Germinating from the search for a location for a Westport Lilac Garden in the late fall of 2023, Tena Perrelli and Pat Troyan jokingly speculated that it might be easier finding 100 acres instead of 1 acre in town. The jest blossomed into a mentoring relationship with the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, and a case study location for Cornell University’s Landscape Design Department 2024 spring studio class—a partnership we are strengthening in 2026. We are proud of our 2025 accomplishments, including the approval of our 501c3 non-profit status, a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the launch of this website. We are focusing on the overarching goal of identifying and acquiring property, allowing us to realize a vision for the Garden that incorporates the resources that the land provides.