Photograph by Claire Takacs

Mission

Innisfree Garden is a work of art. The nonprofit Innisfree Foundation contributes to a healthier, richer society by protecting and sharing this iconic historic landscape, its poetic design, innovative nature-based land management practices, and global artistic inspirations through engaging visitor experiences and programming.

Core Values

  • Human Experience and Wellness: We offer an outdoor destination where people can find beauty, inspiration, mental respite, and healthy activity surrounded by art and nature.

  • Stewardship and Sustainability: We preserve the integrity of the art and science of Lester Collins’ landscape design. We maintain the visual qualities of this landmark landscape and follow the sustainable, or nature-based, gardening practices that Collins developed on site and are central to the Innisfree Garden ethos and aesthetic. Innisfree Garden is maintained with much less labor than typical gardens require. We share these concepts and techniques that can be applied with similar effects anywhere in the world.

  • Integrity: We act ethically, inclusively, and respectfully in our relationships.

  • Global Perspectives and Inclusiveness: Taking cues from Innisfree’s global design inspirations, we welcome and respect all individuals and celebrate cultural diversity in our programming.

  • Authenticity and Restraint: We preserve the essence of Lester Collins’ design that draws on many traditions, including his practice as a modernist, his Quaker beliefs, and his scholarly understanding of Asian and European design history. Innisfree Garden celebrates the authenticity of natural objects and processes and the concepts of economy and simplicity.

  • Community: We contribute to our region's cultural life and economic prosperity by offering a place for people to enjoy nature as fine-tuned by a master landscape architect.