About Us » History
The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks has a unique history—unlike many public gardens, the gardens you see today are the result of a volunteer-led, grassroots effort.
TThe Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks (BGSO) was incorporated in January, 1994, as a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Its founder, Donna Porter, served as Director of the Society for four years. In January, 1997, the City Council of Fayetteville approved a lease agreement for 86 acres, located on Highway 265, east of Lake Fayetteville. The Portico Group of Seattle, Washington completed the Master Plan, funded by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, in 2001. The Fayetteville City Council approved the Master Plan and revised the lease agreement in September, 2003.
Carl Totemeier , a vocal supporter of the Botanical Garden, agreed to serve as volunteer Executive Director in 2001, and held that position until his death in 2004. Dr. Totemeier had recognized the difficulty in raising the estimated $30,000,000 needed to carry out the Master Plan. He recruited David Glasser, Chairman of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, to develop an idea for phase one of the Garden. With a price tag of under $2,000,000, Glasser’s concept was a realistic goal for the Board of Directors and garden supporters to achieve.
Dr. Totemeier also realized that a 25 year lease from the City of Fayetteville would keep the Garden from being an attractive project to large foundations and donors. He renegotiated the lease with three 25-year options, so that a 100 year lease could be shown to potential contributors.
Phase 1a consisted of nine themed garden, using plant material readily available and representative of the Ozarks, to demonstrate designs that visitors could incorporate into home gardens. The nine themes chosen were Shade, Ozark Native, Four Seasons, Sensory, Japanese, Children’s, Vegetable/Herb, Rose and Rock and Water.
Since funding for design and development of these nine themes was lacking, the Board of Directors invited Arkansas landscape designers and others to submit designs for the gardens. Twenty-nine designs were submitted for judging by judges Melinda McMillan, Director of the Philbrook Museum Garden in Tulsa, OK; Bob Byers, Garden Director for Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, AR; and Russell Studebaker, a garden write from Tulsa, OK. With nine winning designs, the Board of Directors then began “selling” the gardens for $25,000 each. The Totemeier family bought the Shade Garden in memory of Dr. Totemeier, and its construction began in 2005. Other gardens were purchased and built over the next two years. The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks officially opened to visitors in October, 2007.