Promoting Great Landscaping

The Evergreen Foundation is a non-profit foundation formed under the New Hampshire Non-Profit Corporation Act in 2016 and recognized as a federally tax-exempt foundation under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code in 2017.

The Foundation was formed to “own, operate, maintain, and enhance” Evergreen, the 1-acre woodland garden in Goffstown, New Hampshire, and, according to its by-laws:

• “To provide training and education to the general public on the principles of naturalistic landscape design.”
• “To promote exemplary landscape use and design to the public through various means including, but not limited to, publicity, publishing, education, on-site tours and demonstrations and other support for exemplary public and private landscapes.”
• “To undertake such lawful activities in furtherance of these purposes in New Hampshire and other states. . . .”

The Foundation regularly opens Evergreen to the public without charge, including every year on the first weekend in June, when its 220 Catawba rhododendrons are in bloom, thus continuing a tradition began by Robert Gillmore, the creator of the garden, in 1994. See Opening Dates and Times.

This year Robert Gillmore donated the Birchwood, the woodland garden he created in Montgomery, Vermont, to the Foundation. The Foundation will open the 7-acre garden to the public for the first time on June 9, 10, and 11.  (See Opening Dates and Times.)

The Birchwood and Evergreen are very similar yet very different landscapes. Evergreen is characterized by immense white pines, huge, handsome boulders, and a cascading stream.  (See Garden Highlights.) In contrast, the Birchwood has almost no pines, virtually no rock, and absolutely no water. Instead it has hundreds of namesake white birches, large sweeps of ferns, luxurious carpets of moss, and stunning mountain views.  (See Garden Highlights. )

Both gardens, however, are groomed woodlands with sweeps of hundreds of rhododendrons, both were created on sites with superb natural ornamental assets, and both advance the Foundation’s mission of demonstrating low-maintenance, naturalistic landscaping.

The Foundation also advances its educational mission on its website, which provides not only detailed descriptions of both Evergreen and the Birchwood, but also extensive gardening and landscaping information in its Landscape Lyceum.

The Lyceum includes:

• The Northern New England Garden Calendar, which lists public and private gardens open to the public in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
• A free 29-part landscaping mini-course.
• Descriptions of notable residential landscaping projects.
• Proposed public landscapes.