The gardens at Ewing Cultural Center are a place of serenity and retreat amidst the hustle of a thriving and robust Illinois community. They celebrate the seasons of Central Illinois and exhibit species native to the area. The gardens’ walkways, plantings, lighting, and other amenities offer a relaxing setting for contemplation and the appreciation of nature’s beauty.
As the manor was finishing completion, the Ewing family hired the famous Jens Jensen to design the manor landscape. The gardens, first completed in 1927, feature a wide range of plantings and trees, many of which were specified by Jensen.
There are many flowering crabs, redbuds, hawthorne, and viburnum. Jensen also suggested violets, phlox, day lilies, and a middle story of flowering shrubs. The Ewing property is known for its collection of bulbs, which herald the coming of spring: snow drops, scilia, bluebells, and daffodils.
Over the years, the Cultural Center has carried on Mrs. Ewing’s love of nature with the addition of new gardens, the Moriyama Japanese Garden in 1982, and the Genevieve Green Gardens in 2007.
Ewing Manor is open to potential clients by appointment only.
