The Garden Club of Alexandria celebrated the completion of the Alexandria Tourist Center, Ramsay House garden renovation June 12 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The garden project began over three years ago as a gift to the Alexandria Tourist Center. The completed garden includes new patios with memorial bricks, an accessible pathway and patio, native and sustainable plants to provide year-round color and the only cell phone-charging station in Alexandria’s parks.
More than 70 guests gathered to hear remarks from Vice-Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Councilman Mo Seifeldein and Tom Kaiden from Visit Alexandria. They applauded the renovation as a model public/private partnership, with the city and garden club working together at every phase of the project, from approvals to installation and completion.
The city’s "Parknership" program provided a grant that contributed to the fund-raising effort from the project's beginning. Visit Alexandria’s steady support was an effective force for the garden’s transformation.
The Garden Club of Alexandria was honored to receive support from the Historic Alexandria Foundation and the Virginia Sargeant Reynolds Foundation, both of which were crucial to the success of the Ramsay House garden renovation.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony concluded with awards from the Garden Club of America to the renovation’s professional team. Jamie Derrington of J&J Landscape Management received the GCA’s Club commendation for Horticulture and Joan Honeyman of Jordan Honeyman, LA received a Club award for Historic Preservation. Donnie Simpson of Simpson Development Company, whose grandfather and father had both worked on Ramsay House renovations, received the GCA Club Commendation for Civic Improvement.
The City of Alexandria along with the Garden Club of Alexandria welcomes residents, visitors and guests to visit and enjoy the Ramsay House Garden at the Alexandria Tourist Center,
