Bard College Receives $1 Million Grant from Burpee Foundation to Support the Creation of the Burpee Trial Garden at Montgomery Place Campus

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard College has been awarded a $1 million grant to be paid over four years towards supporting the Burpee Trial Garden, which will be located at the Montgomery Place Campus. The trial garden will revitalize the fallow lawn beds at Montgomery Place that historically grew vegetables and flowers and will engage Bard students in horticultural research and hands-on scientific investigation with real-world applications. Trial gardens measure how well a specific cultivar or variety will perform in a specific area or growing condition. These trials evaluate new varieties compared to an industry standard plant from germination to maturity or from seed to harvest. Bard students will design and evaluate the cultivation of new and experimental seeds and plants and explore climate-resilient plant introductions and adaptations at the Burpee Trial Garden. Students will utilize the scientific method, plant and insect identification, pests and diseases, genetics, biology, plant breeding and propagation, and the effects of climate on plant vigor. This project will help to determine how these plants perform in our mid-Hudson River Valley growing conditions, inspire the gardening public to explore new varieties and plant combinations, and educate the professional horticulture industry and garden visitors about its findings and recommendations.

The Burpee Trial Garden at Montgomery Place campus gives Bard students the opportunity to learn how to design, plan, and execute a planting schedule, develop skills to maintain display-quality working gardens, and interpret them for visitors on a public site. This opportunity further instills a passion for plants in students, inspires their commitment to nurture their environment, and opens up knowledge of plant-related careers.

“We are thrilled that the Burpee Foundation will help Bard restore and revive the historic formal gardens at the Montgomery Place campus, since they have been left fallow for decades. The new Burpee Trial Garden will showcase various varieties of vegetables and flowers that will be open to the public and act as a unique educational opportunity for students interested in research, horticulture, agriculture, and ecology. We are very excited to begin work on enhancing and using the gardens and reporting and sharing the results. Additionally, the grant award allows Bard to show their unwavering commitment to the stewardship of the campus landscape with a dedicated arboretum director and additional gardener positions,” said Bard’s Director of Horticulture and Arboretum Amy Parrella ’99.

Comprising more than 1000 acres along the historic Hudson River, the Bard Arboretum serves as both a place for enjoyment as well as a living classroom. Working to promote environmental and social justice, the Arboretum engages with the ecological and horticultural biodiversity of the Hudson River Valley as well as the political narratives that have shaped the land.

About the Burpee Foundation
The Burpee Foundation is committed to reducing hunger and promoting well-being through investment in horticultural and agricultural projects across the US and around the world. The Foundation was established in 2003 by George Ball ’73, when he became the sole owner of W. Atlee Burpee Company, the innovative and iconic American horticultural company whose beautiful mail order catalogues, along with Sears Roebuck’s, were the mainstays of American farms and homes during the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries. The initial funding of the Foundation was $5 million, and since that time Mr. Ball has contributed an additional $1.5 million to its endowment, which has grown to nearly $10 million. These contributions reflect and manifest the long-standing commitments of Mr. Ball and the W. Atlee Burpee Company to the Foundation's mission. Since its inception, the Foundation has made approximately $6.5 million in gifts consistent with its mission to more than 75 charitable organizations. The list of grantees includes schools with horticultural programs and activities serving students from kindergarten through graduate school; organizations with horticultural programs serving both incarcerated and released prisoner populations; public botanical gardens and museums to enhance their services to senior citizens and those suffering from disabilities; as well as organizations sponsoring horticultural job training and healthy eating through community gardens and urban farms for the formerly homeless, those suffering from mental illness, and others in underserved communities. Learn more at theburpeefoundation.org/. About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in more than 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 13 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 163-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.

This event was last updated on 06-18-2024

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