The building of the Heritage Garden at the North Star House was a larger endeavor than ever imagined. The Ribbon Cutting to officially open the garden to the public took place on June 23, 2019. The setting and style of the Arts & Crafts home lent itself beautifully to Edwardian woodland landscaping.

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The plaque at the front gate explains the reason the Heritage Garden was created:

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The Heritage Garden honors Arthur De Wint Foote’s horticultural skills and his affiliation with renowned horticulturalist Luther Burbank and Nevada City horticulturalist Felix Gillet.

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In 1905 A.D. Foote began designing the Edwardian woodland landscape surrounding The North Star House. This garden includes plants and trees that grew in the original landscape, including roses found inthe courtyard rose garden, a Felix Gillet heritage pear tree, and perennials inspired by Luther Burbank. The pond represents the original Julia Morgan designed courtyard reflecting pond.

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The garden project was a dream of the historians and volunteer gardeners who had been identifying heritage plants on the North Star property for over ten years. The Heritage Garden includes heritage roses, peonies, hydrangeas,boxwood, grapes, and fruit trees to represent the plants that had once been on the property.

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