Moore Chapel Gardeners

Gardens are ongoing works in progress. The Master Gardeners of Dekalb who attend to Legacy Park’s Moore Chapel work to keep the gardens fresh and healthy, adding or replacing plants when necessary, and maintaining the gardens as befits this beautiful and historic 1906 stone structure.

The group began its work renovating the Chapel’s landscape in 2011. There were no gardens around the Chapel at the time. The few remaining beds in the front had been in place over 30 years and were overgrown and weedy. Saving and transplanting their few good plants, the gardeners excavated and amended the soil, then planted new trees, shrubs and perennials.  

Accomplishments since include:

• Installing a new stone walkway and expanding the patio
• Sodding the front yard
• Establishing islands with Japanese maples and mondo grass
• Planting gardens on all four sides of the building
• Addressing water runoff from the slate roof using boulders and placing a dry creek bed
• Planting trees and adding benches which invite the public to rest a moment and enjoy the beauty of an old churchyard

Plans in progress include:

• Developing a garden park on the right side of the chapel to commemorate the history of the United Methodist Children’s Home, including benches sheltered by trees and flowering shrubs
• Installing a bronze sculpture of children at play to serve as a focal point