Media invited to capture improvements at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (WVNLA) is celebrating landscaping improvements at the West Virginia Botanic Garden (WVBG) in Morgantown at 1:30 p.m. Friday, October 25, 2024.
The board is assembling at 1:30 p.m. for photos at two locations at the Botanical Garden. The media is invited to meet at the entrance to the Botanic Garen to capture these landscaping enhancements.
The West Virginia Botanic Garden is located at 1061 Tyrone Road, Morgantown, WV, 26508.
Directions can be found at: https://www.wvbg.org/visit/getting-here/
WVNLA has provided landscaping enhancements at the entrance to the Botanic Garden, and long-serving WVNLA board member John Jett and his wife, Edie, gave a gift of a stone Moon Gate to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
The Jetts are both WVU Agriculture graduates. Edie was a charter member of the WVBG board of directors formed in 1983, and both she and John served on the board during the garden’s early years when there was neither land nor money for the project. They believed in George Longenecker’s vision of creating a botanic garden on the site of a former reservoir. They continued to support the work of Longenecker and the many volunteers who helped bring his dream to reality.
The Jetts approached WVBG Executive Director Philip Smith with their offer of a commemorative gift, and he provided some suggestions from his wish list for the gardens. John and Edie were most inspired by the stone moon gate. They enlisted the creative and skillful talents of stone mason Wes Boddy of New Creek, W.Va., who worked the project into his 2023 summer schedule. Collaborating with Garden leaders and the Jetts, Boddy brought the creative vision of many to fruition.
Located in the Secret Garden, the moon gate features a carved heart and Celtic Awen (inspiration) symbol creating a unique energy signature. The three rays of the Awen may be interpreted as the creative, divine, and spiritual forces that inspire and guide us as we connect with nature. John and Edie Jett hope the Secret Garden will be the site of special ceremonies and events long into the future and that the moon gate will continue to stand as a testament to their love for West Virginia, WVBG, the spiritual forces of nature – and each other.
Robert Gompers, WVNLA President and President of Highland Landscaping in Buckhannon, and Julie Robinson, WVNLA Executive Director, will be at the photo availability to help facilitate visual opportunities and explain the two landscaping sites. Patrick Biafore, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Biafore Landscape Development in Morgantown is a WVNLA board member and ex-officio board member of the WVBG.