Expansion plan unveiled for Virginia Tech’s Hahn Horticulture Garden

The plan focuses on upgrading amenities for holding events, expanding gardens and sustainability features

A long-range plan has been unveiled for Virginia Tech's Hahn Horticulture Garden. (Credit: Virginia Tech) (WSLS)

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech could undergo expansion soon.

A $4 million study was completed to outline potential growth and expansion for the Hahn Horticulture Garden, a popular spot on Virginia Tech’s campus.

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The proposed study focuses on upgrading amenities for holding events, and expanding gardens and sustainability features.

Organizers said elements proposed in the study include an open-air marquee structure, a Japanese-style zen garden, a glass house, and more.

“Items identified in the study help us better utilize our 6-acre footprint,” Hahn Horticulture Garden Director Scott Douglas said. “It allows people to stay longer, see more things, and be exposed to different styles of gardens. I’m hoping this will make us more of a destination.”

Event rentals cover more than 50% of the garden’s operating costs, Douglas said. Organizers want to increase that potential by constructing a 2,800-square-foot open-air marquee to be built next to the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion.

The marquee will likely be the first project to be completed, and Douglas said his hope is to break ground by November in order to have it completed by the 2023 wedding season and the garden’s 40th anniversary.

Douglas said students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Technology program will have the opportunity to take on a role in the installation and maintenance of projects outlined in the study.

“We’ve been so grateful to our community and volunteers who have supported the garden over the last 40 years,” Douglas said. “We look forward to involving them in the next chapter of growth to make the Hahn Garden the premier venue to visit, learn, relax, gather, and celebrate.”


About the Author

Lauren Helkowski joined WSLS 10’s digital team in August 2022, but has held a passion for storytelling long before.

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