Sims Botanical Garden
The Sims Botanical Garden, Miss Sim's Garden or the Sims Ecoscape, is a small botanical garden located at 908 Highland Road on five lots between Highland Road and Irving Road in the East Edgewood neighborhood of Homewood.
The property and a small endowment for maintenance was donated to the city by Catherine Sims, known as the "Plant Lady of Homewood", who died in 2006. The garden features many plants cultivated by Sims, including a variety of heirloom roses.
Planning and construction of the botanical garden was contracted to the Southern Environmental Center, which added the park to its system of educational EcoScapes. Laura Rogers served as the first resident caretaker. Eventually the space may be connected to a planned community garden at the former site of Homewood Middle School and to the Shades Creek Greenway through West Homewood to Red Mountain Park.
Amy Milam has been the full-time director of the property since 2018. The Edgewood Garden Club supports the garden.
References
- Singleton, William C. III (November 23, 2011) "Work begins in Homewood to turn donated property into botanical garden." The Birmingham News
- Cromwell, Sydney (August 16, 2018) "Letting the garden grow." The Homewood Star
- Gates, Verna (April 2019) "How Birmingham garden clubs changed the city forever" Birmingham magazine
- Schnader, Ingrid (November 25, 2020) "Sims Garden offers COVID-safe photos with Santa." The Homewood Star