Marking a Milestone
Yew
Dell Gardens plans
10th anniverary Twilight celebration
Oct.
5 fundraiser event to
raise money needed for expansion
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (October 2012) Yew Dell Botanical
Gardens is celebrating a decade in existence. What started as a dream
of horticulturalist Theodore Kline has become a world-renown center
for education and cultivation in the heart of Crestwood.
|
Paul
Cappiello
|
As a leading horticultural research center, Yew Dells
mission centers on developing superior garden plants, increasing biological
diversity in the community and decreasing the need for pesticides. To
honor these achievements and many more, a huge 10-year birthday party
is in the works.
Yew Dells annual fundraising event, Twilight in the Garden,
will take on the theme of a birthday party to observe this notable milestone.
On Oct. 5 beginning at 6:30 p.m., the 34-acre property will play host
to its most important fundraising event of the year.
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and supports all our
work to build fabulous display gardens, continue our ongoing research
on new and better garden plants, and conduct a long slate of educational
programs and community events, said Karla Drover, Yew Dells
assistant director.
Guests may begin the evening with a selection of wine and an open bar.
Dinner will be prepared by Wiltshire Pantry, beginning with appetizers.
The three-course dinner will feature locally grown greens, seasonal
vegetables and Kentucky beef brisket, topped off with mouth-watering
desserts.
To get guests into the swing of things, The grounds at Yew Dell
will be decorated for a birthday party like no other, Drover said.
Limited silent and live auctions will also take place.
Auction items will include a weeks stay at a beachfront home near
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; a case of sommelier exciting wine; three rare
trees from the Yew Dell nursery; center court tickets to the University
of Louisville vs. University of Ken-tucky basketball game; garden furniture;
and a garden party in the exquisite surroundings of Sissy Nashs
home and garden.
Guests also have the chance to win a ruby and diamond ring, a weeks
stay at a French country home known as Maison Rose, or a bottle of fine
wine.
Were also conducting an online auction of items in our live
and silent auction, said Drover, for people who cannot attend
the event but would like to bid on items.
Drover said the revenue from Twilight in the Garden
supplies a significant portion of our operating budget each year as
well as allowing us to showcase the beauty of the grounds and the contribution
a botanical garden makes to the lives of people in the community.
In recognition of 10 years in operation, ground will soon be broken
on a collection of new horticulture facilities, nurseries, a greenhouse
and headhouse. The gem of the new facilities will be a solar-geothermal
greenhouse, complete with green roof, plant growing and propagation
space, teaching and workshop space and exhibit space.
The existing historic Klein potting shed building will be completely
renovated and re-opened as the Preston T. Ormsby Horticulture Center.
It will serve as the greenhouses headhouse, providing teaching
and work space, and a place for daily operations.
This is a project that has been in the planning stages for several years,
said Paul Cappiello, executive director of Yew Dell Botanical Gardens.
In its first 10 years of existence, the staff at Yew Dell spent time
stabilizing the property, rehabilitating buildings and gardens,
crafting our education and community event programs, and getting the
word out to the community. He is now ready to Begin building
our horticulture facilities that will form the centerpiece of our research
and education activity.
Cappiello said the staff at Yew Dell is working with the Louisville
architecture firm of deLeon & Primmer Architecture Workshop, with
whom they have worked previously. Yew Dell has also employed Rough Brothers
of Cincinnati, designers-fabricators of greenhouse structures.
Rough Brothers have a solid reputation for building high quality
structures that last for the long haul, said Cappiello. The company
was excited with all the unique challenges and opportunities of
the project.
A unique feature of the new facility will be the High Tunnel, a structure
that will allow Yew Dell staff to grow and harvest vegetables throughout
the winter with no added heat.
Well use it for variety trials, production research and
demonstrations for interested gardeners, farmers and schools,
said Cappiello. The greenhouse, with its solar-geothermal heat-cooling
and green roof will certainly be unique in the region and will serve
as an exhibit of low energy design.
Construction will begin this fall and work on the greenhouse and Horticulture
Center building is expected to be completed by spring 2013.
Tickets for Twilight in the Garden are
$200 per person. Tickets can be reserved by contacting Yew Dell Botanical
Gardens at (502) 241-4788 or visiting: www.YewDellGardens.org.
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