Not long ago, a generous patron hoped to honor his mother, a woman who had dearly loved the gardens of Bartlett Arboretum. As gifts of the heart often have ripple effects, the Soil Sisters began remembering their own mothers and how so many of them had found solace in gardens, seeding in their children a love of growing things, an appreciation of everyday miracles and the virtues of patience and tender loving care.

A Mother’s Garden is a new dream here at Bartlett Arboretum. A sunny alcove along Euphrates Creek has been set aside to be fashioned into a lasting remembrance. Inspired by the courage and resilience of motherhood, this raised bed garden is designed to honor Mother Nature’s changing seasons, as well as the maturing of the gardener as she moves from the days of nimble knees on the ground and lean, lithe arms at work in the sun, to a slower season, a gentler pace, a shorter reach for weathered hands.