Entry Garden

Any special place may be enhanced by the approach to it. That holds true at Mission Garden, an agricultural heritage museum that is continually in a state of “becoming”.

In 2013, under the direction of project manager, Bill O’Malley, the wooden bridge spanning the swale along Mission Lane was built over what was once the spillway from Warner’s Mill to the Santa Cruz River. The bridge needed to accommodate foot, bike and horse traffic, allow access for Garden equipment, and at the same time be aesthetically pleasing. Mission accomplished!

For several years, as visitors traveled the ADA-compliant path to the Garden, their first glimpse of the vegetation came when they walked through the massive mesquite gates built and donated by Lloyd Construction.

In an effort to enhance visitors’ experiences of the Garden, the Board of Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace reached out to our friends in the community for help. Landscape architect Jeffrey Trent was commissioned to create a landscape design, and generously helped acquire the plants. The guiding principles for the design were aesthetics, eventual shade and a deliberate nod to ethnobotany.

In late 2014 the Garden received a substantial and unsolicited donation from former Tucson Mayor George Miller and his wife Roslyn, whose purpose was to fund the Entry Garden planting and irrigation system. A plaque was created bearing the donors’ names and an inscription with an inspiring and deeply thoughtful message appropriate to visitors of all cultures.

I did not find the world empty when I entered, as my parents planted for me, so I will plant for my children.

We honor our children and their children and yours with this welcoming landscape to the entry of Mission Garden.

Since its creation thousands of visitors have come to Mission Garden and the Entry Garden has continued to flourish, welcoming and enchanting local, national and international visitors to one of Tucson’s cultural treasures.