Description
The Destination
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
Richmond, Virginia
Hosted by Grace Chapman, Director of Horticulture
The Experience
Your visit for up to four includes:
- A private tour of the garden with Director of Horticulture, Grace Chapman, including the extensive outdoor gardens, conservatory, greenhouses, and behind-the-scenes features
- Lunch with Grace at the Robins Tea House or the Garden Café
- Admission to the Garden for up to four
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features year-round beauty on a historic property with more than 50-acres of spectacular gardens, dining and shopping. A 63-foot, classical, domed Conservatory is the only one of its kind in the mid-Atlantic. Visitors can explore more than a dozen themed gardens including a Children’s Garden, Rose Garden, Healing Garden, Fountain Garden, Asian Valley, and more. The Garden regularly hosts special exhibits including an annual Butterflies LIVE! exhibit, and Nature Connects. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden ranks among the best botanical gardens in North America, and was voted a Top 10 Garden by readers of USA Today and 10Best.
Grace Chapman has been Director of Horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden since 2011. She has a strong public horticulture background with experience at premier gardens in the United States and United Kingdom. As a recipient of the prestigious Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholar award presented by the Garden Club of America, Grace studied botanic garden education, practical horticulture, and landscape design in England at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Horticulture Society Rosemoor, the Eden Project, and the Chelsea Physic Garden; and in Scotland at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. She has served as lead horticulturist in award-winning group efforts at the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show and the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Shows. Grace has a Master of Science in public horticulture with a certificate in museum studies from the Longwood Graduate Program, University of Delaware. Her Bachelor of Science degree is in environmental horticulture with a public gardens management specialization from University of Florida.
- Best times to visit: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offers year-round horticulture interest as well as seasonal exhibits such as Butterflies LIVE!, Dominion GardenFest, and, new for 2016, Nature Connects. Check the web site for the Garden’s special exhibit calendar (www.lewisginter.org).
Item Special Note
Conditions/Limitations for this item: tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016. This private tour is only available during daytime operating hours -- if during Dominion GardenFest, admission to the lights show will also be provided for a self-guided experience.
To check on dates and to make arrangements for this offering, the winner should contact Grace Chapman, gracec@lewisginter.org, 804-262-9887 x241.