Park Authority

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703-324-8700 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Pkwy.
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
Jai Cole
Executive Director

Department Resources

Moon Gate Garden Project

Moon Gate Garden Hero Image Design Concept with FCPA logo

Green Spring celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020. The construction of a Moon Gate Garden is a fitting way to celebrate Green Spring’s milestone 50th anniversary and to look ahead to the next 50 years. The project will include a mix of traditional and modern design concepts to draw visitors into this new Asian-inspired garden.

We thank our current donors and supporters who are helping to make this project possible. Please see below to learn about the Fairfax County Park Foundation fundraising effort for this project.

Moon gates originated in ancient Asian gardens. Guests who passed through them were symbolically granted an auspicious welcome and good fortune. In garden design, they provide enticing passageways or window views from one space into another, piquing curiosity about what lies beyond. At Green Spring Gardens, a moon gate feature will be situated at the apex of a site line established by trailblazing garden designer Beatrix Farrand, with views to the ponds below. Farrand created an iconic moon gate feature for Abbie Rockefeller’s garden in Maine. Inspired by her work there, we are creating this feature to honor her and complement her boxwood design at Green Spring.

Green Spring’s Moon Gate Garden project will provide sanctuary and inspiration for 200,000 annual visitors. It will be a stunning backdrop for photography and events and will serve as a symbolic connection between the past and the future.

The project will begin with the construction of the moon gate feature near the boundary of the Edible Garden. The medium will reflect elements of Green Spring’s historic landscape that was designed by Beatrix Farrand in 1942.

a map depicting the location of the moon gate garden project with a yellow circle

Landscape Architects

  • Adam Wynn, FCPA Senior Planner, PLA, LEED AP
  • Doug Tipsword, FCPA Senior Landscape Architect, PLA, ASLA

Project Members

  • Judy Zatsick, Green Spring Site Manager
  • Nicole Mitchell, Frying Pan Site Manager
  • Susan Eggerton, Green Spring Visitor Services Manager
  • Debbie Waugh, Green Spring Historian
  • Laura Strecker, Green Spring Communications Specialist

Special thanks to Friends of Green Spring board members Sarah Monroe and Bevan Shimizu for concept consultation.

Inspiration Board

Moon Gate Garden Feature

Moon Gate Garden Bench

Moon Gate Garden Trellis

The following Mid-Atlantic native, cultivated native and non-invasive Asiatic plants are under consideration for this garden.

  • Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)*
  • Royal fern (Osmunda spectabilis)*
  • Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum)
  • Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)*
  • Wild ginger (Asarum canadense or splendens)*
  • Hokone grass (Hakonechloa macra)
  • Woodland phlox (Phlox stolonifera)*
  • Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
  • Iris sp. (genus Iris)
  • False cypress sp. (genus Chamaecyparis) 
  • Aster sp. (genus Asteraceae)
  • Anemone sp. (genus Anemone)

*Mid-Atlantic natives that blend well with an Asian-inspired garden design

Hover over the images below for plant names and click/tap to see an enlarged image.

Anemone

aralia

fatsia

hokone grass

japanese painted fern carex

kalmia mountain laurel

podophyllum

wild ginger hellebore iris

woodland phlox

Support/Donate

To learn more about how you can contribute to Green Spring’s Moon Gate Garden project, please visit the Fairfax County Park Foundation web page. We invite you to follow its progress and check back periodically to see updates.

We thank our donors and the Park Foundation for their continued support in making this commemorative project a reality!

Park Foundation

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