feature, see vibrant and contrasting pops of color, taste herbs like sage, touch plants like lamb’s-ear, and smell plants like lavender and catmint in this garden. The central feature is a large butterfly with flower beds as its “living wings” filled with various seasonal flowers. In the fall and winter, these beds are planted with Violas and Pansies.

Rock & Water Garden

Garden designed by Gerald Klingaman with support from Mark Robertson and Mike Walker.
Rock garden, Gatehouse, and plantings donated by Denise and Hershey Garner.
Water feature donated by Virgina Coogan.

The Rock and Water Garden depicts an Ozark mountain stream with a grotto effect, waterfalls, and pools of water that one might see in the mountains. It was designed to showcase the topography of the Boston Mountains as part of the Ozarks Plateau and highlight the karst rock and water formations found in our area. In fact, boulders from nearby Devils Den State Park are used for its landscape. Look for some of the native plants like the Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Penstemon, Snow-on-the-mountain, Yucca, Water lilies, and the Red Cedars.

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