Hollandia Botanical Gardens

OUR IMMEDIATE GOAL.  Within the broader goal of spreading horticultural beauty throughout the entire community, we aim to build a public Hollandia Botanical Garden.

This goal is well beyond a mere dream.  As of 2007-09 we have completed key steps toward this ambitious undertaking.  We have:

• Developed an interim startup plan (July 2009), Provisional Phase One, with NBBJ Landscape Architects--Columbus, OH.  (See "Garden Plans and Designs.") Partial funding for the planning and design process came from the Noonan Foundation. 

• Engaged NBBJ to develop a Master Plan for our Garden site, November 2007.  Funding the Master Plan have been grants from the Springfield Conservancy District, the Turner Foundation, and generous donations from individuals.
• Secured an 11-acre parcel on a 50-year lease from the Springfield Conservancy District.  Our site is at the northeastern edge of the Center City district.  It surrounds the bike path, encompasses the north and south shores of Buck Creek, and extends from the intersection of Warder and Water Streets to Sherman Avenue.
• Developed essential media components for our organization. These include our quarterly newsletter, Branching Out (we welcome new subscribers!), brochure, PowerPoint presentation, and the Web site you are now visiting.
• Held annual Bulb Festivals, starting in April 2007 after planting 18,000 bulbs in more than a score of beds at our Garden site the previous October.  Each successive Festival has been preceded by supplemental Fall plantings.  Through the Festival we have given the community a glimpse of the potential that our site provides.  Community interest in the project is evident from attendance--from an estimated 600 in 2007 to 1714 in 2009. 
• Appointed our first Executive Director in September 2007 (see About Us) and opened our Hollandia Office.  Support for this development has come from the Springfield Foundation, the Turner Foundation, Jim and Nike Lagos, and individual donors. 
• Developed a Business Plan in conjunction with the WittCam group at Wittenberg University and a Marketing Plan in conjunction with the Wright State University School of Business.
• Assembled a dedicated and determined Board supported by eager volunteers; established formal status as a non-profit organization.

Why a Public Botanical Garden in Springfield/Clark County, Ohio?

Beyond the intrinsic value of a spectacular new attraction and the transformation of a decayed environment, research on urban development shows a strong correlation between public displays of flowers and other plants and the vitality of a community.  They signal that a city has developed a vision beyond mere subsistence, one that encompasses a comprehensive quality of life.

The Hollandia Botanical Garden is an embodiment of such a vision. 

It is to be a living exhibit of the beauty and harmony that nature, under skilled cultivation, can make visible to citizens of every age and station.

Our Garden will also be an organic connection to our community's history and distinctive character. 

Agriculture, including the growing and marketing of nursery plants, is a major Clark County enterprise.  The roots of this activity originated in frontier times (hence our name "Spring-field") and extend through the post-Civil War era, when the city achieved prominence as a manufacturer of farm machinery.  Its innovative Champion reapers and other devices produced by various manufacturers earned us the title Champion City.  Botanical enterprises continued into the 20th century, when the area became a leading national producer and shipper of roses.  Hence the added title, Rose City.  Among the growers of that era was the Aukeman family's Hollandia Gardens, after whom our new Garden is named.

Our Garden, then, together with associated displays throughout the community, will embody both an enhanced present for our community and a living reminder of its past.  It will exhibit the best of ourselves for present and future generations and a living reminder of the generations that have come before.  One might well re-phrase the question, "Why here?" to "How can we not have a public botanical garden here in Springfield/Clark County?"