Arboretum HIghlights bexley: community garden

The Bexley Community Garden was started in 2009 and is under the jurisdiction of Bexley Parks and Recreation. Four Master Gardeners currently manage the BCG. Since Bexley is an accredited arboretum with over 14,000 trees, sunny space for gardening can be rare for homeowners.

The Bexley Community Garden is 20,000 square feet of sunny space; perfect for gardening. It includes 84 plots that currently rent for $30.00 per calendar year. The City has added 4 water pumps, which allow each plot to have access to water via hoses. Tools are available onsite. There is also a community of helpfulness and knowledge. In addition to the individual plots there are several other specialty plots and gardens. The herb garden was the first specialty plot. Over 16 herbs are grown for the gardeners to share and use as they wish. The giving garden grows food and then donates it to a local food pantry. In 2015, over 500 pounds of fresh produce was donated.

The pollinator garden is planted with annuals and perennials. It blooms throughout the growing season and provides food for bees. We also have and maintain bees to help with the current bee crisis and enrich the environment. There is also a butterfly garden which has been officially accredited as a Monarch way station. It feeds and provides a nursery for monarch butterflies. One of the highlights is the milkweed which will attract dozens of monarchs in August. The garden is also pleased to host an experimental site overseen by The Ohio State University. Current research on the squash vine borer is chemical free and adds to the educational value of the garden.

Every year educational programs are held in the gardens for new gardeners and experienced gardeners interested in increasing their gardening skills and knowledge. Opportunities also abound for Master Gardeners and other groups seeking service hours during clean up days. Current plans are underway to expand the garden to another location in North Bexley and offer raised beds, which enable those that have difficulty bending and kneeling to garden more easily.

Recent Accolades: North Community Garden

• Franklin County Outstanding Master Gardner Volunteer Project

• Ohio Outstanding Master Gardner Volunteer Project

• Honorable Mention, Columbus Dispatch Garden Awards

• 1 of 2 Victory Gardens sponsored by OSU Extension

Recent Accolades: South Community Garden

• Franklin County Outstanding Master Gardner Volunteer Project

• Ohio Outstanding Master Gardner Volunteer Project

• 2nd Place, Columbus Dispatch Garden Awards

• Wendy Mangino (South Gardener and part of the Bexley Garden Leadership Team) and Maggie Harriman both received the Franklin County Outstanding Master Gardener Volunteer of the Year Award on Sept. 9.

 Commonwealth Park

Commonwealth Park is located east of North Parkview and west of North Drexel, and is bordered by Commonwealth Park North and Commonwealth Park South streets. This park offers a mix of opportunity with its large open spaces that are often used as athletic fields or the well known mature trees which provides the perfect spot for a picnic. October 2023 a natural pond was added with giant stepping stones and a tree island. Best of all, there are many exciting enhancements still to come.

Havenwood park

Havenwood Park is located north of Charles Street, between Euclaire and South Cassingham. This oval-shaped park is a passive park, and is also host to several unique tree species that cannot be found elsewhere in Bexley. Havenwood Park is home to the Jazz in the Park summer music series where local musicians preform live for the community. It isn’t uncommon to find the traveling Ping-Pong and foosball table set up under the old red oaks.

Natural Dog Park

In 2023 Bexley Arboretum added its newest park as part of the Year of The Parks project. The natural dog park is located in the woods of Schneider park. You can find the park by taking the pathway at the bottom of the Schneider park sledding hill or you can access the dog park with a longer woodland trek by starting Main Street trailhead and walking south along Alum Creek. The natural dog park consists of two fenced in areas; one designated for large dogs and the other for smaller dogs. There are obstacles for the dogs to enjoy and benches for relaxing. Once finished, there is a dog wash station and water bowl at the top of the sled hill at the dead end of Astor Ave.

Schneider Park

Schneider Park is located in the southwest portion of the City, at the terminus of Astor Avenue, just west of Sheridan Avenue. At the park's southern end, you will find a shelter house, playground, splash pad, fairy garden, free library, athletic fields and the south community gardens. If you park at the south gardens and head north up the blacktop path, you will find a gazebo overlooking Alum Creek, the sled hill. The natural dog park is also located along the path, just north of the sledding hill. The path will take you all the way to the Main St. connection. Many community events are held at Schneider park.

D.G.B KINDNESS PARK

The Denise G. Blank (DGB) Kindness Park is a pocket park located to the west of the Drexel Theatre. The park features bench seating, a small fountain, and a repository for kindness rocks and kindness messaging on the public chalkboard. Take a pause from the busy world and practice a few moments of wellness in our smallest park.

Arboretum HIghlights bexley: jeffrey mansion

Given to the City of Bexley in 1941, the 34-acre Jeffrey estate is literally an arboretum unto itself. Composed of deciduous woodland and four meadows, the general plan envisioned by Robert H. Jeffrey was to create a country setting for an English style-estate. In the British tradition, the estate includes extensive park-like grounds and walking paths winding through twenty acres of woodland, comprising Sycamores and Cottonwood trees in the floodplain, White Pine and Blue Spruce trees in the conifer grove, and Sugar Maples and Oaks edging the meadows.  Many of the early trees were imported from England, Scotland and other European countries, often by Mr. Jeffrey, personally, as he stored seedlings in his pockets from trips abroad.  Home to a variety of owls, foxes, deer and Cooper’s Hawks, the Jeffrey Woods continues to delight and inspire residents and visitors alike. Click on the photos below to scroll through Jeffrey Mansion and Woods.

Arboretum HIghlights bexley: Fairy Garden

Welcome to the Bexley’s magical Fairy Garden!

Located at Bexley’s Schneider Park in south Bexley (off of Charles Street at Astor Avenue), this enchanting hamlet is where our City’s fairies, gnomes, and sprites hang out and gather. Explore the Fairy House, Shelly’s swimming pool and Mr. Owl’s house that has many doors that nature has provided. Located close to the Free Lending Library is a setting of tree trunk reading chairs where a “Little Bear” can explore books with their parents while they sit in the mama and papa bear chairs. Little magical peoples fly in and out of the Fairy Garden all the time, and we hope you will see them when you visit. Keep an eye out for new objects and features to the Fairy House – the village continues to grow. As always, please be respectful of this addition to our community, and do not take, alter, or damage the fairy gardens in any way. This project is completely volunteer based, and is made possible by those who put in the effort to make it spectacular.

Did you know? The trunk of our fairy garden is a maple tree! The trunks of our fairy gardens are carved out of unhealthy street trees and have then been repurposed into a delightful attraction for the "smallest" residents of our community. Keep an eye out for programs at the Bexley Public Library that relate to the activities at the Fairy Garden. 

Arboretum HIghlights bexley: Homemade maple syrup made from bexley trees

In the late months of winter, Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler and the City’s Urban Forestry Department team up to host a unique-to-Bexley event, the Jeffrey Woods Festival. At the festival, there are wood sculpting demonstrations, a wood chop shop to cut up your own fallen trees for firework, and some of the trees within the Bexley Arboretum are tapped for sap.

Once an adequate batch of sap is collected after several weeks, the sap is transformed into Kelveden Maple Syrup. “Kelveden" was the Jeffrey Family's name for their storied estate at the corner of Clifton and Parkview Avenue. The estate now serves as the City's largest - and most forested - park. Kelveden is a traditional, open-fire maple syrup, produced since 2014 with sap that is tapped from Sugar Maple trees in Jeffrey Woods. A limited quantity of maple syrup is sold at Urban Emporium each Arbor Day – stop in before they’re gone! Urban Emporium is located at 2260 E. Main Street, and is a unique and cozy shop featuring artworks of several central Ohio artists.

Arboretum HIghlights bexley: Ohio Governor’s Residence & Heritage Garden

“A house that belongs to all Ohioans.” – First Lady of Ohio, Fran DeWine

The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden provides people of all ages with educational opportunities. The residence is a beautiful historic home with many stories to tell, and is situated on the north side of Bexley. The Jeffrey family originally built the house in 1925, and descendants of the family donated it to the state in 1955. Since then, eleven governor's families have lived at the residence and contributed to its rich history. The residence is also filled with examples of Ohio art and industry.

The Heritage Garden provide a microcosm within which to view Ohio's natural habitats. Each garden represents a physiographic region of the state and includes plants that grow there natively. The residence gardens give visitors a unique glimpse into the natural history and current status of Ohio's environmental landscape.

Tours are available on Wednesdays, by appointment only. Reservations must be made at least one week in advance. Please call 614-728-5611 or email residence@governor.ohio.gov to schedule. To learn more about the Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Gardens, visit www.friendsohio.com.

Are you eager to volunteer? Get involved at the Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden!

If you like history, architecture, or gardens you may be interested in participating in our volunteer program. We are seeking volunteers to conduct tours of the house and garden for the thousands of children and adults who visit each year. Other volunteer opportunities include helping with residence events, such as parties and receptions, working in the Heritage Garden or assisting residence staff with special projects. To learn more, visit www.firstlady.ohio.gov/residence/volunteer.