Feb. 13, 2008 – To celebrate its 35th year of continuous operation, the St. George Village Botanical Garden will have a special "Gardens By Moonlight" event at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
"It's a party, a fundraiser and a show," the garden's administrative director Lesley Hoffman said. "We'll be serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres and there'll be live music, a video about the garden and a special tour of the grounds under the full moon led by our horticultural director David Hamada."
The garden party will be centered at the Bodine Visitors' Center, which opened just two years ago. Co-chairing the event will be Cecile de Jongh, wife of the governor, and Cheryl Francis, wife of the lieutenant governor.
"We are thrilled that these wonderful ladies are in full support of the garden and dedicated to its continued prosperity," Hoffman said. "They understand that this institution is one of most precious assets of the Virgin Islands, reflecting both the natural and cultural history that is our legacy."
It is the culmination of the vision of its creators, the members of the St. Croix Garden Club, who in the early 1970s chose it as a place to nurture many plants that were germinated in private homes and gardens. The Robert Moon family donated the original nine acres, adding 5.7 more in 1973, during which year the St. George Village Botanical Garden of St. Croix, Inc. was inaugurated. After more than two years of cleaning the landscape and shoring up some of the ancient buildings, the garden opened to the public. The deChabert family gave another 2.5 acres in 1976.
In the early 1950s, workers stumbled upon scores of Indian artifacts, making the garden one of the most important archeological fields on the island – indeed, in the Caribbean.
Today the Botanical Garden is home to more than 500 species of flora, both native and imported. "We are the Garden of Eden in America's Paradise," Hoffman said, "and we are looking forward to our next 35 years of expansion and refinement."
Tickets for the 35th anniversary garden party are $100 per person, and reservations are required. Call 692-2874.