New funds for Innisfree

MILLBROOK — Innisfree Garden, the nonprofit botanical garden just north of Tyrell Lake, became the first historic landscape to receive a Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of New York State.

Announced Monday, Jan. 22, the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) for $4,000 was one of 19 awarded in support of cultural nonprofits and municipal sites that maintain New York state historic sites and resources.

With the aid of the award, Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, will write a white paper describing Innisfree Garden’s design and agenda for continued responsible stewardship, a paper he began work on in 2015. It will be used to direct stewardship efforts of Innisfree’s Cultural Landscape Report.

“This planning process will impact preservation, management and the interpretation of historic resources,” said Birnbaum.

Kate Kerin, Innisfree’s landscape curator, said that Innisfree Garden was pleased to have support from such an renowned organization: “We are honored to be the first historic landscape to receive a Technical Assistance Grant from the preservation League and its partners. Funding for this project will enhance our stewardship efforts for years to come.”

The $4,000 grant is the maximum amount bestowed by the Preservation League for a technical assistance grant. The program, in its 10th year, has grown to be a foundational part of the League’s offerings. The League’s president, Jay DiLorenzo, said that their grants “often [provide] pivotal seed funding needed to jumpstart more comprehensive preservation work. We have seen firsthand how these grants open the door for bigger projects and further investment.”

Innisfree Garden, at 362 Tyrrel Road in Millbrook, was originally created for Walter and Marion Beck in 1930 by landscape architect Lester A. Collins, who was guided by Chinese landscaping principles, and used mostly native rocks and vegetation. The garden is also renowned for its many water features including springs, streams, waterfalls, and a lake.

Though closed for the winter season, the garden will re-open to the public for its regular season on May 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Preview weekends for “Early Spring Flower Viewing” are scheduled for April 20 & 21 (for members only), and, for the general public, on April 27 and 28, and May 4 and 5.

Many programs are scheduled at the garden throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons.

As a matter of public safety, and to preserve continued access to the garden for years to come, Innisfree Garden asks that no one visit the garden until it has officially reopened in the spring.

For more information, see www.innisfreegarden.org.