Restoration of the Native Plant Garden in Silver Tower Park

The Whitehall Garden Club has completed its planned restoration of the Native Plant Garden (NPG) located on the west slope of Silver Tower Park along North Whitehall Street. The Whitehall Garden Club established the NPG in 2007, spearheaded by Glenna Waltee, a member and Master Gardener. Over the past 19 years, the Whitehall Garden Club has worked to remove and replace dead and overgrown plantings with new trees and perennials, enhance the Garden's educational offerings with new plant signage, and create a brochure describing the significance of the plantings displayed.

When Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery traveled through this area in 1805, they documented and classified many species previously unknown to Western science, and they bear their names today. For example: Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange); Lewisia rediviva (Bitterroot); Clarkia pulchella (Clarkia); and the Garden's newest addition, the Prairie Expedition American elm (Ulmus americana 'Lewis & Clark'). A brochure is available on-site for a self-guided tour and includes how certain plants were used by early Native peoples, as Lewis and Clark learned of these plants only through interaction with their Native guides and local tribes.

With funding from the local Jefferson Valley Community Foundation and other donations from local patrons, we believe we achieved our goal of further enhancing the beauty of the Native Plant Garden for future generations and further educating those who visit the gardens. Adjacent to the Native Plant Garden are the Whitehall Garden Club's Blue Star Memorial and Gold Star By-Way marker, and the Veteran's Memorial Wall honoring our military and their families who have served and are serving, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Whitehall Garden Club hopes you will take advantage of the Native Plant Garden. With a small fruit orchard just north of the garden and pergolas with picnic tables providing additional shade, this area provides an ideal location for locals and tourists to take a lunch break or a "leg stretch" for travelers, and for spreading the word about native plants and Lewis and Clark's travels through the area. A re-dedication of the Native Plant Garden and Memorials is planned for summer 2027.