CRESTWOOD, Ky. (Oct. 23, 2017) – Yew Dell Botanical Gardens has announced it has recently received a $4 million anonymous gift. The funds are earmarked to support Yew Dell’s ongoing mission of promoting sustainable gardening and landscape planting in the region.
“This gift will allow Yew Dell to identify new and more sustainable plants, hire staff and build a commercial nursery operation,” said Paul Cappiello, executive director. “The commercial nursery operation will allow us to introduce the best plants from our breeding and evaluation work into the market and help us develop an ongoing revenue stream to support Yew Dell’s research, conservation and education work.”
An important part of the goal of the planned commercial operation is to reduce the negative impacts of exotic invasive plant species, provide excellent ornamental plants for regional gardens and landscapes and to promote plants that require fewer external inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides.
A portion of the gift will provide $500,000 for infrastructure work to build the facilities needed for propagation and production of superior landscape and garden plants. The remaining funds will go into Yew Dell’s endowment to provide funds for staff and operating needs for the developing nursery.
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens was established in 2002. In the past 15 years Yew Dell has raised approximately $20 million (not including this most recent $4 million gift) to acquire the former Theodore Klein Nursery property and develop it into a 60-acre botanical garden. In that time, thousands of plants have been collected and evaluated from across Kentucky and around the world.
Yew Dell has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, was listed by Horticulture Magazine as one of the Top 10 Destinations Gardens in the U.S. and three of Yew Dell’s capital construction projects have garnered highest design honors from the American Institute of Architects.
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