Kenilworth -- Charles Ware Memorial Garden

In 1938 Fannie Ware, a parishioner and resident of Kenilworth, purchased land adjacent to the Kenilworth Union Church that had been used as a playground. Mrs. Ware's intention was to create a memorial garden in honor of her late husband, Charles Ware, and engaged the services of landscape architect A. Donald Gray of Cleveland, Ohio to plan what was to become the Charles Ware Memorial Garden, known affectionately by villagers as 'Ware Garden'. Mrs. Ware had two requests for Mr. Gray when designing the garden: The use of "native shrubs & trees, as many as possible, of which shall be flower bearing," and to incorporate the use of two iron gates she had purchased on a recent trip to New Orleans. At Mrs. Ware's request, she and members of the Kenilworth Garden Club assumed responsibility for maintaining the garden. When Mrs. Ware died in 1940, ownership of the land was transferred to the Village of Kenilworth Park District. To this day Kenilworth Garden Club continues to maintain Ware Garden in partnership with the Kenilworth Park District. During the 1970s, the Park District and the Kenilworth union Church reached an agreement to exchange parcels of land, and the Ware Garden was moved across the street from its original lot. Landscape designer Catherine Cole Church designed a plan for the relocated garden in 1980. The previous owner built an iron fence around the 0.25-acre property which still remains. A much larger garden intended for community use was designed to include a natural woodland area with walking paths and a more formal garden space with lawn, groundcover, flowering trees, and shrubs. These two garden spaces are separated by a curved stone pathway which connects the iron gates on the south and east sides of the garden. It is assumed these gates are those that Mrs. Ware had purchased in New Orleans for the original garden. In 1996 the Kenilworth Garden Club received a gift in memory of its member, Mary Algers. These funds were subsequently used to create a wildlife habitat in the woodland area through the purchase of native plant material. That same year the Village of Kenilworth celebrated its Centennial, and a fountain was donated to the garden and was placed in the grassy landscaped area. In 1998 the Kenilworth Garden Club received a grant to design and build a butterfly garden in raised beds surrounding the fountain, and the fenced boundary was lined with ground cover, shrubs and trees providing privacy. A second donation provided an irrigation system for part of the garden. By 2012 the Ware Garden had become overrun with invasive plants: goutweed (Aegopodium), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara & Grande), English ivy (Hedera helix), dames rocket (Hesperis matronalis), buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and Norway maples (Acer platanoides). The Club enlisted the help of certified horticulturist and designer Charlotte Blome. Priorities included redefining the woodland paths and the removal of the Norway maples and other invasives. After several years the process of removing the invasives was far enough along and planting a selection of 40 different species of native plants had begun with a mixture of pollinators, plants that could tolerate dense shade and were all resistant to deer and rabbits. The final wave of planting in 2016 included the watering, fencing and maintenance schedule for 1,000 new plants. The Kenilworth Garden Club then turned its attention to the formal garden area which includes grass, groundcover, a walking path with benches, the fountain and surrounding butterfly garden beds and the plantings along the perimeter fence. The leaking fountain and surrounding stonework were repaired, and plantings were renewed as necessary. Signage was created to identify plantings throughout the garden for visitors. Most recently the cause of intense wet spots on the western side of the garden was addressed, and this area, along with others in the woodland islands, has been replanted with native species. The Charles Ware Memorial Garden remains a focal point of the Village and is used daily by community members for relaxation and education as well as during the school year by the local nursery schools to teach students about the relationship between plants and wildlife. Garden file includes a plant and shrub list, a garden map, and a planting guide. The file also includes a 1939 plant list, and correspondence between Fannie Ware and A. Donald Gray.