Western Reserve Herb Society Herb Garden

One of the world’s premier public herb gardens

The Western Reserve Herb Society Herb Garden is acclaimed as one of the finest public herb gardens anywhere. According to The Herb Society of America, this magical space ranks as one of the top ten herb gardens in the country. It educates visitors how herbs have been used throughout history and is supported by members of the Western Reserve Herb Society, a unit of the Herb Society of America.

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Western Reserve Herb Society Garden. Routinely renowned for its enduring design, the garden features nine sections divided by stone walls and walkways, with ironwork accents.  The integrity of its extensive plant collection and the extraordinary consistency of its care always keeps the garden at the peak of its splendor.  Its designer, Elsetta Gilchrist Barnes, has been recognized by the American Association of Nurserymen for her "outstanding contribution to the beautification of America."
  
About 3,500 plants grow in this garden, offering a variety of scents, textures and colors. The English Knot, one of the largest English knots in the world, serves as the garden’s centerpiece. It is surrounded by four quadrants of the Fragrance garden, thus providing a classical and formal setting.  This traditional Knot Garden is also surrounded by a Trial and Cutting Garden, Dye Garden, Historic Rose Garden, Culinary Garden, Medicinal Garden, Terrace Garden and Edible Garden. 

The Trial and Cutting is the largest of the garden sections and features a bed devoted to ever-changing displays of new plant varieties.  Quite the opposite, the Historic Rose Walk takes you on a journey back through time, featuring a collection of antique roses that were in existence before 1867.  At the end of Historic Rose Walk, you’ll enter the Dye Garden.  Here, you’ll see plants that have been used for coloring fibers, cosmetics and foods.

If flavoring foods is more your thing, there is a selection of plants used for seasoning food in the Culinary Garden.  The Edible Garden even features lilac, rose shrub and a variety of small herbs with edible blossoms.  

The Terrace Garden gives offers an introduction of the formal part of the Herb Garden. It is furnished with two stone benches, paved with brick and millstones and planted with a variety of herbs of subtle hues and leaf textures.

In early summer, pay particular attention to the Medicinal Garden.  Among its collection of plants used for their curative properties, its large Milk Thistle and Angelica plants are absolute show stoppers in late May and early June.
 

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