ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball yesterday announced the release of the Public Garden Focus Group’s “A Public Garden for Howard County, Maryland” report. Established by Executive Order 2024-06 in March 2024, the Focus Group was charged with making recommendations towards a preliminary concept plan with desired garden features, site elements, and gathering spaces for Howard County’s first-ever destination Public Garden, located at the former site of Longwood property in Glenwood. The County completed its purchase of the property in November 2024.
“This premier destination Public Garden will be a place of cultivated beauty where residents and visitors of all ages and abilities can come together to embrace Mother Earth and improve their physical and mental well-being in a peaceful setting,” said Ball. “In its beauty, we also recognize the significance of the Longwood property’s past as a place where human enslavement once occurred. With the support of our community, we hope to determine the most respectful and appropriate way in which we can display this history. Thank you to the members of our Focus Group for their time and effort towards helping us preserve this green space for generations to come.”
Comprised of 15 active community members, business owners and experts, all who call Howard County home, the Focus Group met nine times over the course of six months starting in May 2024, before submitting its official report to Ball in December for his review. In its report, the Focus Group concentrated on what would make the County’s Public Garden a destination spot, while respecting, and reconciling the site’s historical significance. The report also highlights the types of garden spaces the area should include, the use of native and nonnative plants, the impacts on the pollinators and wildlife, and how the garden could connect to the people of Howard County.
To assist the County in bringing the Public Garden to fruition, the Department of Recreation & Parks has engaged the services of Michael Graves & Associates, an internationally recognized design and architecture firm. The department has also begun interviewing landscape architectural firms to work with the County and Michael Graves & Associates on the garden’s master planning process.
For information on the Focus Group, including a copy of its report, meeting minutes and more, visit the County’s “Public Garden Focus Group” website.
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