Grounds
Ashland’s grounds are open daily and offer abundant space for guests to enjoy the property while also providing an opportunity to engage in civics and history lessons. Whether reading the interpretive markers, exploring the exhibits in the Smoke House and Carriage House, or walking the neighborhood Ashland Trail, this museum without walls provides limitless opportunities for discovery.
Henry Clay envisioned Ashland as a park-like environment where the grounds could be enjoyed by his family and visitors. He often walked his back lawn to contemplate the issues of the day or simply set them aside and soothe himself with the beauty and serenity of his farm. The walk was maintained by his descendants as part of his legacy at Ashland.
When Clay would leave Ashland for Washington, D.C., he would leave strict instructions that not one single tree be cut on the grounds in his absence. This passion for the natural world and desire to preserve it has continued for over 200 years at Ashland, and the property remains well known for its leafy landscape.
The Gardens
Formal Garden
In 1950, the Henry Clay Estate asked the Garden Club of Lexington if they would help to create and maintain a formal garden at Ashland. Funds were raised for the project by selling war bonds and were used to hire Henry F. Kenney to design plans for the gardens.
Today the garden and grounds feature over 120 plant species. Maintenance of the gardens is still the responsibility of the club which meets weekly to see to its upkeep. In 2005, the Garden Club received a Historic Preservation Award honoring their more than 50 years of work on the estate.
Endres, Victoria. “Ashland Gardens.”
Peony Garden
The Garden Club of Lexington inherited the peony collection of Alice McIlwain Prewitt after her death in 1985. Mrs. Prewitt loved gardening and helped direct the restoration of Ashland, so Ashland is a fitting place for her collection. The peonies are all Saunders hybrids purchased in the 1950s, and these peonies won the Lindley Silver Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England in 1962 for Mrs. Prewitt and Professor Saunders’ daughter Silvia.
Scott, Barb. Chevy Chaser Magazine, 1 June 2000.
Arboretum
Ashland has been accredited as a Level 1 Arboretum with 600+ trees and 44 species – a level of arboreal diversity not found in many places in the Bluegrass.
Ashland is nestled in the center of the Inner Bluegrass, a beautiful landscape that is one of the most environmentally distinct in the eastern United States. Located within the city of Lexington, Ashland’s grounds retains a variety of native tree species that are rare to find in an urban environment. Over forty species are represented in Ashland’s over 600 trees. The estate is home to multiple noteworthy trees: two blue ash trees that are nearly 300 years old, a Kentucky Big Tree Champion tulip poplar, a Kentucky Big Tree champion paper birch, the current Kentucky State Champion Washington hawthorne, living fossil ginkgo trees.
Ashland’s trees are not just beautiful, they play an important role environmental service by annually intercepting 520 pounds of air pollution, 24,920 pounds of carbon, and soaking up 202,296 gallons of storm water.
Maintaining these trees is no small feat. Each year we select trees that need the most maintenance and tag them for adoption by the community. By adopting a tree, you pay for its maintenance for the year and ensure that it thrives at Ashland for years to come.
Interactive Tree Map
To make this wealth of native biodiversity more accessible to the public and in support of our efforts to move from an accredited Level I to Level II arboretum, the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation introduces this interactive tree map. This map is designed to give visitors the ability to locate interesting features on the estate, such as the peony beds, native tree species, historical content, and Kentucky State Champion trees.
This project has been a collaborative effort between Ryan Kelly and the staff at Ashland to make information about the grounds more accessible to its visitors. Each species of tree on the estate is represented on the map by a “tree” icon. Click the icon to see an image, to read its scientific name, whether it is native or imported, and its location on the estate. In addition to the tree icons, there are icons for points of interest, like the icehouses, and public facilities. We hope this map will be a useful tool for first time and recurring visitors alike.
Map created by Ryan Kelly, Professor of Geography, GISP, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Lexington, Kentucky. The map, tree ID tags, and our new Pocket Guide to Ashland were made possible with a grant from the Bluegrass Charity Ball.
