You may have wondered about the fresh construction happening just north of our Visitors Cottage along North Main Street in Elkhart. That construction marks Wellfield’s exciting return to the Quilt Gardens Along the Heritage Trail for 2017’s 10th Anniversary season. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of this amazing event, attracting tens of thousands of guests through Elkhart County each year. Wellfield is one of 19 living quilt gardens, which boast over a million vibrant blooms on view beginning May 30 through October 1.
If you’ve been a fan of Wellfield for more than a few years, you may remember a living quilt garden on display on the east-facing slope of the Island Garden, which was yet to be developed. Now that the Island Garden is under construction, and to make our quilt garden accessible to the public at any time and at no cost, we thought out of the box. We decided to create an alcove along our existing fence line, allowing for accessible viewing of the quilt garden for the public just feet from their parked cars or buses. This is a particular benefit for those with mobility challenges, needing to walk just a short distance to get a glimpse at our design, titled “Window to Waters”. And this year, in celebration of the Quilt Gardens’ 10th anniversary, the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau has provided an added treat: over 50 Seward Johnson bronze sculptures on display throughout Elkhart County May 30 – October 20! Each of the Quilt Gardens will have a life-size sculpture. Wellfield’s assigned sculpture is “Inner World, Outer World” featuring a man sitting on a bench reading a newspaper… you’ll have to come to see just what headline he’s reading! The opportunities for ‘selfies’ abound with this lifelike sculpture. To learn more, visit Heritage Trail Adventures, where you can download all the quilt garden patterns and get a preview of what’s in store across Elkhart County and right here at Wellfield Botanic Gardens!
See you at the Garden!
-Eric Garton
Robert and Peggy Weed Executive Director