Olmsted Asian Garden
Restoration & Repurposing

In 1916, Percival Gallagher – a principal architect at the Olmsted Brothers Firm – designed this garden to fulfill the request of Elm Bank’s owners for a water garden. At the time of design, this garden contained 198 taxa – or types – of plants, mainly consisting of woody trees and shrubs. In the 84 years between the death of Elm Bank’s original owners and the beginning of this project, a few of these selections have become invasive or aggressive in the wetland surrounding the garden and canal, creating a need for significant historic and ecological restoration.

Project Objectives

The Olmsted Asian Garden project currently aims to mobilize both professional and volunteer resources to assist with the management of invasive species without the use of mechanized equipment or herbicides.

We hope to use this project to engage and involve the public in landscape restoration and the benefits of horticulture for health and wellness.

What We've Acomplished (Phase 1)

• Removing dangerous and diseased hemlock along the canal
• Using dead wood to build biodiversity hedges along the borders of the woodland
• Remove certain invasive species by hand (cutting & pulling)
• Eradicating herbaceous invasives using targeted placement of silage tarps and subsequent reseeding
• Using existing landscape elements and archival sources to learn more about what the garden looked like and how it was used

What We're Working On (Phase 2)

• Removal of large standing and downed hazard trees
• Seeding of no-mow grass blends to stabilize soils until until further design work is completed
• Construction of a temporary walking path around the pond
• Development of a wetland boardwalk along the canal
• Continued research and implementation of low-impact invasive and aggressive species removal
• Development of a reentry program to train those with barriers to employment in horticultural and ecological skills
• Continued community outreach, including volunteer days

Volunteer on the Olmsted Asian Garden