An Inspirational Legacy

Our founder, Rachel “Bunny Mellon,” was born 111 years ago today.  Although she no longer walks the sun-dappled garden paths of Oak Spring, not a day passes that a fond memory isn’t shared by those who knew her: how she would tell her mowers to avoid an especially glorious patch of buttercups, how she once gave a rocking horse to the young son of an employee, and many other stories.

Mrs. Mellon pruning in the 1980s. Photo from the Oak Spring Garden Library archives.

Mrs. Mellon made a lasting impact on those who knew her, many of whom still work at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation today. For OSGF employees who didn’t know her personally, she lives on in the stories told to us by those legacy staff members, in the generosity, curiosity and passion that she inspired in others, and in the incredible beauty and knowledge that she left us to steward and share. 

Especially for early-career horticulturists, farmers, artists and others, learning about how Mrs. Mellon cultivated and cared for Oak Spring and her community has been important to shaping their work at the foundation .

“The two characteristics of Mrs. Mellon that shine through to me, and inspire me in my work the most, are her curiosity and her ability to find passion, and interest, and intrigue, and value, in the small details of the world around us, ” said Head of Communications Max Smith. “Another (characteristic) is her generosity. . . Every day when I come to work, I feel that spirit of generosity and it makes me feel the owness to pay it forward in a sense.”

“‘Some of the best garden ideas and places are the result of unplanned surprises’,” quoted BCCF Greenhouse Manager Caitlin Etherton, from a journal entry of Mrs. Mellon’s that she found in the Oak Spring Garden Library last summer.

“I love that quotation so much,” continued Caitlin. “When you choose to look at a blooming thistle, or a groundhog hole in the pepper field, as an unplanned surprise, it not only allows you not only step back and look at the bigger picture and prevent yourself from becoming completely frustrated, it also allows you to appreciate the beauty of the creature at hand. Sometimes, paying attention in that way can help you find better and more beautiful solutions, too.”

To celebrate Mrs. Mellon’s birthday this year, we asked Max, Caitlin, and several other OSGF employees to tell us how her legacy inspires their work at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation today. See what they had to say in the video below.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Mellon, from all of us at Oak Spring!

Banner image: Fred Conrad/NY Times