Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) — A new garden honoring Mary Lincoln is going in at Union Square Park, bringing history to life with a combination of more than 9,000 plants, flowers and trees that are representative of the flora of Lincon’s time in Springfield.

Mary Lincoln’s Garden is a project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and funded in part by a large donation from Mariet Hamrah of Brooklyn, New York.

Planting is set to begin next week, with the goal of completing the transformation of the area near the pergola close to Jefferson Street by April 30.

The garden will feature native prairie grasses, wildflowers, and ornamental trees. Visitors can expect to see period-appropriate blooms such as black-eyed Susans, bluebells, and coneflowers, according to Dorothy Hutchinson-Gross, ALPLM facilities and sustainability director.

The selection of plants is rooted in research conducted by the University of Illinois Extension Office and a Lincoln historian, who studied not only what was native to Illinois during the Lincoln era, but also which plants were introduced to the area during that time.

Boehm’s Garden Center in Rushville designed the landscape and Semper Fi Land Services, Inc. will handle implementation.

As part of the effort, crews will repair existing sprinkler systems and relocate any salvageable plants to other parts of the ALPLM property.

“We’re trying to do more activities and community events in the park. Mary Lincoln’s Garden is a way to bring people in to enjoy the beauty of it all, and at the same time, provide education on the native plants,” Hutchinson-Gross said.

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