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Waterfront Botanical Gardens

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Waterfront Botanical Gardens - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Annual Old Louisville Garden Tours are this weekend

The Old Louisville Hidden Treasures Garden Tour offers an up close look at one of the nation’s largest Victorian neighborhoods. The event runs Saturday and Sunday.

Old Louisville was originally 48 blocks of Victorian houses built in the 1870s. Most of them have been restored and maintained.

Mathieu Nunery of the tour’s planning committee said that the tours attendees come from across the country, but it seems special to Louisville residents.

“Our residents are just fascinated by these big homes, and oftentimes you can't see what's behind them,” Nunery said. “That's why we've named the garden tour ‘Hidden Treasures’ because this gives you an opportunity to peek behind and see how owners have utilized the space and typically there's small gardens and very creative uses.”

Attendees can peruse gardens as well as the homes' exteriors.

“You'll find a lot of water features and just beautiful shrubbery and plants and groundcovers,” Nunery said. “People just enjoy creating a little haven from urban living that they can enjoy, and then visitors get to see that.”

The tours start at the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum and meander through 12 nearby home gardens.

The planning for the annual tour starts in September the previous year.

“We start scoping out areas of Old Louisville to focus on for the next garden tour,” Nunery said. “We typically have our first full scale planning meeting in November and that's a good time to start reaching out to sponsors as they prepare their budgets for the following year. Especially for charitable giving. Sponsors are a big part of the success of the event along with ticket sales, and then also we have what we call seed sponsors.”

The tour is celebrating its 29th year. Nunery said the idea for the garden tour was initiated in 1993 by two women – Virginia Erlich and Peggy Mims – who presented the concept to the Second Street Neighborhood Association.

“Truly, I just love Old Louisville,” Nunery said. “It's a unique and really special community.”

The garden tours are on June 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

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Take A Tour

Tour oxmoor farm.

Oxmoor Farm offers guided tours of the house and grounds by reservation only . Tours are offered on select dates. Please fill out the online form below and an email confirmation will be sent once you tour is booked.

Admission prices are as follows: Adults – $12, Senior Citizens – $8, Children (ages 6-14) – $5 and Children (ages 5 and under) – Free.

Group rates are available for groups of more than 15 people.

All tours can be adjusted to focus on group’s interest, ranging from the Colonial Period, to the Civil War, to the Gilded Era. To book a guided house tour, email [email protected] or use the form below.

GENERAL TOUR

Nestled 8 miles outside Louisville, Oxmoor is a historical gem giving us a glimpse into Kentucky’s past. Explore 230 years of history at Oxmoor Farm. Home to 5 generations of the Bullitt family. The family was influential in the formation of Kentucky and their house, original section built in 1791 to the first addition in 1829 and the 2 additions in the early 1900s, is a literal testament to the state’s history from colonial times through the 20th century. Buffeted by the beautiful gardens that were designed in 1911 and the tree-lined avenue, as well as the charming outbuildings add to Oxmoor’s beauty and its historical uniqueness. Come and hear the stories that Oxmoor has to tell of early pioneer days and the Native Americans, the history of hemp cultivation in Kentucky, the antebellum years and the enslaved community that lived and worked here, through the gilded age and present day. Come see one of the few historic sites in the country where you can walk through 3 centuries of American history and explore the 13 original outbuildings including a smokehouse, springhouse, ice house, hemp barn, and former slave cabins. The historic house is furnished with original pieces that belonged to the Bullitt family. The gardens were designed in 1911 by Marian Coffin, one of the first female landscape architects in the country. All house tours are guide-led and last approximately one hour. Due to the historic nature of the house it is not fully handicap accessible. While the tour is of the first floor of the house and there are a few stairs along the tour. You can leisurely explore the grounds on your own before or after your tour.

AGRICULTURE/HEMP TOUR

Oxmoor sits in the middle of the last working farm in Jefferson County. Farming has always been an integral part to the history of Oxmoor. When Alexander Scott Bullitt purchased the land he immediately begin clearing it in order to cultivate a crop. This grounds tour will focus on the history of farming in Kentucky with particular attention given to the era when Hemp was the main crop grown in the Bluegrass State. Learn about the history of Hemp cultivation in this area and how it flourished particularly well along Beargrass Creek. Take a peak inside the brick hemp barn, which is one of 13 original outbuildings onsite at Oxmoor. Learn about the inner workings of Oxmoor Farm from the crops cultivated over the years to the livestock that was raised on the farm. This tour will also tell the stories of the women and men who worked the land beginning with the enslaved African Americans who lived at Oxmoor and the tenant farmers who took up residence after the Civil War through the 1970s. Please wear appropriate footwear as this tour is a walking tour with moderate levels of walking.

OXMOOR GARDENS TOUR

As you enter the grounds the 1/2 mile tree-lined avenue greets you. Trees and flowers has always been an integral part of the landscape at Oxmoor. What began with Alexander Scott Bullitt sending off for flower seeds from England in the late 1700s has now evolved into a formal gardens that was designed in 1911 by Marian Coffin, one of the first female landscape architects in the U.S. Ms. Coffin’s plan of a circle in square rose garden complete with circular brick walkways and arbors and gazebos, and an English border garden that trails off behind the house, are lovely features of Oxmoor. Included in the gardens is a pet cemetery which is the final resting place for the Bullitt family’s dogs and horses. The farm was the site of annual Steeplechase from 1940-2002. Learn about the history of the gardens and the way it has evolved over the last 230 years including the additions of fruit trees, vegetable garden, the pet cemetery, as well as the formal gardens. This tour will cover the tree-lined avenue, the front lawn, as well as the formal gardens just to the south of the main house. You’ll have time after the tour to meander through the gardens and our groundskeeper will be on hand to answer specific questions about the care of the gardens today. Please wear appropriate footwear as this tour is a walking tour.

THE WOMEN OF OXMOOR

Women have a unique American experience which is mirrored in the history of Oxmoor. The women of Oxmoor, enslaved and free, were dynamic and strong women, who founded, farmed, managed, and maintained Oxmoor over its 230 year history. From the pioneer days of Priscilla Christian Bullitt to the antebellum years of Mildred Fry Bullitt to the Gilded Age era of Nora Iasigi Bullitt and the late 20th century presence of Kay Stammers Bullitt all aspects of women’s history will be touched on. What were the daily lives of these women like in their respective time periods. How did they dress, eat, socialize, and influence their worlds. Ranging from a pioneer housewife, an antebellum mistress and the enslaved women she oversaw, a sufragette, an artist, a world-renown tennis star – all aspects of women’s history will be explored.

SLAVERY AT OXMOOR

Oxmoor was home to a large group of enslaved African Americans from its beginning in 1787 to the end of the Civil War in 1865. The highest number of documented slaves held at Oxmoor totaled 101 in 1816. The slaves were written about in Bullitt family letters thus giving us a one-sided glimpse at their lives. Slave births, weddings and deaths are all documented in the letters, as well as reports on their health and even their punishments for insolent behavior. While slavery is not a comfortable part of our history, the individual lives are important and part of our nation’s history. This tour will focus on the enslaved population and the documented family groups that lived at Oxmoor. Hope, Louisa, Eliza Julia, Sam, Sabra, Jack, Caroline, and Frank are just a few of the slaves whose stories you’ll learn on this tour. Oxmoor is a unique history site with original slave dwellings still standing, as well as a kitchen and overseer’s house. This tour will explore those buildings, as well as a tour through the main house and touch on the individual people and their lives and their interactions with Bullitt family.

CIVIL WAR TOUR

Kentucky was a neutral state during the Civil War but the Bullitts did not remain neutral. Just to the south of Oxmoor was the Speed Family farm Farmington. The Bullitts and the Speeds were first cousins and even though they were related by blood and lived as neighbors, they chose different sides in the Civil War conflict. The Speed family were good friends of President Abraham Lincoln, in fact Lincoln stayed at Farmington for 3 weeks twenty years prior to beginning our 16th president. The Bullitts of Oxmoor chose to fight with the southern states. This tour will explore the war years at Oxmoor. Learn about the Bullitt sons who fought with the Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, how the war years changed the landscape at Oxmoor, the fate of the slaves who once lived and worked at Oxmoor, and how the conflict affected the relationship between the Bullitt and Speed cousins. Civil war artifacts that belonged to the family will be on special display for this tour.

ARCHITECTURE/ANTIQUE/FINE ART TOUR

Oxmoor began as a one and half story colonial style clapboard farmhouse that was constructed in 1791. While this type of construction was typical for Virginia, there are not many examples of this architecture still standing in the Louisville area. Corner fireplaces, stencil painted plaster, and a beautifully carved back staircase are features of the original portion of the house. The house was enlarged in 1829 with a federal-style addition complete with a recessed portico inspired by other local historic homes, Farmington and Ridgeway. The addition was constructed out of brick and added 3 rooms, an entry way, dining room, and parlor. This addition now comprises the middle section of the house. In the early 20th century occupants William and Nora Bullitt added a second floor to this middle brick addition, as well as a kitchen wing and a grand library wing transforming the house from a southern plantation farmhouse to a Gilded-Age Era estate. Oxmoor is furnished with unique and priceless antiques and artwork that was purchased by the Bullitt family over the last 150 years. Chandeliers made from antique Sicilian Ox cart wheels, wall cupboard from an English manor house and sofas from the family of Winston Churchill, as well as artwork and furniture weave a story of Oxmoor’s transformation from colonial times to the modern era. Come join us on a tour where you can literally walk through 3 centuries of American history and architecture all under one roof.

BULLITT FAMILY

The Bullitt family immigrated from France to the American colonies in the late 1600s. By all accounts it was Jospeh Boulet who later anglicized his name to Bullitt. They were Huguenots and were escaping oppression in a Catholic France. Joseph’s great grandson Alexander Scott Bullitt moved to the frontier of Virginia, which Kentucky was a part of, in 1783. He purchased Oxmoor in 1787 and 5 generation of the Bullitt family has called Oxmoor home. The story of the Bullitt family is the story of Kentucky. Alexander co-wrote the constitution of the 15th state of Kentucky in 1792 and served as the commonwealth’s first lieutenant governor. His son William was a member of the 1849 state constitutional convention and succeeding generations have served as Solicitor General, Ambassador to the Soviet Union and France, as well as military officers. Other members of the family have been celebrated artists and writers. The story of the Bullitt family is the story of America from its independent spirit partnered with its stubborn reliance on slavery.

Schedule A Tour

Would you like to come out and tour Oxmoor Farm? We would be happy to show you around.

Tours can be scheduled during the week or on select Saturdays. If you would like to make a reservation, please fill out the contact form below.

Oxmoor Farm

Where to find us:.

• 720 Oxmoor Ave Louisville, KY 40222
• [email protected]
• (502)426-2126

Group Tours

We offer guided educational tours of the gardens for guests to enjoy together.

Group Tours are available during regular operating hours, March – October, and must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Each tour is between 45 – 60 minutes and recommended for guests ages 16 and up.

Interested in field trips? Click Here

Rates: Up to 15 guests: $75 16 – 30 guests: $100 31 – 45 guests: $150 46 – 60 guests: $200 60+ guests: Please reach out to request a quote.

Full payment is due one week before the scheduled tour. Group fees are non-refundable except in the event of cancellation by WBG but may be rescheduled in select cases.

Food: Food is not permitted or provided in the Gardens. Guests wishing to picnic are encouraged to visit nearby Waterfront Park.

Questions? Email tours [at] waterfrontgardens [dot] org or call (502) 276 – 5404 for more information.

Schedule a Group Tour

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Join, renew, or give the gift of a membership today., about yew dell botanical gardens, yew dell is an internationally-recognized center of gardening, plants and education, all offered in a stunning site of significant historical importance. originally the home, gardens and commercial nursery of the late theodore klein and his family, yew dell now offers the public exceptional display gardens, an ambitious schedule of education programs and community events, ongoing garden plant research, hiking trails and event rental opportunities. yew dell is listed on the national register of historic places and is a preservation partner project of the garden conservancy, a national non-profit dedicated to saving the nation’s most exceptional gardens..

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This 'secret' Bellemeade garden is home to vast array of plants, quiet spaces to reflect

Peggy Campbell has a sign hanging on her front lawn welcoming guests to visit her garden. From that vantage point, it’s difficult to tell just how massive the garden is. But around the corner, there’s a vast area full of plant life and designated areas to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

It is one of six gardens on display for this year’s Kilgore Home & Garden Tour , but as Campbell explains, her sign stays up almost year-round.

"I always put it out before the Kentucky Derby," she told The Courier Journal. "People come all the time, just walking through the neighborhood."

Mastering the art of gardening

A retired nurse, Campbell is now a master gardener. She explains that the master gardener program is offered by the Jefferson County Extension Office and the University of Kentucky.

"You go to classes for three months, twice a week," she said. "You have a lab, and you have a final exam at the end. And you learn everything — landscaping, botany, diseases, everything. After that, you’re obligated for (a certain number of continuing education units) that you have to get each year. I have to have 20 volunteer honors and 10 CEUs in education … and my project is the Kilgore (tour)."

Home of the Week: Lush greenery, pond and tranquil fountain set one Old Louisville garden apart. Take a peek

Curating her collection of plants, then creating and maintaining her extensive garden more than covers the number of hours needed to maintain her master gardener status. Campbell wakes up early each morning to tend to her one-acre property, working until about 1 p.m.

"With COVID, this was a good outlet," she said.

Garden Gallery

Walking through Campbell’s backyard is like browsing an outdoor garden gallery. Everywhere you turn, there’s greenery. The space is chock-full of plants, flowers, and trees — and it’s all labeled.

Everything from St. John’s Wort and hypericum to coral bells and hostas have little signs placed in front of them. Campbell explains that part of being a master gardener is labeling your flora.

"It’s also so I can remember them," she said with a laugh. "After a while, you forget."

Forgetting wouldn’t be hard to do, because there are a wide array of plants throughout the space. Just along the garden entrance on the left side of the house, there are a plethora of shade plants surrounding the hanging swing on a large white oak tree.

Home of the Week: This 'hidden treasure' garden in Old Louisville has lush foliage as far as the eye can see

"Most people have questions about the plants in the shade garden," she said. "I spend most of my time (telling) people that you can plant under trees — you have to know how, but you can do it."

The master gardener’s shade garden — as well as the other areas of the space — are flourishing. And Campbell doesn’t use any chemicals to make her garden grow.

"The thing I do that a lot of people are doing now is called layering, or lasagna gardening," she explained. "I do a 10- or 20-foot piece at a time. I put cardboard down, then shredded leaves, peat moss, and compost. Then I layer it again. I do that in the fall, and in the spring, I plant — and that’s how I started all of these gardens."

Favorite spaces

Campbell is especially fond of her rose garden. "I love roses," she exclaimed. "That’s my favorite — (but) they’re the most work, unfortunately."

She adds that she loves peonies and clematises as well.

"That’s my favorite thing in the spring," she said, adding that there’s an area of the garden that is full of wildflowers in early spring. "(There’s) trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, Virginia bluebells, wild geranium. (It’s) all here, and it dies down, then all the ferns and other plants come up."

Home of the Week: How this interior designer renovated an Old Louisville Craftsman home for a growing family

The space boasts several places to sit and enjoy all the plant life. Campbell has created multiple seating areas with chairs and benches throughout. There are also two back decks connected to the house — one of which overlooks a koi pond. Though the roses are her most-loved plant, Campbell says these sitting areas are her favorite aspect of the garden.

"(I like) sitting out here on the swing," she said. "I’ll never know if people are coming, (then) I’ll look out here and see someone just sitting out here and swinging. It’s nice."

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at [email protected] or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at [email protected].

The Kilgore Home & Garden Tour

WHAT : The 2023 Kilgore Home & Garden Tour showcases six of Louisville’s most outstanding gardens, as well as the interior of two homes. Proceeds from the self-guided tour provide support to the Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center for those who are unable to pay the full fee for counseling.

WHEN : 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 10-111

WHERE : The self-guided tour can begin at any of the six addresses listed on the event website.

TICKETS : Tickets are $40 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online, at any of the garden locations on the day of the tour, or at one of the offsite locations: Second Presbyterian Church (weekdays only), St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church (weekdays only), St. Matthews Feed and Seed, Digs Home & Garden, European Splendor, Secret Garden, or the Kilgore Counseling Center.

MORE INFORMATION : Visit kilgorecounseling.org/home-garden-tour/the-tour/ for more information, full descriptions of the gardens, and to purchase tickets.

nuts & bolts

Owner : Master gardener Peggy Campbell, who is a retired RN.

Home : This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half, 3,000-square foot, Bedford stone ranch house in Bellemeade. It was built in 1954.

Distinctive elements: One-acre lot; raised garden beds; outdoor hanging bench; koi pond; completely chemical-free garden.

• Photo Gallery
• Art In The Garden
• Garden Vendor Shops
• Hospitality Center
• Silent Auction
• Woman's Club Carriage Trade
• Become a Sponsor
• Seed Sponsor
• Purchase Ad Space

2024 Hidden Treasures Garden Tour Events: - Art in the Garden -

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Support Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center at Louisville’s Premier Home & Garden Tour!

June 8 & 9, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..

The tour showcases some of Louisville’s most outstanding homes and gardens for you to view and peruse at your leisure, and even talk to Master Gardeners!

Kilgore Samaritan is a faith-sensitive, non-profit counseling center. All proceeds benefit the Kilgore Samaritan Fund to provide counseling services to all members of the community regardless of their ability to pay. Your support will directly aid those in need of counseling.

BUY TICKETS NOW!

The Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center gives a special thank you to our Hosts, Sponsors, and Patrons for their generous support!

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE 2023 TOUR AN OUTSTANDING EVENT IN RAISING OVER $68,000.