How Preservation Works

The Garden Conservancy's Preservation department works to preserve and restore gardens in many ways, in both short-term and long-term partnerships, employing multiple services. For a list of individual services, see the Our Services section of our Preservation overview.

Below are a few of the roles we play, along with examples.

We help restore, rescue, and rehabilitate public gardens.: All gardens are living works of art and face ongoing challenges, both natural and manmade. We have helped gardens recapture their original design excellence after natural disasters such as hurricanes, or to recover from decades of neglect. These gardens are often of historical and cultural significance; many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or are National Historic Landmarks.
Examples: Jens Jensen Formal Garden in Humboldt Park, Blithewood Garden, Longue Vue House & Gardens, Gardens of Alcatraz, The Fells

We assist gardens by providing a range of preservation services.: These services may include short-term assistance or technical and planning advice in securing gardens for the public benefit, or the use of tools such as conservation easements to protect the future of a garden.
Examples: Swan House Boxwood Garden restoration grant, conservation easements

We help private gardens become public gardens.: These collaborations tend to be long-term in nature, entailing many different steps and many partners, and using multiple planning tools and preservation strategies. Each case is different, but the examples below illustrate some of the many steps in the transition.
Examples: Ruth Bancroft Garden, Greenwood Gardens, Hollister House Garden, Elizabeth Lawrence Garden, Peckerwood Garden, Gaiety Hollow, Yew Dell Botanical Gardens