Garvan Woodland Gardens Plans Grand Opening April 6-13

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Gardening programs, live music, a show of antique cars and boats and Tai Chi demonstrations are among the activities planned for April 6—13 to mark the grand opening of Garvan Woodland Gardens, a 210-acre botanical garden with 4.5 miles of shoreline on Lake Hamilton. The Garvan Woodland Gardens are a division of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture.

Planned for Saturday, April 6, are a performance by the Happy Tymes Jazz Band from 2 to 5 p.m., the antique car and boat show and the Tai Chi demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a garden club show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Grand opening ceremonies are scheduled for 1:45 p.m. on April 7, to be followed by a Community Band concert at 2:40 p.m. Master Gardners will be admitted to the gardens for half price on April 8, which will also feature programs on attracting hummingbirds at 1 p.m. and wildflower arranging at 2 p.m. Carl Hunter, a leading authority on Arkansas wildflowers, will conduct a book signing from 1 to 3 p.m.

On April 10, a program on the decorative uses of herbs is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Jeannie Wilson of the Old Columbus Herb Farm will present a program on herb gardening. Dulcimer concerts are scheduled for 1 and 2:30 p.m.

A bonsai show and sale is planned for April 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 1 to 5 p.m., bonsai demonstrations are planned and David Slawson, who designed The Garden of the Pine Wind at Garvan, will be on the grounds.

Water Gardening programs are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1p.m. on April 12. On April 13, the gardens' Sunrise Bridge will be dedicated. At 2 p.m. the cast of "The Witness," a Christian drama, will perform. Also strolling the grounds from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be Class Act, a barbershop quartet.

The Garden of the Pine Wind, one of Garvan's many highlights, was created by placing more than two million pounds of boulders into a natural ravine. using recirculated water from the lake, the garden features waterfalls, cascades, stream courses, reflecting pools and a large pond. Thousands of native and Asian plants and two Asian-inspired rock bridges also adorn the Garden of the Pine Wind.

In November, Garvan unveiled its 5,000-square foot welcome center. With an exterior of cedar, stone and glass, the center includes a gift shop, orientation space and meeting rooms.

Another recently completed feature is the Singing Sprigs Gorge, where the serpentine Canopy Bridge crosses another cascade and reaches some two stories high, allowing visitors an eye-level view of the pines and hardwoods found in the gardens.

Verna Cook Garvan bequeathed the garden site through the University of Arkansas Foundation to the University's School of Landscape Architecture. Since the 1950s, she had planted on the site hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, many now more than 30 years old. They include camellias, magnolias, more than 100 different types of azaleas, and antique roses.

Additional Garvan gardens areas that have been completed are the Great Lawn, Flowering Border and a pavilion designed by architect E. Fay Jones.

The gardens are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays and are closed on Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for those 55 and older, and $3 for children 6 to 12. Those five and under are admitted free of charge.

Special rates, box lunches and customized catering are available for groups of 20 or more when arranged in advance.

The gardens are located at 550 Arkridge Road, off Carpenter Dam Road south of Hot Springs. For more information visit www.garvangardens.org, phone (800) 366—4664 or (501) 262—9300 or write P.O. Box 22240, Hot Springs AR 71903-2240.

Photo: The Canopy Bridge, a 120-foot long, 20 foot tall serpentine bridge sponsored by Leon and Betty Millsap of Hot Springs who gave a $90,000 donation.