Thank you Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation!
The Wharton Memorial Foundation is delighted to announce it was awarded a $4000 grant from the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation to fund the site preparation for its new
Melody Garden!
“In our ongoing effort to create a stimulating outdoor learning environment for children in the Bedford area through the thematically based Wharton Children’s Literacy Garden, we have designed an ADA-accessible Melody Garden which will include our existing Pergola/Stage complex and introduce a pleasing sound element to our overall learning experience”, says the WMF Board.
This grant provides the funding to upgrade the existing brick walks included in the Melody Garden plan and create a “Gathering Terrace” adjacent to the Pergola/Stage. The Gathering Terrace will feature a serpentine brick walk, three backless benches that can serve those supervising children or enjoying performances on the Stage, five musical instruments, along with attractively landscaped beds. The Gathering Terrace area is presently surrounded by a fence that will contribute to the safety of wandering children.
Thank You Bedford Community Health Foundation!
There’s More than Birdsong in the Garden!
Being in Bedford’s Wharton Garden sounds even better now, literally! The Bedford Community Health Foundation recently awarded a $4,500 grant to the Wharton Memorial Foundation to purchase three outdoor musical instruments for the garden. Designed for 2-5 year-olds, this “Early Childhood Ensemble” features the Melody (described as having “a beautiful twinkly sound with nine notes in a small but elegant design”), the Rhythm (“inspiring rhythm and dance” by “providing the African sounds of a wooden instrument”), and five Tuned Drums (“featuring a distinctive Afro-Cuban influence…played by hand…that inspires movement and dance”). Installed near one another close to the statue of the young child playing the flute and under the shade of the American Holly trees, this ensemble is part of a larger ADA-accessible Melody Garden plan which will include six additional instruments near the garden’s existing Pergola/Stage complex.
The Start of a Native Garden!
Work has begun in the Wharton Garden on the creation of a native plant garden with diverse micro-environments to display a wide variety of plants native to the Piedmont of Virginia. It will feature water as an element to attract birds and sustain wetland plants and acknowledge an historical connection to Louise Wharton (who started the garden here in the 1930’s) by incorporating some of her species and rocks.
We hope to work with these partners to provide a place for educational programming: Bedford Library, Bower Art Center, the Town of Bedford and other native plant associations in the area.
pictured: Virginia Bluebells ~ Mertensia Virginica
New Signs!
We have updated the signs around the perimeters of the Garden to help keep this lovely community gem a safe and pretty place to enjoy.
Past News...
Playhouse Garden Dedication!
New Tables Added to the Garden!
New Tables Added to the Garden!
On May 12, 2023, the Wharton Garden was the site of a lovely gathering hosted by Roslyn Reynolds. Pictured here with her daughter, Rose Marie Reynolds, and surrounded by her family and friends, Roslyn officially dedicated the gift of the Playhouse Garden in loving memory of her parents, Mabel Padgett Cave and Virgil Benton Cave. This plaque on the playhouse lamp post bears their names, along with this quote "The joy it brings to see children playing in the garden".
Town Kitchen & Provisions catered and Terrace Blooms created the stunning floral arrangements.
New Tables Added to the Garden!
New Tables Added to the Garden!
New Tables Added to the Garden!
Spring 2023 What an ingenious design by Des Black who crafted these darling tables for The Learning Terrace. They are sturdy, child-sized and wheelchair accessible!
Garden Clean Up!
New Tables Added to the Garden!
Garden Clean Up!
Spring 2023 The Wharton Garden is constantly being worked on but the Board recently spent a day Spring cleaning. Along with new coats of paint, scrubbing the chess pieces, wooden repairs and grooming the landscape, the hard-to-read bricks along the pathway were carefully pressure washed.
Past News...
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Fall 2022 The Wharton Memorial Foundation is delighted that both the garden AND the weather could not have been more beautiful for the recent Children's Literacy Garden Celebration! About 70 of the invited donors, supporters, neighbors and volunteers of the garden gathered for an evening of community and appreciation on September 23rd. The WMF board is also very grateful for Melanie Srsic and her staff at TKP, who ensured there were plenty of wonderful things to eat and drink; for Kristin Szandzik who played the harp and Medley Lovelace who played the flute in the garden; and for Petal Ridge's gorgeous flower arrangements!
GLCF Grant Awarded
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Fall 2022 Considering its location, between the Bedford Central Library and the Bower Center for the Arts, one of The Wharton Memorial Foundation’s objectives in the Garden is to provide a wholesome, safe, attractive area in which children can benefit from the rich literary, artistic and cultural opportunities at both neighboring institutions. The WMF feels it’s essential to expose the children to the beauty of our natural surroundings in the hope that their experiences can be even more pleasant and meaningful. Toward the realization of this goal, the board and volunteers of the WMF are very honored and grateful to have been recently awarded a $4,000 grant from the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation in order to add a Children’s Outdoor Learning Terrace.
This Learning Terrace will be located in a rock garden setting that already features native varieties of flora such as Rhododendron, American Holly, Elm, Crabapples, and Itea along with our resident squirrels, neighborhood crows, regular Robins, Starlings, Mockingbirds, and Cedar Waxwings. Large, rounded stones from Bedford County were installed this summer as a natural border and the terrace area has been leveled in preparation for it to be paved with bricks to match those used in our walk system and circular patio. We are collaborating with the Agriculture Program at Liberty High School on a design for tables and seating and with the LHS Horticulture Class for assistance in installation.
Keep Bedford Beautiful
Children's Literacy Garden Party
Keep Bedford Beautiful
Summer 2019 Photo: Teresa Hailey presents the “Keep Bedford Beautiful Award” to representatives of the Wharton Foundation, Fred Duis, Libby Berry, Emilie Temeles, and Robin Wood.
The following is an exerpt from and article written by Sherry Revel for the Bedford Bulletin on August 21, 2019. The complete article is available to read online or download as a PDF.
"Wharton Foundation's The Storybook Garden won the first Keep Bedford Beautiful Commission (KBBC) Beautification Award recognizing an exterior business project that adds to the beauty of the business or landscaping and Town of Bedford."