As the James River winds its way from its source high in the Appalachian Mountains to Virginia’s Tidewater coastal plain, it falls over a series of rapids in Central Virginia caused by the abrupt change in elevation. This narrow geological boundary is called the “Fall Line.” It’s an ecologically unique location where the flora from both geographic regions coexist.
The Kent-Valentine House, the Garden Club of Virginia’s downtown Richmond headquarters (Photo by Ben Greenberg)
Several blocks north of the spot where the city of Richmond straddles the Fall Line, on the northwest corner of First and Franklin streets, the historic Kent-Valentine House has served as headquarters for the Garden Club of Virginia since 1971.
And so, it made sense that when the club — in keeping with its commitment to conservation and the preservation of the commonwealth’s historic landscapes — began a restoration of the Kent-Valentine’s grounds last year, they built on the theme of the James River as a “botanical meeting ground.”
“The idea for the redesign began in early spring of 2024, in response to conservation concerns on the property,” explains Deneen Brannock, chair of the Garden Club’s Restoration Committee. “We decided to develop a new landscape plan that was more conservation minded and sustainable.” Charlottesville-based landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz, working in close collaboration with site stewards from the Garden Club of Virginia, imagined a new tableau that reflects the native ecologies, plant species and horticultural practices of the commonwealth.
The front side of the club’s headquarters will remain formal, with its lawn panel, shrub edging and focal dogwood that complement the classic style of the house, which was built as an Italianate villa in 1845 and transformed into a Colonial Revival mansion in the early 1900s. The Kent-Valentine House is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. “Some of the property’s most character-defining historic features, such as its intricate cast-iron veranda, iron perimeter fence, brick walls and reflecting fountain, will be preserved,” as will its three stately magnolias, Brannock says.
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A meandering path leads through new Piedmont forest plantings, a coastal rain garden and specialty plantings in the new gardens Nelson Byrd Woltz designed for the Kent-Valentine House. (Image courtesy Nelson Byrd Woltz)
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Another view of the garden plan details amenities such as a green lawn panel and protected historic magnolias on Franklin Street, a brick patio, garden art and more. (Image courtesy Nelson Byrd Woltz)
Much of the new landscape will be planted in Virginia natives. On the west side of the .45-acre parcel, plans call for a pathway representing the James River to curve through blooming shrubs, small trees and perennials typical of those that grow in the Piedmont forest. The “river path” will culminate in a rain garden at the back of the property, planted with the flora of the coastal plain. There, mature shrubs will find themselves in the company of a new patio, surrounded by seating for meetings and social events. ADA-compliant parking, paths, ramps and entranceways will welcome Garden Club members and the public to enjoy every aspect of the garden. “In keeping with the club’s mission to educate, an engraved paver in the front walkway as well as an interpretive panel next to the ‘river path’ will explain how these horticultural selections celebrate the diversity of Virginia’s native plant ecologies,” Brannock notes.
Work on the reimagined landscape is scheduled to be completed in late 2026.
